The team was surprised to discover that forests are actually gaining ground in some of the world's most tree-covered countries, including industrial powerhouses China and India.
The researchers, led by Pekka Kauppi from the University of Helsinki, developed new techniques to study the condition of forests. The team takes note of the forest's surface area, the capacity for tree growth, biomass and carbon dioxide levels.
The team says that forest biomass has increased in about half of the world’s 50 most forest covered countries in the past 15 years. The researchers are hopeful that expanding forests will provide relief against climate change.
The study did reaffirm the stunning rate of deforestation in poor countries such as Brazil and Indonesia, whose economies depend on timber. Forests in Africa are also under attack, as poor communities clear trees for firewood and slash-and-burn farming.
The research was published in the journal PNAS.
Radio News, YLE24