Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Helsinki
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Helsinki has lost about 500 hectares of forest (about 700 football pitches): 7.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 6,370 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 500 ha7.8% of it, about 700 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 473 hadeforestation, 95% of the loss
- Worst year
- 200651 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Helsinki, year by year
The worst year was 2006, when about 51 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 | 18 ha | 2 ha | 20 ha |
| 2002 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2003 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2004 | 23 ha | 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2005 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2006 | 49 ha | 2 ha | 51 ha |
| 2007 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2008 | 39 ha | 5 ha | 44 ha |
| 2009 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2010 | 49 ha | under 1 ha | 50 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2012 | 43 ha | under 1 ha | 44 ha |
| 2013 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2014 | 22 ha | 4 ha | 26 ha |
| 2015 | 9 ha | 4 ha | 13 ha |
| 2016 | 19 ha | 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2017 | 35 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2018 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 19 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2020 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2021 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2022 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2023 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2024 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 4,450 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,920 ha
- Overall change
- −534 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Helsinki shrank from about 4,450 hectares to 3,920 hectares, a net loss of about 534 hectares (−12%). New forest grew on about 116 hectares, but 651 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Helsinki?
- 95%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 3%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 2.2%cause unknown
- Towns and roads94% · 470 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging3% · 15 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes2.1% · 11 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: mining and energy, wildfires.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tallinn, Estonia | 972 ha | 12% | 581 ha |
| Mariehamn, Aland Islands | 3,340 ha | 27% | 243 ha |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | 324 ha | 7.8% | 312 ha |
| Riga, Latvia | 1,030 ha | 11% | 280 ha |
| Stockholm, Sweden | 430 ha | 3.5% | 280 ha |
Use this data
Put Helsinki's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Helsinki
How much forest has Helsinki lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Helsinki has lost about 500 hectares of forest (about 700 football pitches): 7.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (95%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Helsinki?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (94%), logging (3%), mining and energy (under 1%). About 473 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 around Helsinki?
The worst year was 2006, when about 51 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Helsinki growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Helsinki shrank from about 4,450 hectares to 3,920 hectares, a net loss of about 534 hectares (−12%). New forest grew on about 116 hectares, but 651 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Helsinki over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Helsinki, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees 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 within 10 km of the centre of Helsinki, 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.