Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Ottawa
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ottawa has lost about 302 hectares of forest (about 420 football pitches): 4.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (85%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 7,360 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 302 ha4.1% of it, about 420 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 257 hadeforestation, 85% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202244 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from September 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 Ottawa, year by year
The worst year was 2022, when about 44 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 | 9 ha | 2 ha | 11 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | 2 ha | 7 ha |
| 2004 | 14 ha | 1 ha | 15 ha |
| 2005 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2006 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | 19 ha | under 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2008 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2009 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2010 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2011 | 19 ha | 3 ha | 21 ha |
| 2012 | 23 ha | 2 ha | 24 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2018 | 22 ha | 1 ha | 23 ha |
| 2019 | 20 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2020 | 15 ha | under 1 ha | 16 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2022 | 17 ha | 27 ha | 44 ha |
| 2023 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2024 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 11,500 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 11,700 ha
- Overall change
- +190 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ottawa stayed about the same size, at about 11,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 497 hectares, and about 307 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 Ottawa?
- 85%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 9.4%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 5.6%cause unknown
- Towns and roads85% · 257 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging9.3% · 28 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Unknown causes5.6% · 17 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Use this data
Put Ottawa's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Ottawa
How much forest has Ottawa lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ottawa has lost about 302 hectares of forest (about 420 football pitches): 4.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (85%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
What is causing deforestation around Ottawa?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (85%), logging (9.3%). About 257 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 Ottawa?
The worst year was 2022, when about 44 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Ottawa growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ottawa stayed about the same size, at about 11,700 hectares: new forest grew on about 497 hectares, and about 307 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa, 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 Ottawa, 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.