Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Estonia
Since 2001, Estonia has lost about 656,000 hectares of forest (about 6,600 km²): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 9,520 hectares (1.5%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 2.61 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 656,000 ha25% of it, about 6,600 km²
- Cleared for good
- 9,520 hadeforestation, 1.5% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201945,800 ha lost
Map
Where Estonia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Estonia 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 Estonia, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 34,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 39,400 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2019, when about 45,800 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 | 227 ha | 16,600 ha | 16,900 ha |
| 2002 | 172 ha | 21,700 ha | 21,900 ha |
| 2003 | 51 ha | 5,600 ha | 5,650 ha |
| 2004 | 291 ha | 17,800 ha | 18,100 ha |
| 2005 | 320 ha | 14,600 ha | 14,900 ha |
| 2006 | 588 ha | 21,100 ha | 21,700 ha |
| 2007 | 355 ha | 15,700 ha | 16,100 ha |
| 2008 | 264 ha | 18,100 ha | 18,400 ha |
| 2009 | 397 ha | 18,400 ha | 18,800 ha |
| 2010 | 472 ha | 21,100 ha | 21,500 ha |
| 2011 | 527 ha | 26,600 ha | 27,100 ha |
| 2012 | 320 ha | 17,300 ha | 17,600 ha |
| 2013 | 191 ha | 16,800 ha | 17,000 ha |
| 2014 | 403 ha | 23,000 ha | 23,400 ha |
| 2015 | 298 ha | 25,000 ha | 25,300 ha |
| 2016 | 571 ha | 35,500 ha | 36,100 ha |
| 2017 | 538 ha | 38,000 ha | 38,500 ha |
| 2018 | 771 ha | 39,100 ha | 39,800 ha |
| 2019 | 485 ha | 45,300 ha | 45,800 ha |
| 2020 | 550 ha | 36,200 ha | 36,700 ha |
| 2021 | 411 ha | 33,400 ha | 33,800 ha |
| 2022 | 303 ha | 38,800 ha | 39,100 ha |
| 2023 | 346 ha | 35,600 ha | 36,000 ha |
| 2024 | 338 ha | 34,500 ha | 34,800 ha |
| 2025 | 331 ha | 30,500 ha | 30,900 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 Estonia?
- 1.5%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 98%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Logging98% · 644,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, towns and roads, farms, pasture and plantations, wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kohtla-Järve | 2,890 ha | 27% | 71 ha |
| Tartu | 2,110 ha | 26% | 97 ha |
| Pärnu | 1,940 ha | 23% | 382 ha |
| Narva | 1,600 ha | 9.7% | 159 ha |
| Tallinn | 972 ha | 12% | 581 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Estonia
A satellite photo a year since 2017, with the forest lost marked on it, and the figures for each city.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Estonia
How much forest has Estonia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Estonia has lost about 656,000 hectares of forest (about 6,600 km²): 25% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 9,520 hectares (1.5%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Estonia getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 34,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 39,400 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 Estonia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (98%), mining and energy (under 1%), towns and roads (under 1%). About 9,520 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 Estonia?
The worst year was 2019, when about 45,800 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 Estonia, 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.