Dame Judi Dench will not be pleased… A major global study has warned that between a third and a half of the world’s trees are at risk of extinction from human activity. The State of the World’s Trees report found land clearing for crop and animal farming was by far the biggest cause of tree loss globally (43%), followed by logging (27%) and fire (13%). Climate change (4%) is bottom of the list, but the study didn’t factor in how it may have affected the other categories. Brazil – home to the planet’s most diverse forest, the Amazon – has the most threatened tree species. While only 0.2% of tree species have become extinct across the globe, researchers said immediate action to save hundreds of tree species. “Trees are essential … it’s like a Jenga tower,” the report’s lead author Malin Rivers said. “Pull the wrong one out, and the ecosystem falls apart.”

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