KIND HEARTS
Effects of Deforestation
One of the many effects of deforestation is agriculture. Farmers cut down trees to create more space for planting crops or cattle grazing. Often, small farmers will clear a few acres by removing trees and burning them through a process called slash and burn.
Logging, which provides wood and paper products of the world, also cut a large number of trees annually. Loggers, some of them acting illegally, also build roads to gain access for more forests—which leads to increased deforestation. Forests are also removed as a result of growing urban sprawl as land is developed for dwellings.
Deforestation can have an impact that is negative towards the environment. The most drastic impact is the loss of habitats for millions of species. 80% of land animals and plants on Earth live in forested areas, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes.
It also drives climate change. The soils of the forest are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover, they quickly dry out. Trees also help continue the water cycle indefinitely by returning water vapour to the atmosphere. Without trees to perform these roles, many former forest lands can swiftly become barren deserts.
Trees also play an important role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming.
