So the general pattern is that temperate forests are increasing, but tropical forests are declining (presumably due to climate change).

Given that tropical forests are richer in species diversity and biomass per unit area, the discrepancy is probably greater than the changes in area suggest.

Sure—but I’d guess that the reason similar trends seem to be underway in Africa and Southeast Asia is that climate change has made the conversion of forest to pasture more profitable in the tropics than elsewhere.

In the Amazon all it takes to get profitable pasture is fire and a minimal amount of labor, but in Siberia the same investment would get nothing. Which is why the cattle industry buys the government of Brazil instead of Russia.