The Trump administration plans to repeal the 2001 roadless rule, lifting protections on 58 million acres (23 million hectares) of national forests. Officials argue the rule is outdated, while environmentalists warn of ecosystem damage and increased wildfire risk. The US Forest Service said it will release an official proposal for the rollback in the coming weeks, drawing praise from the timber industry but criticism from conservationists.
It is no small thing to say that forests have an important role in the health of the planet. Aside from being a source of paper and fuel, trees are the second-largest contributor to all of the Earth's oxygen, second only to the ocean. But forests as we know them are always at risk. Half of the forest area that the Earth has lost since the last ice age has occurred in the past 100 years, thanks largely to industrialization and agriculture. But where are the world's biggest forests located? And how big are they compared to all land on Earth?
Click through this gallery to see which countries boast the world's largest forests.