Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Russia
Since 2001, Russia has lost about 91.7 million hectares of forest (about 920,000 km²): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 1 million hectares (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 758 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 91.7 million ha12% of it, about 920,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 1 million hadeforestation, 1.1% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20216.49 million ha lost
Map
Where Russia has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Russia 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 Russia, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 4.51 million hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 4.98 million hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 6.49 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 17,100 ha | 1.8 million ha | 1.82 million ha |
| 2002 | 15,400 ha | 2.67 million ha | 2.69 million ha |
| 2003 | 10,800 ha | 3.01 million ha | 3.02 million ha |
| 2004 | 23,100 ha | 3.48 million ha | 3.51 million ha |
| 2005 | 23,700 ha | 1.56 million ha | 1.58 million ha |
| 2006 | 29,600 ha | 2.19 million ha | 2.22 million ha |
| 2007 | 38,100 ha | 2.29 million ha | 2.33 million ha |
| 2008 | 39,400 ha | 3 million ha | 3.04 million ha |
| 2009 | 38,600 ha | 2.07 million ha | 2.1 million ha |
| 2010 | 44,400 ha | 1.81 million ha | 1.85 million ha |
| 2011 | 39,400 ha | 2.97 million ha | 3.01 million ha |
| 2012 | 52,700 ha | 5.31 million ha | 5.37 million ha |
| 2013 | 27,100 ha | 4.91 million ha | 4.94 million ha |
| 2014 | 41,400 ha | 4.43 million ha | 4.47 million ha |
| 2015 | 37,200 ha | 2.29 million ha | 2.32 million ha |
| 2016 | 62,400 ha | 4.97 million ha | 5.03 million ha |
| 2017 | 63,400 ha | 5.2 million ha | 5.26 million ha |
| 2018 | 53,500 ha | 5.48 million ha | 5.53 million ha |
| 2019 | 47,700 ha | 3.62 million ha | 3.67 million ha |
| 2020 | 51,300 ha | 5.37 million ha | 5.42 million ha |
| 2021 | 48,000 ha | 6.44 million ha | 6.49 million ha |
| 2022 | 52,100 ha | 4.21 million ha | 4.27 million ha |
| 2023 | 57,400 ha | 3.28 million ha | 3.34 million ha |
| 2024 | 48,200 ha | 5.11 million ha | 5.16 million ha |
| 2025 | 40,400 ha | 3.25 million ha | 3.29 million 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 Russia?
- 1.1%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 97%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.4%cause unknown
- Wildfires73% · 66.9 million ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Logging22% · 20.4 million ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes2.2% · 2.02 million ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Unknown causes1.4% · 1.31 million ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, towns and roads, farms, pasture and plantations, shifting farming.
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.
Regions that lost the most
| Region | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sakha | 26.6 million ha | 23% | 144,000 ha |
| Krasnoyarsk Krai | 11.8 million ha | 12% | 76,400 ha |
| Irkutsk Oblast | 10.3 million ha | 17% | 91,100 ha |
| Zabaykalskiy (Transbaikal) Kray | 5.46 million ha | 25% | 24,900 ha |
| Khabarovsk | 4.72 million ha | 8.9% | 62,100 ha |
| Amur Oblast | 4.39 million ha | 18% | 81,300 ha |
| Buryatiya Republic | 3.36 million ha | 22% | 9,300 ha |
| Khanty-Mansia | 2.48 million ha | 7.9% | 109,000 ha |
| Tomsk Oblast | 2.26 million ha | 10% | 12,700 ha |
| Arkhangelskaya | 1.98 million ha | 8.6% | 12,700 ha |
| Komi | 1.57 million ha | 5% | 24,100 ha |
| Vologda Oblast | 1.5 million ha | 13% | 5,790 ha |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zelenograd | 3,470 ha | 19% | 811 ha |
| Balashikha | 3,350 ha | 20% | 520 ha |
| Ust’-Ilimsk | 2,960 ha | 15% | 153 ha |
| Noginsk | 2,630 ha | 14% | 882 ha |
| Orekhovo-Zuyevo | 2,460 ha | 13% | 354 ha |
| Kolomna | 2,280 ha | 21% | 637 ha |
| Shchyolkovo | 2,090 ha | 13% | 381 ha |
| Pervouralsk | 2,020 ha | 10% | 105 ha |
| Dzerzhinsk | 2,000 ha | 18% | 304 ha |
| Mezhdurechensk | 1,980 ha | 8.5% | 1,590 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Russia
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 Russia
How much forest has Russia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Russia has lost about 91.7 million hectares of forest (about 920,000 km²): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 1 million hectares (1.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Russia getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 4.51 million hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 4.98 million 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 Russia?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are wildfires (73%), logging (22%), storms, floods and other natural causes (2.2%). About 1 million 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 Russia?
The worst year was 2021, when about 6.49 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
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 Russia, 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.