Boreal forest suffering 'significant' losses in Russia, Canada

Russia and Canada led the world in the loss of tree cover in 2013, according to analysis of new satellite images by researchers and Global Forest Watch.

Some 43,000 square kilometres of northern boreal forest were ravagedin Russia, due mainly to fires, in 2013, whileCanada shed another 24,500 square kilometres amounting to a "very significant" loss in tree cover, according to Dr. Nigel Sizer of GFW, an interactive, online forest-monitoring and alert system based in Washington.

The data comes from GFW,the University of Maryland andGoogle.

Both Canada and Russiahave seen unusually numerous forest fires in recent years, somethingSizersays might be attributedto factors including climate change.

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"Climate change models predict as it gets drier and warmer you're going to see more fires in the boreal region," Sizer told CBC News.

Researchers say carbon stored in the soil and treesof boreal forest does much to prevent emission of greenhouse gases.

"Oil and gas exploration, and logging operations are stretching further north into those forests as well, and those might be factors contributing to fires and directly to tree cover loss."

The fires could also be part of a "long-term historical pattern," he said.

Losses due to fire are temporary, though boreal forests recover from fires more slowly than other forested regions.

Improvement in Indonesia

The losses are part of an overall upward trend, with 180,000 square kilometres of tree cover around the world disappearing due to factors including fires, permanent deforestation and harvesting.

"The trend has sort of levelled off. What we need to see is bringing that line down. Bringing it down will help make a greater contribution to reducing greenhouse gases."

• Boreal forest protection expanded in 2013 but concerns remain

There was good news in Indonesia, however, where annual tree loss dipped in 2013 to its lowest point in almost a decade.

Sizer says more research is needed, but possible reasons for the improvement include a drop in agricultural commodity prices most notably the decline in palm oil and that much of the country's most accessible forests have been already cleared.