ENGLISH - ARTICLE - "How the world's forest are changing (Interactive)"

ENVIRONMENT

HOW THE WORLD'S FORESTS ARE CHANGING [INTERACTIVE]

THE FUTURE OF TREES IS LOOKING UP

.- to Look up: figurative, informal, situation; improve: mejorar: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/look-up

By Breanna Draxler Posted March 18, 2016

Kim Daniel

In September, the Food and Agriculture Organization released a rare bit of good news: The global rate of forest loss has dropped 50 percent in five years.

In northern regions, commercial planting has even expanded forests. “The only way to supply things like Amazon.com packages and toilet paper is tree plantations,” says Kenneth MacDicken, a former FAO senior forestry officer, who led the report. Not all countries are sighing with relief, though. In the southern tropics, where forest clearing can be a matter of human survival, the practice continues.

.- a Sighing: un suspiro: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sighing
.- to Sigh: expression, sound: suspirar, susurrar: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sigh

.- a Clearing: an area with few or no trees: un claro: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/clearing

Climate change exacerbates the stress on forests, says Mary Wagner, associate chief of the U.S. Forest Service, leading to drought, wildfires, invasive species, and disease outbreaks.
.- to Exacerbate: intensify, worsen: empeorar, agravar: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/exacerbate
.- Drought: no rain, lack of something: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/drought
.- Invasive: species: takes over area: invasor/a: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/invasive
.- an Outbreak: a sudden, violent or spontaneous occurence, especially of disease or strife: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/outbreak
.- an Occurrence: sth that occurs, a happening, an event: un caso, un incidente, un hecho: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/occurrence
.- a Strife: angry or struggle: conflicto, lucha: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/strife

Fortunately advances in data collection and remote-sensing put foresters in a good position to find solutions. “We’ve never been better prepared for managing forests,” MacDicken says.
.- a Forester: forest ranger; somebody who works in a forest: guardabosques, guarda forestal: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/forester

Here's how forests are changing around the globe:

                                   

The area of each country represents the total forest cover, in acres. (Countries with less than 1 million acres of forest area are omitted.) Each country is colored by the amount of change its forests have undergone since 1990. Hover over names of the labeled countries to learn more.

*Data visualization by TULP Interactive. Source: © FAO 2015 “Global Forest Resources Assessment,” Accessed September 29, 2015. Interactive by Katie Peek. *

.- an Acre: land measure: 4047 m2: un acre: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/acre

.- to Hover: to hang in air, to loiter: cernerse, merodear, detenerse: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/hover

.- to Loiter: move slowly, hang around: holgazanear, vaguear, perder el tiempo: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/loiter

This article was originally published in the March/April 2016 issue of Popular Science, under the title “The Future of Trees is Looking Up.