A worldwide collaboration between scientists has yielded the largest forest database ever attempted, which estimates that Earth harbors about 73,000 tree species, of which 9,200 have yet to be described.
In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the global team revealed an estimate of 64,000 known tree species, whereas previous estimates put the number at about 60,000. The undiscovered trees will probably be found in South America, have a limited range and are exceedingly rare.
