Deforestation can be described as the permanent removal or destruction of trees from a specific area. According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) approximately more than 17 million acres of forest have undergone deforestation in over the past two decades. There are significant causes of deforestation which includes; cutting the tree down for human activities. Such activity provides land preparation for urbanization and housing. This is a situation where people will decide to clear a particular area to build a house of a city.
Another instance is when people cut down the trees to prepare timber and other wood products paper making and building homes. Other people create food ingredients from trees for example oil from palm trees. Cattle ranching also make people cut trees creating room for growing grass for the animals.
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One of the common causes of deforestation is burning down of the forests. Burning of forests can happen through accidents, and others are done intentionally by people. The combustion occurs quickly when winds are blowing. This can affect a vast piece of land within a short period. After the fire, the ash formed provides nourishment for other plants. Farmers who use this method to clear the forest will keep doing it each time they want to do farming.
Acidic rains have also led to deforestation lately. Our factories have been emitting acidic gases into the atmosphere as a by-product. This gas contaminates the rainwater during the rainfall process. Trees depend on the water from the rains for the photosynthesis process. The process of photosynthesis will be affected by the acidic water from the rainfall. Lack of the process will lead to the tree to lack food. Therefore the trees will die after a specific time causing deforestation.
Deforestation has a lot of adverse effects on our environment. Loss of different types of species has been an effect of deforestation. When a fire burns a forest, there are some of the species which are consumed completely. The Same happens when there is acidic rain. The effect of the acid can either destroy a particular gene of a tree or change its genetics into something new and different. There are some essential types of indigenous trees which add more values to our nature. Such trees when are affected by deforestation we risk losing the species.
Soil erosion has been one of the effects caused by deforestation. Trees have roots which provide the anchor points for the soil. After deforestation, the trees will be limited along the slopes. When the rains come, it washes away the top weak dirt from the deforested area. The topsoil is the one which usually has the nourishment that is needed to plant some crops. This leaves the soil unproductive for cultivation. There are some areas with a sloppy type landscape. Such regions require trees to be planted along and across the slope. The trees will protect the soil from being washed away by rainwater.
Deforestation affects the water cycle of the affected area. Tress plays a more significant role in the water cycle. Through transpiration and respiration clouds are formed leading rainfall. The process makes areas with a lot of trees to act as a water catchment area. After deforestation, there will be a decrease in the amount of rainfall, therefore, affecting the water cycle. Deforestation will change many people's lives. Soil erosion adds a lot of soil into water bodies which will affect the aquatic life and those who depend on them. The native individuals who live within the forest will have their homes destroyed by the deforestation.
