Merriam Webster defines Deforestation as the action or process of clearing

of forests. We lose a combination of one hundred and forty seven plants and
animals every day due to deforestation. Not all deforestation is intentional but
there are many things that can take place to help us save our environment.

There are many different things that lead to the destruction of forests. One
of the main reasons why we are losing a big portion of our forests is for agriculture.
Other factors of deforestation are: money, peoples need to provide for their
families, Illegal logging, urbanization, mining, and infrastructure construction.
Many farmers cut down forests to provide more room for planting crops or
grazing livestock. Often many small farmers will each clear a few acres to feed their
families by cutting down trees and burning them in a process known as slash and
burn agriculture. The slash and burn process is an agriculture technique that
involves the cutting and burning of plants in forests or woodlands to create fields. It
is agriculture that typically uses little technology. It is typically key in shifting
cultivation agriculture, and in transhumance livestock herding.

The country with the highest deforestation rate is Honduras. They have lost
37% of their forests. Honduras was almost entirely covered by trees, with half a

percent of land not forested. Today, only about half of that remains with just about
16% existing in a frontier forest state which is a large intact national forest.
Nigeria is the second country with the highest deforestation rate. They have
lost 36% of their forests within the past two decades. About half the land in Nigeria
used to be covered in trees. Today, all but about 10% of those have been cut down,
and less than one percent exists as a frontier forest.
The third country with the highest deforestation rate is The Philippines with a
loss of 32% of their forests. The islands that make up the Philippines used to be all
forested. Today only 35% of those forests remain. The remaining top 7 countries
that have had the highest deforestation rate are Benin with a loss of 31%, Ghana
with -28%, Indonesia with -26%, Nepal with -25%, North Korea with -25%, Ecuador
with -22%, and last but not least Haiti with -22%. These are only the top 10 places
deforestation occurs. There are so many other places where this takes place and
we are losing our beautiful forests daily.
The reason why deforestation is occurring is because with the rise in
population there is also the need for the gaining of more land. With the rising
number of human population, its understandable that forests are cleared to make
way for human settlement.
People are destroying the forests to make use of the rich and natural
resources. With the increase in the usage of paper and products made from wood,
more trees are being cut down every year. This only leads to a rapid decline of the
forest cover.
Many people believe that the solution to deforestation is to plant more
trees. Although this will help a little bit, it will still not solve all the problems we

face from deforestation. The easiest solution would be to stop cutting down trees
all together, but Im afraid that will never happen. We need to carefully manage
forest resources by making sure that the cutting that does occur should be balanced
by the planting of enough young trees to replace the older ones felled.
There are a few more very important things that can be taken into action to
fix this problem. We need to curb the felling of trees, by employing a series of rules
and laws to govern it. We can also restore the ecosystem services provided by
forests, including carbon storage, water cycling, and wildlife habitat.
Deforestation is an ongoing problem around the world. There is so much that
can be done about this issue. One of the most important things I learned about
deforestation is that despite of it harming our forests, there are many other side
effects going on because of it. It is causing a loss of species that can lead to
extinction. Seventy percent of the worlds plants and animals live in forests and are
losing their habitats to deforestation. Deforestation is damaging the water cycle.
Trees absorb rain fall and produce water vapor that is released into the atmosphere.
It is destroying the soil erosion and without trees, the soil is free to wash or blow
away, which can lead to vegetation growth problems. It is also effecting our life
quality. Soil erosion can lead to silt entering the lakes, streams and other water
sources. This can decrease local water quality and contribute to poor health in
populations in the area.
Who knew that one problem in the world could lead to so many others?
Deforestation is causing many issues for us in the world today. We need to start
taking action so we no longer have an increase in deforestation.

Works Cited:
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http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/globalwarming/deforestation-overview/
http://www.2011.nesteoil.com/pro-motion-1/forest-fooprint-and-protectingforests/root-cause-of-deforestation-is-poverty
http://deforestation-kush.blogspot.com/2010/12/fun-facts.html
http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/10-countries-with-thehighest-deforestation-rates-in-the-world.html
http://www.trfic.msu.edu/data_portal/Landsat7doc/defor_fact.html
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/forests/solutions-todeforestation/