What is Deforestation and How Does it Affect Us?

Deforestation is the removal of trees from an area of forest. Although humans have been cutting down trees and using forest resources for millennia, the massive deforestation that is happening now can have a significant effect on the earth.

Tree removal is often a necessary component of agriculture and often as a fuel resource for homes.  On our farm, we’ve worked closely with the local farm agencies and environmental agencies on various conservation projects and to ensure that we have eco-friendly practices.

But there are deeper issues with large-scale deforestation or even small scale removal for asthetic purposes.  Here are some ways that deforestation affects the planet.

1. Ecosystems are interdependent communities of plants and animals. The creatures that live in a healthy ecosystem exist in a delicate balance, and when that balance is interrupted, the ecosystem is destroyed or altered. Deforestation is essentially habitat destruction, and when the habitat of an ecosystem is destroyed, the ecosystem is destroyed along with it. Plant and animal species are then lost forever.

2. Biodiversity is also affected by deforestation. Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal life in a particular area, and it is essential to the health of an ecosystem. Rich and varied species can adapt and survive far better than ecosystems with just a few species. Deforestation leaves fewer species, meaning the survival of the remaining species becomes doubtful.

3. Erosion occurs when trees are cleared. Tree roots hold the soil together, and their leaves shade the soil from excessive sun. When the trees are cleared, the soil no longer has a network of roots to keep it cohesive. And with the shade gone, the soil gets baked in the hot sun. Dry soil without any root network is easily dislodged by water and wind.

4. The earth’s climate depends on healthy forests. Trees “transpirate,” or lose water from their leaves. It’s actually quite a large amount of water that transpirates from trees during the growing season – just one corn plant will release 50 gallons of water into the atmosphere from its leaves. So you can imagine how much water is transpirated from an entire forest! This water is essential to putting moisture into the earth’s atmosphere. Fewer trees, then, mean less rain.

5. Forests are nature’s air purifier. Trees “inhale” toxins and pollutants from the air and “exhale” oxygen. The same thing occurs on a small scale in a home with houseplants. Our earth will be significantly affected with less clean air.

6. The actual lay of the land is affected by deforestation. Due to erosion and the agriculture that often follows deforestation, when the trees are removed from a forested area, it changes the actual terrain.

For more information on the effects of deforestation or to learn more about eco-friendly practices, contact your local conservation office or vist national websites such as the USDA Agricultural Research Service http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/main.htm or the NRCS http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/