Why do forests get cut down

Find out the causes, effects, and solutions. See all of National Geographic's videos on deforestation here. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.

India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country. Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient.

But will they invade your privacy? Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Monday, March 06, How many trees are cut down every year?

How many trees are cut down each year? For what purpose? As for how many trees are cut down each year, IntactForests. Tree density in primary forests varies from 50,, trees per square km, so the math would put this number at 3. Deforestation in tropical regions can also affect the way water vapor is produced over the canopy, which causes reduced rainfall. A study published in the journal Ecohydrology showed that parts of the Amazon rainforest that were converted to agricultural land had higher soil and air temperatures, which can exacerbate drought conditions.

In comparison, forested land had rates of evapotranspiration that were about three times higher, adding more water vapor to the air. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. As climate change continues, trees play an important role in carbon sequestration, or the capture and storage of excess carbon dioxide. Deforestation not only removes vegetation that is important for removing carbon dioxide from the air, but the act of clearing the forests also produces greenhouse gas emissions.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says that deforestation is the second-leading cause of climate change. The first is the burning of fossil fuels. Developing alternatives to deforestation can help decrease the need for tree clearing. For example, the desire to expand the amount of land used for agriculture is an attractive reason to deforest an area. But if people adopted sustainable farming practices or employed new farming technologies and crops, the need for more land might be diminished, according to the UN's Sustainable Forest Management Toolbox.

Forests can also be restored, through replanting trees in cleared areas or simply allowing the forest ecosystem to regenerate over time. The goal of restoration is to return the forest to its original state, before it was cleared, according to the U. Climate change : Forest loss is both a cause and an effect of our changing climate. Climate change can damage forests, for instance by drying out tropical rainforests and increasing fire damage in boreal forests.

Inside forests, climate change is already harming biodiversity, a threat that is likely to increase. Toggle navigation. Language English. Deforestation causes. Discover More on our work Forests Deforestation causes Forest conversion Illegal logging Governance and infrastructure.