The first 20 years of South Korea's growth surge resulted in deforestation and the ongoing destruction of wetlands. However, there have been recent efforts to balance these problems, including an $84 billion five-year green growth project to boost energy efficiency and green technology.

Forests account for 28% of France's land area and are some of the most diverse in Europe, comprising more than 140 species of trees. France was one of the first countries to create an environment ministry, in 1971.

Over 40% of Belarus' 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. About a fifth of Belarusian land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern regions) was affected by radiation fallout from Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.