Ecology in the United States: 2024-2025 Environmental Report
Explore data on US forest coverage, endangered species, national parks, and climate impacts in this comprehensive 2024-2025 ecological overview.
ECOLOGY
IN THE
UNITED STATES
A Data-Driven Overview of America's Natural Environment
2024–2025 Annual Report
CONFIDENTIAL — INTERNAL USE
01
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
CONFIDENTIAL — INTERNAL USE
U.S. Forest Coverage
Overview of America's tree canopy
Endangered Species
Wildlife under threat
Air & Water Quality
Environmental health metrics
National Parks & Protected Lands
Conservation achievements
Climate & Wildfire Impact
Threats to the ecosystem
Path Forward
Solutions & policy outlook
02
01 / FOREST COVERAGE
America's Tree Canopy at a Glance
220M
Hectares of Natural Forest
24% of total US land area
1.4M
Hectares Lost in 2024
Emitting 500 Mt CO2e
120K
Hectares Net Loss / Year
2015–2025 trend
03
02 / ENDANGERED SPECIES
Wildlife Under Threat in the United States
1 in 6
native US species faces extinction risk
1,682
Species protected under ESA
408
Critically endangered species tracked
2,204
Species estimated to need protection
CONFIDENTIAL — INTERNAL USE
04
03 / AIR & WATER QUALITY
Environmental Health Metrics
04 / NATIONAL PARKS
Conservation Achievements
433
National Park Sites
Across the United States
85M+
Acres Protected
Under NPS management
331.9M
Record Visits in 2024
All-time high recreation visits
44M
Wilderness Acres
61 designated wilderness areas
Most Visited: Great Smoky Mountains 12.2M visits | Zion 4.9M | Grand Canyon 4.9M
06
05 / CLIMATE & WILDFIRE
Growing Threats
to the U.S. Ecosystem
72,000+
Wildfires in 2025 (105% of avg)
5.0M Acres
7M avg
Total area burned across United States
500 Mt CO2e
Released directly from forest loss
58% Above Avg
Climate Extremes Index (12th highest in 116 yrs)
All-time High
Wildfire-driven tree cover loss
07
06 / PATH FORWARD
Solutions & Policy Outlook
Forest Restoration
Halt net deforestation by 2030
Restore 50M+ acres of degraded land
Expand urban tree canopy programs
Species Protection
List all 2,204 at-risk species under ESA
Expand critical habitat designations
Increase USFWS enforcement funding
Climate Resilience
Achieve net-zero federal lands by 2040
Expand wildfire early warning systems
Protect 30% of US land & ocean by 2030
The United States holds 24% of the world's forests — protecting them is a national and global imperative.
08
- ecology
- united-states
- conservation
- wildfire-data
- national-parks
- endangered-species
- environmental-report