One of America’s most precious natural resources is its forests. Some states are sparse for miles on end, and others boast towering giants as far as the eye can see, but every tree serves its purpose to our ecosystem. Some benefits are immediately obvious to our economy – trees are used to create a wide variety of products, such as paper, wood-based goods, and rubber. They supply our fridges and pantries with staple foods such as fruit, nuts, syrup, and coffee. They are even used for the base compounds of some of our most widely consumed medicines, including Aspirin. Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars are supplied to the economy through the direct contributions of trees.
However, trees have far-reaching contributions beyond just the economic needs of humans. They are essential to providing wildlife habitats, maintaining soil health, preventing erosion, and ensuring that the water cycle continues smoothly. Trees are even responsible for providing the very air that we breathe. The importance of these incredible organisms can’t be overstated, which makes it all the more devastating that trees are facing multiple threats from our species, including deforestation and human-induced wildfires.
In total, there are about 300 billion trees located within the US, according to a census conducted by the USDA Forest Service. This coverage is not evenly distributed across the country. In fact, in some states, such as North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota, only 5% of the total landmass is covered by trees. However, some states are incredibly dense outside of populated areas. A whopping 89% of Maine is covered by trees, followed by New Hampshire (83%) and West Virginia (79%).
There are many tree types out there, but a few reign as the most popular and recognizable in our landscapes. The Hyperion is one of the tallest tree species out there, with an average of 380 feet in height. Its trunks are massive as well, with a diameter of 16.2 – no tree hugger will be able to get their arms around these trees easily! These giants can live for 600-800 years and can be found in the Redwood National Forest in California. The Doerner Fir is another famous tree that can also be found in the Pacific Northwest. Similar to the Hyperion, it stretches more than 300 feet tall and lives for hundreds of years. The Old Senator and Emancipation Oak are both found on the East Coast, in Florida and Virginia, respectively. These trees are much shorter, at 50 feet. However, the Emancipation Oak has an incredibly wide diameter, which can reach over 100 feet.
All of these trees face similar threats. Deforestation is one of the most damaging threats caused by humans, leading to the loss of millions of hectares of forest per year. About 25% of both Georgia’s and Alabama’s total forest land area has been lost in the last 25 years. The production needs for the goods that we rely on have been the main cause behind deforestation, but there hasn’t been enough to ensure that it is done in a sustainable manner. To make matters worse, we have introduced invasive pests that have ravaged the populations of some trees and up to about 15% of the country’s total forest cover. These insects and diseases cause over $40 billion in damage to plants annually. These pests can be spread by many methods, including unsustainable logging, fire suppression, and other poor land management practices.
Wildfires can also cause incredible damage to forest populations. In 2024 alone, there were 7 million acres of the United States that were burned, which is the size of Massachusetts and Puerto Rico. In the last 25 years, around 13 billion kilohectares were lost to fires. Alaska has suffered the most in terms of actual land mass, but California has received national attention for its devastating wildfires. The 2024-2025 Southern California fires were some of the worst in the state’s history from an economic perspective. The Palisades burned through 24,000 acres in 15 days, where many of the country’s wealthiest zip code homes were located. The Eaton and Auto fires followed in quick succession. Together, the three fires may have caused between $135 to $150 billion in damages.
There are absolutely situations in which trees must be removed, but it must be done safely and sustainably to avoid economic and ecological impacts. Professional tree removal services are one potential solution. They are trained to be very conscious of how long certain tree species take to reach maturity, and what their annual growth rate is. Therefore, they can ensure that they properly maintain the populations of keystone tree species. Without the proper respect and care for these gentle giants, the entire ecosystem will experience devastating effects, and there will be massive economic impacts.
