The world’s forests are as diverse as the world’s populations. From the otherworldly forests of New England to the Amazon’s rainforest to the myths and legends of enchanted forests, these amazing ecosystems have been supplying essential goods and living space for humans and animals alike. Here are some interesting facts about forests.

Fact 1: Forests cover a third of the Earth’s land surface.

Fact 2: Forests supply our Earth with oxygen and remove harmful CO2 from the atmosphere.

Fact 3: 36 million acres of forest are destroyed every year but another 4 million trees are planted around the world every day.

Fact 4: 75% of the Earth’s clean, useable fresh water can be found in forests.

Fact 5: The average American uses about 749 lbs of paper every year.

Fact 6: A tree has about 2,000 leaves and sheds about 3,600 lbs of leaves in its lifetime.

Fact 7: The Giant Sequoia tree is the largest living thing on Earth. It reaches 311 ft high and weighs 6,000 tons. It is the fastest growing tree and can survive fires.

Fact 8: In a tropical rainforest, the trees are so dense that it takes 10 minutes for rain falling on the canopy to the reach the ground.

Fact 9: There are over 2,000 species of butterflies found in South America’s rainforests.

Fact 10: 1 of 4 ingredients in our medicine comes from rainforest plants.

Fact 11: Two famous mythical forests are Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest and The Lord of the Rings Forests of Middle Earth.

Fact 12: Big Foot, the legend of a giant, hairy creature that walks upright, is said to live in the forests of the United States and Canada with relatives all over the world.

Fact 13: The states with the most sighting of Big Foot in their forests are Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.