Google Earth Helps Map World's Forests [Video]

Researchers use Google Earth to map forest cover on earth.

The high-resolution map was created to understand the extent of forest cover in different parts of the world.

The project shows the change in tree-cover from 2000 to 2012. Researchers used 650,000 satellite images by Landsat 7. The map not only shows total forest cover, but also reveals tree loss and gain.

"Tracking changes in the world's forests is critical because forests have direct impacts on local and national economies, on climate and local weather, and on wildlife and clean water," said Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, in a news release. "This fresh view of recent changes in the world's forests is thorough, objective, visually compelling, and vitally important."

The study is published in the journal Science.

Shrinking forests:

During the study period, global forest cover decreased by about 888,000 square miles (2.3 million square kilometers). Also, in some parts of the world, forests gained an area of 309,000 square miles (800,000 square kilometers).

Russia had the highest loss of forests followed by countries like Malaysia, Cambodia, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania, Argentina and Paraguay too had high increase in forest loss.

Brazil- the exception:

Brazil's change in policy to protect the Amazon forest has helped it decrease deforestation rates in the country. The nation uses data from Landsat to document extent of forest cover and create policies based on the resources.

Brazil leads among countries that have seen a decline of forest area. The extent of forest loss in the country was approximately 40,000 square kilometers (15,444 square miles) in 2003-2004 while it was about 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) in 2010-2011, according to a press release.

The study was conducted by researchers from University of Maryland, the U.S. Geological Survey, Google, the State University of New York, Woods Hole Research Center, and South Dakota State University.