UK home to world’s largest forest – it’s five times bigger than the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest is often called the ‘lungs of the Earth’ because this vast biome produces about 6% of the Earth’s oxygen.

However, many people would be amazed to learn that it’s not the world’s biggest forest biome. This honour goes to a vast region that dwarfs the South American giant, straddles three continents – and includes part of the UK.

The Taiga biome — also known as the Boreal Forest or the Snow Forest — covers nearly 10 million square miles. This vast expanse is almost five times the size of the Amazon.

It spans Canada, Russia, Alaska, Scandinavia and parts of Scotland’s Highlands – and it straddles the American, European, and Asian continents. In total, it covers around 11% of the Earth’s land surface – and produces around 21% of the oxygen in our atmosphere.

This means the Taiga has an even greater claim to being the ‘lungs of the Earth’ than the Amazon. It’s home to 30% of the world’s trees—mainly coniferous trees like pines, spruces and larches.

Its fauna includes moose, lynxes, bears and deer – but it is not as biodiverse as the Amazon.

However, like its South American counterpart, it is critical for carbon sequestration and maintaining the Earth’s ecological balance.

It is also threatened by wildfires and logging – and faces the additional threat of permafrost thaw, caused by climate change.

The warming of the Arctic is melting the permafrost in the Taiga, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere – further accelerating global warming.

This also impacts the forest’s biodiversity and alters the dynamics of the ecosystem. The Taiga is heavily logged for timber and paper products, threatening large swaths of forest.

Logging also fragments habitats and disturbs local wildlife. While wildfires are a natural part of the Taiga’s ecological cycle, the increased frequency and intensity of fires — due to both human activity and climate change — are damaging the forest and its ecosystems.

The world ‘s 10 biggest forest areas

1. Taiga – North America, Europe, Asia: 9.9 million square miles
2. Amazon – South America: 2.1 million square miles
3. Congo- Africa: 1.2 million square miles
4. Eastern Siberian Taiga – Asia: 890,000 square miles
5. Atlantic Forest – South America: 500,000 square miles
6. Borneo – Asia: 287,000 square miles
7. New Guinea – Oceania: 111,000 square miles
8. Valdivian Temperate Rainforest – South America: 95,800 square miles
9. Bosawas Biosphere Reserve – Central America: 7,700 square miles
10. Sundarbans Mangrove Forest – Asia: 3,900 square miles