From Russia to the US, discover the world’s biggest forests by area and more about their fascinating history
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The total forest area in the world is 4.1 billion hectares, or 32 per cent. For context, one hectare is the size of two American football fields. The tropics are home to 45 per cent of the world’s forests, while the rest is mainly found in boreal, temperate and subtropical zones.
Since 1990, 489 million hectares of forest have been lost to deforestation, a constant threat to our forests. While the rate of deforestation is actually slowing, so it the rate of forest expansion, dropping from 9.88 million hectares per year from 2000-2015 to 6.78 million hectares per year in the decade to 2025. Forests are vital and serve so many purposes; regulating climate, protecting ecosystems and providing resources to the world.
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Below are the top five countries with the biggest forests as of 2025, according to forest area, in reverse order:
5) China – 227,153 hectares
China has been through decades of large scale human reforestation initiatives, such as the Great Green Wall. The largest forest in China, Saihanba National Forest Park is known as a man-made forest. Once a sparse and barren desert, it’s now rich and covered with trees. China’s forest coverage is nearly 5.5 per cent of the world’s total and has a wide range of forests including boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical.
China’s forests are home many different species such as giant pandas, red pandas, Asian elephants, golden snubbed nose monkeys and countless others. It’s no surprise that a country with such a mix of forests would have an abundance of diverse animals occupying them.
4) US – 308,895 hectares
The US takes fourth place with nearly 7.5 per cent of the world’s total forest coverage. The US has temperate, boreal, and tropical forests.
The largest forest in the US is Tongass National Forest in Alaska, which is known for its ancient trees, mountains and glaciers, as well as its’ unique wildlife. The forest is home to humpback and orca whales, otters, beavers, deer, wolves and some of the largest concentrations of brown bears and bald eagles found on the planet. However, Tongass National Forest is a victim of deforestation, and is one of America’s most exploited forests.
3) Canada – 368,819 hectares
Canada’s forest coverage is 8.91 per cent of the world’s total. Around 75 per cent of Canada’s forests are in the boreal region. The northern boreal region consists of more open forest land with trees growing further apart and smaller in size, while the southern region is a denser, closed forest.
Québec is the Canadian province with the highest total forest cover, with forests covering almost half of it.
Due to the country’s vast geography, Canada’s forests are teaming with wildlife, predators and prey, including elk, wolves, grizzly bears, polar bears, bald eagles and whales.
2) Brazil – 486,087 hectares
Brazil comes second with 11.74 per cent of the world’s forest coverage. We’ve all heard of the Amazon Rainforest, arguably the most famous forest in the world. It’s one of the earths most vital ecosystems, often called ‘the lungs of our planet’. It’s home to millions of species of plants and animals, some of which are still undescribed, but each playing their part in the Amazon’s complex ecosystem.
Almost 400 billion trees belonging to 16,000 different species grow in the Amazon rainforest. Some notable examples include the Brazil nut tree, rubber tree, Kapok tree and Cacao tree.
The Amazon is constantly under threat. Illegal logging, oil exploration, overharvesting of aquatic species, gold mining as well as climate change all pose as dangers to the habitat. Alongside weak law enforcement to safeguard it, the Amazon is undeniably at risk.
1) Russia – 832,630 hectares
Russia takes gold, with its forest coverage being over 20 per cent of the world’s total. The diverse landscape allows numerous types of forests to thrive. Russia’s boreal forests (known in Russia as the taiga) represent the largest forested region on Earth, larger than the Amazon. These forests consist of only a couple of tree species, mainly birch, pine, spruce, and fir, and are heavily relied on by indigenous and less developed regions.
The forests are home to species from Siberian tigers and leopards to moose and reindeer. Eastern Russian forests house more than 10 per cent of the world’s wild tigers.
Russia’s forests hold almost 50 per cent of the northern hemisphere’s terrestrial carbon and are essential in regulating climate change. These woodlands are a breath of fresh air for our earth and protecting them from being destroyed is integral for the health of our planet.
