Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Tallinn
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tallinn has lost about 972 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 8,350 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 972 ha12% of it, about 1,400 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 581 hadeforestation, 60% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2002114 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south-east 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 Tallinn, year by year
Forest loss is slowing down: about 45 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 62 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2002, when about 114 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 | 9 ha | 8 ha | 17 ha |
| 2002 | 18 ha | 96 ha | 114 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 17 ha | 7 ha | 24 ha |
| 2005 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2006 | 66 ha | 7 ha | 73 ha |
| 2007 | 25 ha | 13 ha | 37 ha |
| 2008 | 12 ha | 6 ha | 18 ha |
| 2009 | 29 ha | 13 ha | 42 ha |
| 2010 | 3 ha | 12 ha | 15 ha |
| 2011 | 22 ha | 6 ha | 28 ha |
| 2012 | 17 ha | 4 ha | 21 ha |
| 2013 | 4 ha | 7 ha | 11 ha |
| 2014 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 14 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | 6 ha | 11 ha |
| 2016 | 60 ha | 34 ha | 93 ha |
| 2017 | 44 ha | 24 ha | 69 ha |
| 2018 | 48 ha | 14 ha | 62 ha |
| 2019 | 34 ha | 11 ha | 45 ha |
| 2020 | 26 ha | 14 ha | 40 ha |
| 2021 | 45 ha | 8 ha | 54 ha |
| 2022 | 32 ha | 22 ha | 55 ha |
| 2023 | 11 ha | 8 ha | 19 ha |
| 2024 | 24 ha | 40 ha | 64 ha |
| 2025 | 7 ha | 27 ha | 35 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 7,080 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 6,870 ha
- Overall change
- −209 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tallinn shrank from about 7,080 hectares to 6,870 hectares, a net loss of about 209 hectares (−3%). New forest grew on about 454 hectares, but 662 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 Tallinn?
- 60%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 39%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.2%cause unknown
- Towns and roads39% · 383 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging31% · 297 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Farms, pasture and plantations16% · 151 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for crops, cattle pasture or tree plantations: the biggest cause of deforestation in the world.
- Wildfires8.5% · 82 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Mining and energy4.8% · 47 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
- Unknown causes1.1% · 11 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.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helsinki, Finland | 500 ha | 7.8% | 473 ha |
| Mariehamn, Aland Islands | 3,340 ha | 27% | 243 ha |
| Riga, Latvia | 1,030 ha | 11% | 280 ha |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | 324 ha | 7.8% | 312 ha |
| Stockholm, Sweden | 430 ha | 3.5% | 280 ha |
| Vilnius, Lithuania | 456 ha | 4% | 212 ha |
Use this data
Put Tallinn's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Tallinn
How much forest has Tallinn lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tallinn has lost about 972 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Tallinn getting worse?
Forest loss is slowing down: about 45 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 62 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 around Tallinn?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (39%), logging (31%), farms, pasture and plantations (16%). About 581 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 Tallinn?
The worst year was 2002, when about 114 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Is the forest around Tallinn growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tallinn shrank from about 7,080 hectares to 6,870 hectares, a net loss of about 209 hectares (−3%). New forest grew on about 454 hectares, but 662 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 Tallinn 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 Tallinn, 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 Tallinn, 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.