Reliable data about the forest cover is an important base for environmental research, studies on biodiversity and effective conservation as well as for assessing the development in forest resources and monitoring trends. The forest area information on this page visualizes the distribution of forests and other wooded land, compares it with general land cover and characterizes the degree of human impact on the forest ecosystems in the particular country. For more additional information on related data, data gathering and treatment methods as well as definitions, please refer to the following data sources.

Data source:
Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000)
The information about the forest cover map is gathered by the FRA 2000. The FRA 2000 provides a perspective on the world's forests through an appraisal of their state in the year 2000, and changes since the 1980s. FRA 2000 was based on the bottom-up approach, but supplemented by global level verification. The backbone of FRA 2000 is the data, information and knowledge provided by countries. However, because of inconsistencies in data quality and availability, country information was verified and supplemented with "top down" studies and remote sensing analysis using the latest technology. The thematic content covers forest area status and change, biological diversity, timber volume and forest biomass, non-wood forest products, trees outside the forest, forest fires and other forest issues. The mandate for FRA 2000 was established by the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF).

Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005)
The information about forest area statistics is gathered by the FRA 2005. The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 was carried out between 2003 and 2005 and involved more than 800 people, including 172 officially nominated national correspondents, their colleagues, an Advisory Group, international experts, FAO staff, consultants and volunteers from around the world. Information has been collated from 229 countries and territories for three points in time: 1990, 2000 and 2005. FRA 2005 is the most comprehensive assessment of forests and forestry to date. It examines the current status and recent trends for about 40 variables covering the extent, condition, uses and values of forests and other wooded land, with the aim of assessing all benefits from forest resources. The results are presented according to six thematic elements of sustainable forest management. The mandate to carry out these assessments stems both from the basic statutes of FAO, and the Committee on Forestry (COFO).

Definition for the categories of forest area characteristics