1.1a.iv Forest area change over time (2023) - Supporting information

This is Supporting information for 1.1a.iv Forest area change over time, published December 2023.

1.1a.iv Forest area change over time is one of four parts of Indicator 1.1a Area of forest by forest type and tenure.

This section presents some examples of on-ground change in forest area that were identified during creation of the 2023 update to Australia’s forest coverage.

Transitions from forest to non-forest (typically due to land clearing) generally happen at a single point in time and are therefore easy to identify in datasets and imagery time-series. The examples of detected loss in forest cover shown here are associated with mining development (Figure 1.1a.iv-5), urban development (Figure 1.1a.iv-6) and plantation clearing or agriculture (Figure 1.1a.iv-7).

Transitions from non-forest to forest (due for example to forest establishment or regrowth) can be gradual and are less easy to identify or associate with a particular time-point. The examples of detected gain in forest cover shown here are associated with plantation establishment (Figure 1.1a.iv-8), other forest planting (Figure 1.1a.iv-9) and native forest expansion or thickening (Figure 1.1a.iv-10).

Figure 1.1a.iv-5: Forest clearance due to mine infrastructure development
Figure 1.1a.iv-6: Forest clearance due to urban residential expansion
Figure 1.1a.iv-7: Plantation clearance and conversion to agriculture
Figure 1.1a.iv-8: Plantation establishment on unforested land
Figure 1.1a.iv-9: Environmental planting on unforested land
Figure 1.1a.iv-10: Expansion of native forest onto unforested land

Further information

Click here for Key information on 1.1a.iv Forest area change over time:

  • Change in total forest area over time
  • Clearing, regrowth and re-clearing
  • Change in Commercial plantation area over time

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This publication (and any material sourced from it) should be attributed as Montreal Process Implementation Group for Australia (MIG) and National Forest Inventory Steering Committee (NFISC) 2023, Indicator 1.1a.iv Forest area change over time, Australia’s State of the Forests Report, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra, December. CC BY 4.0.