Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Ulsan
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ulsan has lost about 1,060 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 8.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (57%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
- Forest in 2000
- 12,300 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,060 ha8.7% of it, about 1,500 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 609 hadeforestation, 57% of the loss
- Worst year
- 2021200 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south-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 Ulsan, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 60 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 44 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 200 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 | 6 ha | 5 ha | 11 ha |
| 2002 | 12 ha | 3 ha | 15 ha |
| 2003 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2004 | 36 ha | 21 ha | 58 ha |
| 2005 | 9 ha | 3 ha | 12 ha |
| 2006 | 16 ha | 3 ha | 20 ha |
| 2007 | 34 ha | under 1 ha | 35 ha |
| 2008 | 47 ha | 1 ha | 48 ha |
| 2009 | 41 ha | 4 ha | 45 ha |
| 2010 | 57 ha | under 1 ha | 58 ha |
| 2011 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2012 | 45 ha | 2 ha | 47 ha |
| 2013 | 20 ha | 15 ha | 36 ha |
| 2014 | 33 ha | 4 ha | 36 ha |
| 2015 | 76 ha | 11 ha | 87 ha |
| 2016 | 39 ha | 16 ha | 54 ha |
| 2017 | 17 ha | 4 ha | 21 ha |
| 2018 | 10 ha | 38 ha | 48 ha |
| 2019 | 11 ha | 7 ha | 18 ha |
| 2020 | 9 ha | 70 ha | 79 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | 187 ha | 200 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | 39 ha | 41 ha |
| 2023 | 33 ha | 17 ha | 50 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2025 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 14,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 13,400 ha
- Overall change
- −526 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ulsan shrank from about 14,000 hectares to 13,400 hectares, a net loss of about 526 hectares (−3.8%). New forest grew on about 323 hectares, but 849 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 Ulsan?
- 57%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 42%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Towns and roads56% · 598 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Logging41% · 439 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Mining and energy1% · 11 ha
Cleared for good. Forest cleared for mines, oil and gas, power lines and dams.
Also, each under 1%: wildfires, unknown causes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suwon | 503 ha | 7.2% | 437 ha |
| Hiroshima, Japan | 465 ha | 4.9% | 432 ha |
Use this data
Put Ulsan's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Ulsan
How much forest has Ulsan lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ulsan has lost about 1,060 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 8.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (57%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
Is deforestation around Ulsan getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 60 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 44 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 Ulsan?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are towns and roads (56%), logging (41%), mining and energy (1%). About 609 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 Ulsan?
The worst year was 2021, when about 200 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Ulsan growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ulsan shrank from about 14,000 hectares to 13,400 hectares, a net loss of about 526 hectares (−3.8%). New forest grew on about 323 hectares, but 849 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 Ulsan 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 Ulsan, 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 Ulsan, 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.