As they become drier, they are more apt to catch fire and the fires are larger. In many parts of the world, forest land is often cleared for ranching and farming by simply setting fires that can then get out of control. Amazon forest after a fire. Aerial view of Brazilian Amazon forest after a catastrophic fire. A portion of Brazil's rainforest is cleared for charcoal production.
Dense vegetation appears in red.
The same region of Rondonia, Brazil 20 years later. Much of the cleared land is now abandoned or under-used grazing land. Aerial photograph showing soil erosion due to deforestation, Betsiboka River Delta, Madagascar. Tree being logged in the Ipassa-Mingouli rainforest by the French logging company, Rougier. Rougier logging roads near the Ivindo River in the Ipassa-Mingouli rainforest.