Top 12 Largest Forests In The World
Forests cover about 30% of the Earth’s land area, providing vital habitats for animals and plants while also playing a major role in purifying the air we breathe. Some of the world’s forests are truly ancient, existing largely undisturbed for thousands of years with incredibly rich biodiversity. Other forests are younger, formed in the wake of glaciers retreating or human activities. From the vast northern boreal forests to tropical rainforests near the equator, forests support complex ecosystems and serve as the lungs of our planet.
Forests have shaped civilizations throughout human history, providing timber for fuel and construction as well as habitat for game animals. Today forests face threats from deforestation and climate change, underscoring the need to protect these essential ecosystems.
The largest forests encompass millions of square kilometers across multiple countries and climatic regions. Determining the exact area of forests is challenging, given their dynamic nature and the variety of definitions used. Estimates provided here combine the latest remote sensing data with established government and NGO inventories.
While rainforests boast exceptional biodiversity, northern boreal forests comprise the largest biome, blanketing much of Canada and Russia in predominantly coniferous woodlands. Old growth forests with towering ancient trees stir the imagination, but younger forests also provide key ecosystem services. Protected areas help conserve representative areas, but sustainable practices across working forests are also essential for maintaining ecological integrity.
The diversity of the world’s great forests reflects our planet’s incredible natural heritage. These largest forests sustain plants, animals and human communities, even as their fate reflects larger patterns of environmental change. Exploring the vast expanses of our largest forests reveals compelling stories of ecology, adaptation and the ties between forests and human societies.
Here we highlight the 12 largest forests in the world by area, showcasing some of the most significant woodland regions on Earth.
1. Taiga Forests
Location: Canada and Russia
Area: 1.18 billion hectares
Blanketing the subarctic region across Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia, the immense taiga is the largest forest in the world. Also known as the boreal forest, the taiga is dominated by coniferous forests mainly comprised of pines, spruces and larches. These cold-adapted trees have needle-like leaves and cones rather than flowers and fruit.
Long cold winters and short mild summers characterize the taiga climate. The lengthy winter makes the growing season challenging for plants, while also limiting biodiversity compared to warmer forests. Nevertheless, the taiga hosts some remarkable wildlife, including moose, bears, wolves and lynx. Many bird species migrate enormous distances to nest in the taiga each spring.
Aboriginal peoples have lived in the taiga for thousands of years, relying on the forests for food, shelter and trade. Today the taiga is also economically important for timber and pulp production, though maintaining the ecological integrity of these ancient northern forests is an ongoing challenge.
2. Amazon Rainforest
Location: South America
Area: 530 million hectares
The immense Amazon rainforest spans nine countries in South America, dominated by tropical dense broadleaf forest. The Amazon River basin contains the largest rainforest on Earth, including 60% of the world’s rainforest covering 5.5 million square kilometers.
With incredible biodiversity, the Amazon contains 10% of the world’s known species, including over 40,000 plants, 1,300 birds, 3,000 fish, 430 mammals, and 2.5 million insects. The Amazon faces severe threats from deforestation and climate change, which could push parts of the rainforest toward savanna vegetation.
The Amazon provides ecological services both locally and globally, playing a vital role in the water cycle through evaporative transpiration while sequestering substantial amounts of carbon. Conservation of the Amazon relies on protected areas plus sustainable forestry practices adopted more broadly across the region.
3. Congo Rainforest
Location: Central Africa
Area: 152 million hectares
The Congo rainforest blankets much of Central Africa, spanning six countries centered around the Congo River. Also know as the Congo Basin, this verdant tropical rainforest is the second largest in the world after the Amazon. Home to forest elephants and gorillas, the Congo contains spectacular biodiversity, including over 600 tree species and 10,000 animal species.
This rainforest sustains local communities who rely directly on the forest for food and resources. Logging, subsistence agriculture and poaching threaten the Congo, but international efforts aim to improve conservation and sustainable resource management to protect this vital ecosystem.
4. Forests of Canada
Location: Canada
Area: 310 million hectares
Canada contains immense boreal forests in its northern regions, as well as substantial temperate rainforests along its Pacific coast. In total, forests cover 38% of Canada’s land area, making it one of the most heavily forested countries. Both boreal and temperate rainforests are ecologically and economically significant, playing a major role in Canada’s timber industry.
Canada’s forests provide important carbon sinks, habitat for wildlife, and recreation opportunities. However, climate change poses escalating threats, including warmer temperatures that enable infestations of pests like the mountain pine beetle which damage trees. Sustainable forestry seeks a balance between production and ecological protection.
5. Forests of Russia
Location: Russia
Area: 296 million hectares
The vast northern forests of Russia represent the largest expanse of uninterrupted forest worldwide and contain critical old-growth stands. Russian forests include temperate, boreal, and polar types, including extensive pine, spruce, fir, larch, and birch. These woodlands provide vital nesting habitat for migratory birds and sustain Russia’s timber industry.
