Based on the Global Tree Assessment, part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, over 16,000 tree species are in danger of extinction.

The study assessed more than 47,000 tree species out of the approximately 58,000 believed to exist globally.

These numbers are not just symbolic. People "rely on tree species for food, timber, fuel, and medicine," specialist Emily Beech told Agence France-Presse.

Trees also produce the oxygen we breathe and absorb carbon dioxide emissions.

"Trees are essential to sustaining life on Earth through their vital role in ecosystems, and millions of people depend on them for their lives and livelihoods," said IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar.

According to a 2015 study, there are roughly three trillion individual trees worldwide.

The latest study, published in the scientific journal Nature, reports that over 15 billion trees are cut down every year, and the global tree count has almost halved since the beginning of human civilization.

Over 5,000 species on the IUCN Red List are used for timber, and more than 2,000 species for medicines, food, and fuel.

Endangered species include the horse chestnut and ginkgo, both used in medicinal applications, broad-leaved mahogany used in furniture making, as well as various magnolia and eucalyptus species.

According to the IUCN report, the number of threatened trees is "more than twice the number of all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians combined."

Tree species face extinction in 192 countries, with the highest percentage found on islands due to rapid urban development, agricultural expansion, and the introduction of invasive species, pests, and diseases from other regions.

In South America, which has the greatest variety of tree species in the world, 3,356 out of the 13,668 species evaluated are threatened with extinction. Many species on this continent, home to the Amazon rainforest, likely remain undiscovered.

The report emphasizes the need to protect and restore forests through reforestation and to conserve endangered species through seed banks.

More than 1,000 experts contributed to the assessment.