Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Puerto Rico
Since 2001, Puerto Rico has lost about 191,000 acres (77,200 hectares) of forest (about 140,000 football fields): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was storms, floods and other natural causes (41%), after which forest can grow back. About 86,700 acres (35,100 hectares) (45%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 1.29 million acres (521,000 ha)
- Forest lost since 2001
- 191,000 acres (77,200 ha)15% of it, about 140,000 football fields
- Cleared for good
- 86,700 acres (35,100 ha)deforestation, 45% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2017138,000 acres (55,700 ha) lost
Map
Where Puerto Rico has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 1,440 acres (582 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 29,100 acres (11,800 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 138,000 acres (55,700 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,700 acres (1,090 ha) | 393 acres (159 ha) | 3,090 acres (1,250 ha) |
| 2002 | 2,520 acres (1,020 ha) | 373 acres (151 ha) | 2,890 acres (1,170 ha) |
| 2003 | 2,600 acres (1,050 ha) | 361 acres (146 ha) | 2,960 acres (1,200 ha) |
| 2004 | 2,830 acres (1,140 ha) | 442 acres (179 ha) | 3,270 acres (1,320 ha) |
| 2005 | 2,780 acres (1,130 ha) | 403 acres (163 ha) | 3,190 acres (1,290 ha) |
| 2006 | 2,720 acres (1,100 ha) | 346 acres (140 ha) | 3,070 acres (1,240 ha) |
| 2007 | 2,220 acres (899 ha) | 346 acres (140 ha) | 2,570 acres (1,040 ha) |
| 2008 | 2,510 acres (1,020 ha) | 479 acres (194 ha) | 2,990 acres (1,210 ha) |
| 2009 | 1,920 acres (779 ha) | 410 acres (166 ha) | 2,340 acres (945 ha) |
| 2010 | 1,200 acres (485 ha) | 272 acres (110 ha) | 1,470 acres (595 ha) |
| 2011 | 2,450 acres (993 ha) | 568 acres (230 ha) | 3,020 acres (1,220 ha) |
| 2012 | 1,260 acres (509 ha) | 348 acres (141 ha) | 1,610 acres (650 ha) |
| 2013 | 1,560 acres (630 ha) | 173 acres (70 ha) | 1,730 acres (700 ha) |
| 2014 | 2,040 acres (825 ha) | 116 acres (47 ha) | 2,150 acres (872 ha) |
| 2015 | 1,570 acres (636 ha) | 215 acres (87 ha) | 1,790 acres (723 ha) |
| 2016 | 1,350 acres (546 ha) | 128 acres (52 ha) | 1,480 acres (598 ha) |
| 2017 | 41,400 acres (16,800 ha) | 96,300 acres (39,000 ha) | 138,000 acres (55,700 ha) |
| 2018 | 1,290 acres (522 ha) | 1,690 acres (682 ha) | 2,980 acres (1,200 ha) |
| 2019 | 1,610 acres (651 ha) | 101 acres (41 ha) | 1,710 acres (692 ha) |
| 2020 | 1,510 acres (612 ha) | 158 acres (64 ha) | 1,670 acres (676 ha) |
| 2021 | 1,550 acres (629 ha) | 148 acres (60 ha) | 1,700 acres (689 ha) |
| 2022 | 1,420 acres (575 ha) | 91 acres (37 ha) | 1,510 acres (612 ha) |
| 2023 | 1,700 acres (687 ha) | 166 acres (67 ha) | 1,860 acres (754 ha) |
| 2024 | 860 acres (348 ha) | 45 acres (18 ha) | 904 acres (366 ha) |
| 2025 | 1,090 acres (440 ha) | 124 acres (50 ha) | 1,210 acres (490 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 Puerto Rico?
- 45%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 54%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- Storms, floods and other natural causes41% · 78,800 acres (31,900 ha)
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Farms, pasture and plantations29% · 54,800 acres (22,200 ha)
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Towns and roads16% · 31,100 acres (12,600 ha)
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Shifting farming11% · 21,400 acres (8,670 ha)
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Logging1.4% · 2,710 acres (1,100 ha)
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, mining and energy, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 4,480 acres (1,810 ha) | 14% | 1,200 acres (487 ha) |
| Caguas | 4,010 acres (1,620 ha) | 9% | 3,780 acres (1,530 ha) |
| Mayagüez | 2,760 acres (1,120 ha) | 8.9% | 2,160 acres (874 ha) |
| Ponce | 2,420 acres (978 ha) | 8.3% | 1,810 acres (733 ha) |
| Bayamón | 2,120 acres (856 ha) | 12% | 1,660 acres (673 ha) |
| Arecibo | 1,120 acres (452 ha) | 7.2% | 872 acres (353 ha) |
| San Juan | 596 acres (241 ha) | 17% | 201 acres (81 ha) |
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Puerto Rico
How much forest has Puerto Rico lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Puerto Rico has lost about 191,000 acres (77,200 hectares) of forest (about 140,000 football fields): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was storms, floods and other natural causes (41%), after which forest can grow back. About 86,700 acres (35,100 hectares) (45%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Puerto Rico getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 1,440 acres (582 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 29,100 acres (11,800 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 Puerto Rico?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are storms, floods and other natural causes (41%), farms, pasture and plantations (29%), towns and roads (16%). About 86,700 acres (35,100 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 Puerto Rico?
The worst year was 2017, when about 138,000 acres (55,700 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 Puerto Rico, 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.