Deforestation: Facts, causes & effects

Deforestation can include clearing the land for farming or livestock, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing.

Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees from a forest. Deforestation can include clearing the land for farming or livestock, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing.  

Forests cover more than 30% of  Earth’s land surface, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These forested areas produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), and are home to an estimated 80% of Earth’s terrestrial species. Forests also are a source of  food, medicine and fuel for more than a billion people. Worldwide, forests provide 13.4 million people with jobs in the forest sector, and another 41 million people have jobs related to forests. 

Forests are an important natural resource, but humans have destroyed substantial quantities of forested land. In North America, about half the forests in the eastern part of the continent were cut down for timber and farming between the 1600s and late 1800s, according to National Geographic.