Forests in Canada, Cameroon, and Gabon are being chopped down at a greater rate than previously thought, according to the Global Forest Watch project, which is tracking changes in forest cover with sophisticated digital tools, including satellite imagery and geographic information systems. In its first report, Global Forest Watch, sponsored by the World Resources Institute, found heavy logging levels in the Congo basin and Canada’s northern boreal forests, and also found that mining, energy, and road construction projects are threatening Canadian forest land. The project plans to expand over the next five years to cover 21 countries with most of the planet’s virgin forests. IKEA, the world’s largest home furnishings company, intends to use info from Global Forest Watch to help meet its pledge to stop using hardwoods from natural intact forests by Sept. 1.
