Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Czechia
Since 2001, Czechia has lost about 608,000 hectares of forest (about 6,100 km²): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 3,890 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 3.08 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 608,000 ha20% of it, about 6,100 km²
- Cleared for good
- 3,890 hadeforestation, under 1% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2020100,000 ha lost
Map
Where Czechia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Czechia as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in Czechia, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 30,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 52,300 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 100,000 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 56 ha | 3,360 ha | 3,410 ha |
| 2002 | 110 ha | 6,670 ha | 6,780 ha |
| 2003 | 53 ha | 3,840 ha | 3,890 ha |
| 2004 | 178 ha | 14,300 ha | 14,500 ha |
| 2005 | 242 ha | 25,200 ha | 25,400 ha |
| 2006 | 129 ha | 8,420 ha | 8,550 ha |
| 2007 | 183 ha | 21,500 ha | 21,700 ha |
| 2008 | 215 ha | 16,600 ha | 16,800 ha |
| 2009 | 230 ha | 13,300 ha | 13,600 ha |
| 2010 | 235 ha | 15,200 ha | 15,500 ha |
| 2011 | 235 ha | 21,800 ha | 22,000 ha |
| 2012 | 166 ha | 14,000 ha | 14,100 ha |
| 2013 | 77 ha | 7,540 ha | 7,620 ha |
| 2014 | 102 ha | 13,800 ha | 13,900 ha |
| 2015 | 84 ha | 7,930 ha | 8,010 ha |
| 2016 | 162 ha | 22,600 ha | 22,800 ha |
| 2017 | 187 ha | 26,100 ha | 26,300 ha |
| 2018 | 192 ha | 39,000 ha | 39,200 ha |
| 2019 | 206 ha | 72,900 ha | 73,100 ha |
| 2020 | 185 ha | 100,000 ha | 100,000 ha |
| 2021 | 161 ha | 56,000 ha | 56,100 ha |
| 2022 | 108 ha | 34,400 ha | 34,500 ha |
| 2023 | 134 ha | 24,200 ha | 24,300 ha |
| 2024 | 119 ha | 19,500 ha | 19,600 ha |
| 2025 | 144 ha | 16,000 ha | 16,200 ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in Czechia?
- under 1%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 99%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Logging99% · 600,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads, mining and energy, farms, pasture and plantations, wildfires, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Czechia
How much forest has Czechia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Czechia has lost about 608,000 hectares of forest (about 6,100 km²): 20% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 3,890 hectares (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Czechia getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 30,200 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 52,300 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation in Czechia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (99%), storms, floods and other natural causes (under 1%), towns and roads (under 1%). About 3,890 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss in Czechia?
The worst year was 2020, when about 100,000 hectares of forest were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches in Czechia, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.