The heat and moisture in the rainforest cause plants and animals to rot quickly once they have died. This is called decay. When things decay, all the rich nutrients are recycled back into the soil to feed the roots of other plants. As water evaporates from the forest back into the air, it forms clouds above the canopy. Later, the clouds will rain once again over the forest.
Scientists think destroying rainforests makes our earth warmer.
This is called the Greenhouse Effect and is not good. Without rainforests, we will have less rain. This will harm the trees and plants that help to keep the air we breathe clean. Our earth could become very dry and barren, like a desert.