Seeing as the world loses about 46-58 thousand square miles of forest to deforestation each year (that's nearly four time the size of Switzerland each year, or 36 football fields every minute), it's not that hard to imagine a future without trees. Cities grow, resources are in demand, and we don't yet know for certain what effect global warming will eventually have on our environment.

But what will that future look like? At DesignCrowd we thought we'd reach out to our talented Photoshop artists and ask them to give us an idea of what our world may look like when all trees have gone in this design contest. The results are as stunning as they are scary. Take a look:

Congratulations to our winner!

Jkrebs04's eery vision of the Champ de Mars devoid of all plant life is beautifully executed with an impressive attention to detail. The added buildings retain the feeling of an open square, and the dead tree stumps imply a dystopian future of a Paris so desperate for resources they salvaged their most famous park.

A worthy runner-up

Robert R.'s decision to use the statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain is brilliant, as the disappearance of all greenery in Tijuca Forest National Park creates instant visual impact. Their highly skilled execution and technical finesse won them a very well-earned second place.

The Bronze Medal

This image by Honu may be more subtle than many of the others, but its technically very refined and has great detail. The decision to not only erase the trees from the landscape but also have the city encroach all the way to the edge of the ocean makes this image of the Statue of Liberty seem all too plausible a reality.

Can't get enough? Check out these great entries:

Comment on This Article:

Which is your favourite entry for this competition? Do you think cities without any trees will ever become a reality? Tell us why in the comments below!

Want More?

DesignCrowd contests are often insightful, usually funny and always full of amazing talent. See some more here:

DesignCrowd Web Design Contest: Vince Vaughn Stock Photos

75 Designers Revamp Hillary Clinton's Campaign Logo

Tree Logo Design Ideas (on BrandCrowd)

DesignCrowd Photoshop Contest: Famous Landmarks As You've Never Seen Them Before

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Written by Hanna Schenkel on Friday, June 12, 2015

Hanna Schenkel is a freelance writer, editor and marketing specialist based in Sydney. Her critical and creative work has been published nationally and anthologised. Get in touch via LinkedIn.