Forest fires and illegal logging plague Russia’s forests, which face added threats from climate change. Expanding protected areas and improving sustainable forestry practices are priorities for balancing ecological needs and economic demands on Russian forests.
6. Forests of Brazil
Location: Brazil
Area: 287 million hectares
Although Brazil contains the largest continuous rainforest, forests extend across half of Brazil’s land area, including savanna and temperate ecosystems. The Atlantic Forest along the eastern coast differs substantially from the Amazon, with high diversity and many endemic species.
Brazil suffers high rates of deforestation driven by agriculture and development, threatening wildlife and indigenous communities. Protected areas safeguard important forest blocks, but conservation policies aim to integrate preservation with sustainable practices across working landscapes.
7. Forests of United States
Location: United States
Area: 226 million hectares
Despite historical clearing for agriculture, around a third of the United States land area remains forested today. American forests include temperate broadleaf and conifer forests, subtropical Florida forests, and some boreal forests in Alaska. With advanced restoration techniques, U.S. forests have rebounded in area and ecological health from past clearing and logging.
National forests established across the country focus on multiple uses from timber harvesting to recreation. Wilderness areas provide stronger protection, while private forests also contribute to the forest estate through sustainable certification programs. Overall, U.S. forests represent a management success story.
8. Forests of China
Location: China
Area: 208 million hectares
China originally contained extensive forests, but centuries of timber harvesting and land conversion reduced forest cover to only 8.6% by the 1970s. Today forests again cover 22% of China thanks to major conservation programs. China’s forests protect headwaters of major rivers while also providing timber for the world’s largest population.
Programs paying farmers to convert cropland back to natural forest have expanded tree cover, yet plantations often lack the full diversity of native forests. Improving conservation and implementing sustainable forestry remain priorities for protecting China’s essential forests.
9. Forests of Australia
Location: Australia
Area: 124 million hectares
Although Australia is dominated by drier woodlands and savannas, 17% of the country across its eastern and southwestern margins contains moist temperate forests rich in unique endemic species like eucalypts and acacias. Rainforests occupy only 0.3% of Australia yet harbor significant biodiversity.
Australia suffers from high rates of forest clearance for farms and rangelands. Remaining forests face threats from recurring severe wildfires. Protected areas maintain representative forest ecosystems, while restoration programs aim to reconnect fragmented forests.
10. Selva Maya Forest
Location: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize
Area: 103 million hectares
The Selva Maya, spanning parts of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, represents the largest intact tropical forest in Mesoamerica. Combining tropical rainforest with drier forest types, the Selva Maya harbors Scarlet Macaws, jaguars, howler monkeys, and the endangered Central American River Turtle. Ancient Maya temples are scattered across the forest interior.
Rainforest habitat has become fragmented by settlements and agriculture, while poaching and looting of archaeological sites also threaten the integrity of the Selva Maya. Regional cooperation aims to balance forest protection with sustainable development.
11. Valdivian Temperate Rainforests
Location: Chile and Argentina
Area: 36 million hectares
The Valdivian rainforests represent an ancient temperate rainforest ecosystem with high endemism stretching along the west coast of southern South America. Valdivian forests contain a mix of broadleaf evergreen and deciduous tree species adapted to the wet conditions.
Originally covering 15 million hectares, extensive logging means only 10% of the Valdivian rainforest remains intact today. Protected areas preserve remnants of this unique ecosystem, although most surviving stands are secondary growth recovering from heavy disturbance.
12. Eastern Australia Temperate Forests
Location: Eastern Australia
Area: 31 million hectares
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests blanket eastern Australia, a unique adapted ecosystem dominated by eucalyptus trees. The drier open eucalypt woodlands transition into tall dense wet sclerophyll forests along the coastal ranges with fog and milder climate. These forests sustain iconic wildlife like kangaroos and koalas.
Historic and ongoing land clearing for farms and cities decimated the temperate eucalypt forests, with only 9% protected today. Conservation efforts focus on connectivity and restoration to ensure these emblematic Australian forests persist as functioning ecosystems.
Conclusion
The great forests of the world underpin diverse ecosystems and provide humanity with a multitude of ecological services and economic resources. However, deforestation, climate change and unsustainable practices threaten many of these forests, even as our understanding of forests’ values continues to grow.
Conservation of intact primary forests remains crucial, but ecological restoration and sustainable practices across working forests are also essential for conserving biodiversity and ecological functions. Techniques like agroforestry and certification programs aim to maintain ecosystem services alongside forest production.
Protection and stewardship of magnificent forests like the Amazon rainforest and the boreal taiga biome represent some of humanity’s most important environmental endeavors. Our fate remains deeply intertwined with that of global forests. Exploring and understanding these largest forests provides inspiration for the vital work of forest conservation ahead.