Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Kingston
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kingston has lost about 466 hectares of forest (about 650 football pitches): 5.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (83%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 8,340 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 466 ha5.6% of it, about 650 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 388 hadeforestation, 83% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201654 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west 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 Kingston, year by year
The worst year was 2016, when about 54 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 | 21 ha | 3 ha | 24 ha |
| 2002 | 17 ha | 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2003 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2004 | 36 ha | under 1 ha | 36 ha |
| 2005 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2006 | 35 ha | 4 ha | 38 ha |
| 2007 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2008 | 28 ha | under 1 ha | 29 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2010 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2011 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2012 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2014 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2015 | 14 ha | 6 ha | 19 ha |
| 2016 | 13 ha | 40 ha | 54 ha |
| 2017 | 19 ha | 7 ha | 26 ha |
| 2018 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2019 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2020 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2021 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2022 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2023 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2024 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2025 | 25 ha | 1 ha | 27 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 10,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 10,600 ha
- Overall change
- +56 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kingston stayed about the same size, at about 10,600 hectares: new forest grew on about 144 hectares, and about 88 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 Kingston?
- 83%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 15%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.7%cause unknown
- Towns and roads52% · 241 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Farms, pasture and plantations25% · 118 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Wildfires9.7% · 45 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Mining and energy6.4% · 30 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Shifting farming4.6% · 22 ha
Can grow back. Small patches cleared to grow crops for a few seasons, then left to grow back.
- Unknown causes1.8% · 9 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: storms, floods and other natural causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Kingston's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Kingston
How much forest has Kingston lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kingston has lost about 466 hectares of forest (about 650 football pitches): 5.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (83%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Kingston?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (52%), farms, pasture and plantations (25%), wildfires (9.7%). About 388 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 Kingston?
The worst year was 2016, when about 54 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Is the forest around Kingston growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kingston stayed about the same size, at about 10,600 hectares: new forest grew on about 144 hectares, and about 88 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 Kingston 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 Kingston, 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 Kingston, 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.