The State of the World’s Trees, published in September 2021, shares the results of the Global Tree Assessment (GTA) - the first conservation assessment of all of the world’s trees. The results tell us that 30% of all tree species - more than 17,500 species - are threatened with extinction. That’s more than double the total number of globally threatened mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The results also tell us that at least 142 tree species are already recorded as extinct. Individual tree species play numerous economic, ecological and cultural roles. We depend on trees in our everyday lives - they provide us with food, timber and medicine. According to the State of the World’s Trees, one in five tree species is recorded as having a specified human use and many have a variety of different uses. But it’s not only people that depend on trees. As primary producers at the base of the food chain, plants, including trees, are the building blocks of ecosystems, essential to all life on this planet. A myriad of species of plants, animals and fungi are intrinsically linked to trees, often interacting within complex and fascinating mutually beneficial relationships that both parties depend on for survival.