The cutting down of forest or deforestation can affect us and have serious effects on our environment as well. A few effects of deforestation are soil erosion, disruption of the water cycle, and possible even global warming
When forest areas are cleared, it results in exposing the soil to the sun. Which would make the soil very dry and eventually, infertile, due to nitrogen being lost. In addition, when there is rainfall, it washes away the nutrients, which flow with the rainwater into waterways. Because of this, merely replanting trees may not help in solving the problems caused by deforestation, for by the time the trees mature, the soil will be lacking of essential nutrients. Eventually, cultivation in this land will also become impossible, resulting in the land becoming useless. Large tracts of land will be rendered permanently impoverished due to soil erosion.
Trees contribute in a large way in maintaining the water cycle and by getting rid of them it could cause a disruption of the water cycle in the area. They draw up water via their roots, which are then released into the atmosphere. A large part of the water that circulates in the ecosystem of rainforests, for instance, remains inside the plants. When these trees are cut down it results in the climate getting drier in that area. The trees help in prevention of running off of water and help the soil absorb the flowing water. When there are no trees, water just runs off, leaving no chance for the groundwater tables to absorb more water. By doing so it could ultimately lead to reduction in water resources. The water cycle gets disturbed leading to floods and droughts.
It is well-known that global warming is being caused largely due to emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, what is not known quite as well is that deforestation has a direction association with carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Trees act as