Deforestation has been described as the cutting down of trees without planting others in their place.

It is hard to think that there was a time when 90% of the earth was covered by trees, but this was once the
case. If so, one asks, naturally, what happened to all these trees? Why do people cut down trees? The
following are probable reasons:
a) Demand for land for cultivation.
This has been seen both in Kenya and other parts of the world especially countries that have Agriculture as
the backbone of their economy. Trees have been cut down to obtain land for cultivation of both subsistence
and cash crops, both by governments and individuals.
b) Need for firewood
People, especially those who live in rural areas where electricity and gas are unavailable, resort to use of
firewood as a source of heat. Here, wood is cut down and burnt.
c) Need for land to build industries
Industries require a lot of land and while industrialization is important for every country, it is the bane of large
tracts of forest. People need jobs in order to provide for their daily needs.
d) Need for land to build houses
With the worldwide increase in population, land to build houses for people to live in is very much required.
e) Need for wood for furniture, pencils, paper etc
Whereas the above needs are important and have to be satisfied, cutting down trees is not the most
probable solution to these problems. Why? This is because, most people who cut down trees do not plant
others in their place. Also, if all the above needs are to be met by cutting down of trees, even planting two for
every tree cut will not prevent desertification. This is because trees take so long to grow and mature,
especially so for hard wood trees

For the most part, human activity is to blame for deforestation, though natural disasters do play a role. So
let's take a look at how and why humans deforest areas.

Logging, or cutting down trees in a forest to harvest timber for wood, products or fuel, is a
primary driver of deforestation. Logging affects the environment in several ways. Since trucks and
large equipment need to get into the forest in order to access trees and transport timber, loggers
must clear large areas for roadways. Selective logging -- where only the most valuable trees are
felled -- doesn't help matters, as one falling tree can bring down dozens of surrounding trees and
thin the forest's protective canopy [source: Butler]. The forest canopy is important to the forest's
ecosystem because it houses and protects plant, animal and insect populations. It also protects the
forest floor, which slows down soil erosion.
Agriculture also drives deforestaton. Farmers clear the land for crops or for cattle and often will
clear acres of land using slash and burn techniques -- cutting down trees and then burning them.
Migratory farmers clear a forest area and use it until the soil becomes too degraded for crops. Then
they move on and clear a new patch of forest. The abandoned land, if left untouched, will eventually
reforest, but it will take many, many years to return to its original state.
Hydroelectric dams are quite controversial because while they help to power communities, they
also contribute to deforestation. Damming opponents believe that the building of such structures not
only has a negative environmental impact, but it also opens up the area to loggers and more roads
[source: Colitt]. To build a hydroelectric dam, acres of land must be flooded, which causes
decomposition and release of greenhouse gases. Local people can also be displaced by dam
projects, causing further deforestation when these people resettle elsewhere.
Fires, both accidental and intended, destroy acres of forest very quickly. Areas affected by logging
are more susceptible to fires due to the number of dried, dead trees. Milder winters and extended
warm seasons due to global warming also fuel fires. For example, certain species of beetle that
usually die off each winter are now able to survive and continue feeding on trees. This feeding
causes the trees to die and dry out, making them into kindling [source: Environmental Defense
Fund].

Mining also results in deforestation. Digging a coal, diamond or gold mine requires the removal of
all forest cover, not just for the mines but also for trucks and equipment. Recently, Venezuela denied
a corporation called Crystallex permission to dig a mine because of environmental concerns
[source: Walter and Bailey].
Palm oil has been receiving attention lately for its potential as a biofuel and is used in many
packaged foods and beauty products. But palm oil is another cause of deforestation. Its rising prices
make it more valuable, and, in response, Indonesian and Malaysian farmers destroy acres of trees to
harvest it. For this reason, several countries are currently debating a ban on palm oil as a biofuel.
As cities grow larger to accommodate more people, trees are cut down to make more room for houses and
roads. This urban sprawl deforestation is occurring worldwide, now that 50 percent of the world's population
lives in cities [source: CNN].