Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Switzerland
Since 2001, Switzerland has lost about 56,900 hectares of forest (about 80,000 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 3,280 hectares (5.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 1.55 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 56,900 ha3.7% of it, about 80,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 3,280 hadeforestation, 5.8% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20244,240 ha lost
Map
Where Switzerland has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Switzerland 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 Switzerland, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 3,310 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,980 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 4,240 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 | 1,100 ha | 1,160 ha |
| 2002 | 53 ha | 827 ha | 879 ha |
| 2003 | 54 ha | 377 ha | 431 ha |
| 2004 | 180 ha | 3,670 ha | 3,850 ha |
| 2005 | 117 ha | 2,200 ha | 2,320 ha |
| 2006 | 186 ha | 1,870 ha | 2,060 ha |
| 2007 | 128 ha | 1,730 ha | 1,860 ha |
| 2008 | 161 ha | 2,260 ha | 2,430 ha |
| 2009 | 171 ha | 2,100 ha | 2,270 ha |
| 2010 | 153 ha | 1,590 ha | 1,740 ha |
| 2011 | 115 ha | 1,840 ha | 1,950 ha |
| 2012 | 125 ha | 1,380 ha | 1,510 ha |
| 2013 | 82 ha | 709 ha | 791 ha |
| 2014 | 102 ha | 1,400 ha | 1,500 ha |
| 2015 | 63 ha | 714 ha | 777 ha |
| 2016 | 133 ha | 1,560 ha | 1,690 ha |
| 2017 | 150 ha | 2,410 ha | 2,560 ha |
| 2018 | 166 ha | 2,970 ha | 3,140 ha |
| 2019 | 228 ha | 3,310 ha | 3,530 ha |
| 2020 | 165 ha | 3,790 ha | 3,960 ha |
| 2021 | 97 ha | 3,390 ha | 3,490 ha |
| 2022 | 79 ha | 1,900 ha | 1,980 ha |
| 2023 | 129 ha | 2,980 ha | 3,110 ha |
| 2024 | 220 ha | 4,020 ha | 4,240 ha |
| 2025 | 164 ha | 3,570 ha | 3,730 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 Switzerland?
- 5.8%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 90%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 4.1%cause unknown
- Logging85% · 48,300 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads4.9% · 2,760 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes4.6% · 2,610 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Unknown causes4.1% · 2,340 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy.
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.
Satellite timelapses of cities in Switzerland
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 Switzerland
How much forest has Switzerland lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Switzerland has lost about 56,900 hectares of forest (about 80,000 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 3,280 hectares (5.8%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Switzerland getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 3,310 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 2,980 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 Switzerland?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (85%), towns and roads (4.9%), storms, floods and other natural causes (4.6%). About 3,280 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 Switzerland?
The worst year was 2024, when about 4,240 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 Switzerland, 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.