Donate On-line to the Red Cross. Deforestation literally means the clearing of trees from forestland. Many people think of the Amazon Rainforest when the think of deforestation, but it is occurring all over the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. The reasons for deforestation are numerous and complex with many interacting factors, especially in the poorer areas of the world.
Much clearing is for agriculture.
Trees are cut down in order to graze animals or plant crops. On a small scale this is sustainable, although with a rapidly expanding population it becomes far less so. More importantly however, modern or intensive agriculture occurs on a much larger scale with acres and acres cleared at a time, often to raise cattle to produce beef for the world market. Another major cause of deforestation is commercial logging. Trees are cut down to sell as timber or pulp to make paper.