There is a permanent removal of trees to make room for something else. Deforestation can include clearing the land for farming, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, forests cover more than 30% of the Earth's land surface. 80% of Earth's species are found in these forested areas, which produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. More than a billion people rely on forests for food, medicine and fuel. More than 13 million people have jobs in the forest sector, and another 41 million have jobs in forests.
Humans have destroyed a lot of forested land. According to National Geographic, about half of the forests in the eastern part of North America were cut down for timber and farming between the 1600s and late 1800s.
Most of the destruction is happening in the tropics. People are building new roads through the dense forests to get to areas that were not accessible in the past. The New York Times reported in 2020 that the world has lost 10% of its tropical tree cover since 2000.
According to the World Bank, about 10 million square km of forest have been lost since the beginning of the 20th century. In the past 25 years, the area of forests has shrunk by half a million square miles.
Deficiency occurs when people cut or clear forested area to make way for agriculture. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, beef, soy, palm oil and wood products are mostly responsible for tropical deforestation. The area of Switzerland is equivalent to 38,300 square km and is lost to deforestation every year.
People light fires to clear land. Workers harvest timber, then burn the remaining vegetation to make way for crops. There were more human-lit fires in Brazil in 2019. More than 80,000 fires burned in the Amazon as of August, an increase of 80% from the previous year, according to National Geographic.
Many forests are cleared to make way for plantations. Half of all supermarket products contain palm oil. The global palm oil market was valued at $36.71 billion in 2019, and has been "witnessing unprecedented growth," according to a 2020 report.
A palm tree farm is near a rainforest. The image is from Shutterstock.
What are the consequences if you cut down trees?
According to WWF, forests can be found from the tropics to high latitude areas. The tropical forests of New Zealand contain more than six percent of the world's species of plants and animals.
Complex ecosystems are disrupted when forests are destroyed. Human communities that depend on forests suffer from the consequences. People in Uganda rely on trees for firewood, timber and charcoal. Uganda lost more than 3,500 square miles of its forest cover from 2000 to 2020. Children miss school because they have to trek farther and farther to get enough firewood, according to a Ugandan businessman.
The United Nation's 2020 State of the World's Forests report states that three-quarters of Earth's freshwater comes from forested watersheds. Over half the global population relies on forested watersheds for their drinking water, as well as water used for agriculture and industry, according to a report.
Water vapor forms over the canopy when there is deforestation in tropical regions. A study published in the journal Ecohydrology shows that parts of the Amazon rainforest that have been converted to agricultural land have higher soil and air temperatures that can make it more likely that there will be a dry spell. The rates of evapotranspiration were three times higher in forested land.
The emission of greenhouse gases is mitigated by trees. The capture and storage of excess carbon dioxide can be achieved by trees. According to the World Resources Institute, tropical trees alone are estimated to provide 23% of the climate mitigation that's needed to offset climate change.
The act of clearing the forests also produces greenhouse gas emissions because they eliminate vegetation that is important for removing carbon dioxide from the air. Deforestation is the second leading cause of climate change according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The burning of fossil fuels is the first. Deforestation accounts for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Deforestation not only removes trees that sequester greenhouse gases, but it also produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases in the process. The image is from Shutterstock.
Is there a solution to the problem of deforestation?
Reducing the need for tree clearing can be achieved by developing alternatives. The desire to expand the amount of land used for agriculture is a compelling economic reason to deforest an area. The need for more land might be lessened if people adopted sustainable farming practices or employed new farming technologies.
Forests can be restored through replanting trees in cleared areas or by allowing the forest to regenerate over time. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the goal of restoration is to return the forest to its original state before it is cleared. The quicker the area is reforested, the quicker it can start to repair itself. Wildlife will return, water systems will reestablish, carbon will be sequestered and soils will be restored.
Everyone can do their part. We can buy certified wood products, go paperless, limit our consumption of products that use palm oil, and plant a tree when possible. Deforestation will require large-scale efforts by nations' leaders to change course and reduce forest destruction.
More than 100 countries signed an agreement at the 26th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2020 to end and reverse deforestation by the year 2030. A dozen countries signed a pledge to give $12 billion over the course of a decade to help mitigate the damage from wildfires, restore land and assist Indigenous communities, The Guardian reported. The private sector pledged $7.2 billion to support the development of agriculture strategies that don't rely on rainforest destruction.
There are additional resources.
This animation was made using images from NASA's Landsat 5 and 7 satellites. You can learn more about forest preservation efforts at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there are many problems caused by depredation.
There is a bibliography.
The World Wildlife Fund is concerned about forest degradation.
The National Geographic Society Resource Library is called "Deforestation".
"' Going in the Wrong Direction': More Tropical Forest Loss in 2019." was published by The New York Times on June 2, 2020.
"Five forest figures for the International Day of Forests" is a World Bank post.
The second-worst year on record for tropical tree cover loss was in 2017.
The data shows that one football pitch of forest lost every second.
The Amazon is burning at a record rate, and it's all due to forest destruction.
"Palm oil is being deforested for everyday products", is a topic of discussion by Rainforest Rescue.
"What's Driving Deforestation?" is a question posed by the Union of Concerned Scientists. On Feb 8, 2016 you can find a resources on what's driving forestation.
The Global Palm Oil Market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% over the next five years.
Global Forest Watch has a report on Uganda Deforestation Rates & Statistics.
Good Black News reports that Uganda native Sangamoses was awarded $1 million to boost his business.
The State of the World's Forests: 2020 is a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Oliveira et al. The effects of land cover changes on the partitioning of surface energy and water in Amazonia using highresolution satellite imagery.
The value of tropical forests in the climate change equation is shown in the World Resources Institute's " By the Numbers: The Value of Tropical Forests in the Climate Change Equation".
The United Nations has a tool box for sustainable forest management.
The U.S. Forest Service has a website called "Reforestation".
