Ranking · 2001–2025
US states losing the most trees
Every state ranked by the forest it has lost since 2001, and what caused it. 89% of the forest the US has lost since 2001 was logged or burned, and usually grows back; 7.8% was deforestation, cleared for good.
Ranked by forest lost
CSV| # | State | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Main cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 16.6 million acres (6.7 million ha) | 14% | wildfires (95%) |
| 2 | Georgia | 9.52 million acres (3.85 million ha) | 39% | logging (88%) |
| 3 | Alabama | 8.78 million acres (3.55 million ha) | 39% | logging (95%) |
| 4 | California | 7.73 million acres (3.13 million ha) | 32% | wildfires (79%) |
| 5 | Mississippi | 6.82 million acres (2.76 million ha) | 36% | logging (94%) |
| 6 | Oregon | 6.62 million acres (2.68 million ha) | 28% | logging (57%) |
| 7 | Texas | 5.43 million acres (2.2 million ha) | 26% | logging (73%) |
| 8 | North Carolina | 5.43 million acres (2.2 million ha) | 27% | logging (85%) |
| 9 | Florida | 5.39 million acres (2.18 million ha) | 30% | logging (73%) |
| 10 | Louisiana | 5.35 million acres (2.16 million ha) | 34% | logging (94%) |
| 11 | Arkansas | 5.25 million acres (2.12 million ha) | 28% | logging (92%) |
| 12 | Washington | 5.18 million acres (2.1 million ha) | 24% | logging (63%) |
| 13 | South Carolina | 5.02 million acres (2.03 million ha) | 38% | logging (91%) |
| 14 | Idaho | 4.1 million acres (1.66 million ha) | 23% | wildfires (64%) |
| 15 | Montana | 3.68 million acres (1.49 million ha) | 20% | wildfires (63%) |
| 16 | Virginia | 3.41 million acres (1.38 million ha) | 20% | logging (89%) |
| 17 | Maine | 2.94 million acres (1.19 million ha) | 17% | logging (98%) |
| 18 | Minnesota | 2.01 million acres (814,000 ha) | 10% | logging (86%) |
| 19 | Michigan | 1.81 million acres (731,000 ha) | 8.4% | logging (90%) |
| 20 | Tennessee | 1.8 million acres (727,000 ha) | 12% | logging (75%) |
| 21 | Colorado | 1.35 million acres (548,000 ha) | 11% | wildfires (54%) |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 1.3 million acres (525,000 ha) | 7.3% | logging (92%) |
| 23 | Oklahoma | 1.18 million acres (477,000 ha) | 14% | logging (67%) |
| 24 | Wyoming | 1.04 million acres (422,000 ha) | 16% | wildfires (59%) |
| 25 | Missouri | 942,000 acres (381,000 ha) | 5.6% | logging (51%) |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 773,000 acres (313,000 ha) | 4.1% | logging (72%) |
| 27 | Arizona | 756,000 acres (306,000 ha) | 16% | wildfires (73%) |
| 28 | New Mexico | 754,000 acres (305,000 ha) | 13% | wildfires (85%) |
| 29 | Kentucky | 733,000 acres (297,000 ha) | 5.4% | logging (61%) |
| 30 | West Virginia | 699,000 acres (283,000 ha) | 5.5% | logging (69%) |
| 31 | Utah | 635,000 acres (257,000 ha) | 13% | wildfires (69%) |
| 32 | New York | 504,000 acres (204,000 ha) | 2.4% | logging (71%) |
| 33 | New Hampshire | 461,000 acres (187,000 ha) | 8.9% | logging (87%) |
| 34 | Ohio | 400,000 acres (162,000 ha) | 4.5% | logging (65%) |
| 35 | South Dakota | 395,000 acres (160,000 ha) | 32% | logging (69%) |
| 36 | Maryland | 177,000 acres (71,600 ha) | 5.9% | logging (61%) |
| 37 | Massachusetts | 164,000 acres (66,400 ha) | 4.2% | logging (47%) |
| 38 | Vermont | 160,000 acres (64,700 ha) | 3.3% | logging (87%) |
| 39 | New Jersey | 129,000 acres (52,100 ha) | 4.6% | wildfires (38%) |
| 40 | Nevada | 105,000 acres (42,700 ha) | 6.3% | wildfires (89%) |
| 41 | Indiana | 101,000 acres (40,700 ha) | 1.9% | logging (35%) |
| 42 | Illinois | 75,700 acres (30,600 ha) | 1.4% | farms, pasture and plantations (38%) |
| 43 | Connecticut | 65,500 acres (26,500 ha) | 2.7% | towns and roads (46%) |
| 44 | Hawaii | 54,100 acres (21,900 ha) | 3.3% | farms, pasture and plantations (52%) |
| 45 | Kansas | 45,800 acres (18,500 ha) | 2% | farms, pasture and plantations (51%) |
| 46 | Delaware | 43,500 acres (17,600 ha) | 10% | logging (70%) |
| 47 | Nebraska | 41,400 acres (16,800 ha) | 4.9% | wildfires (38%) |
| 48 | Iowa | 36,600 acres (14,800 ha) | 1.2% | farms, pasture and plantations (41%) |
| 49 | Rhode Island | 27,000 acres (10,900 ha) | 5.7% | logging (61%) |
| 50 | North Dakota | 17,200 acres (6,980 ha) | 1.7% | farms, pasture and plantations (27%) |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 163 acres (66 ha) | 1.6% | towns and roads (94%) |
Most forest cleared for good
Permanent deforestation: farms, mines, roads and towns.
| State | Cleared for good | Share of its forest |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1.35 million acres (546,000 ha) | 6.5% |
| Florida | 955,000 acres (386,000 ha) | 5.2% |
| Georgia | 941,000 acres (381,000 ha) | 3.8% |
| North Carolina | 657,000 acres (266,000 ha) | 3.3% |
| Missouri | 427,000 acres (173,000 ha) | 2.6% |
| Alabama | 422,000 acres (171,000 ha) | 1.9% |
| Arkansas | 417,000 acres (169,000 ha) | 2.2% |
| Tennessee | 416,000 acres (168,000 ha) | 2.7% |
| South Carolina | 411,000 acres (166,000 ha) | 3.1% |
| California | 347,000 acres (141,000 ha) | 1.4% |
| Virginia | 345,000 acres (140,000 ha) | 2% |
| Mississippi | 343,000 acres (139,000 ha) | 1.8% |
| Oklahoma | 337,000 acres (136,000 ha) | 4% |
| Louisiana | 278,000 acres (113,000 ha) | 1.8% |
| Kentucky | 265,000 acres (107,000 ha) | 2% |
Questions about tree loss in US states
Which US state has lost the most trees?
Alaska: about 16.6 million acres (6.7 million ha) of forest lost from 2001 to 2025, 14% of what it had in 2000. The main cause is wildfires (95%).
How much of US tree loss is deforestation?
89% of the forest the US has lost since 2001 was logged or burned, and usually grows back; 7.8% was deforestation, cleared for good. Logging and fire count as forest lost but not as deforestation, which means forest cleared for good for farms, mines, roads and towns.
Which state has the most permanent deforestation?
Texas, with about 1.35 million acres (546,000 ha) of forest cleared for good since 2001.