Describe how is the forest dwindling into
desertification?
Answers
Deforestation is the term that describes the cutting down or clearing of trees from a wooded area. There are a number of reasons woodlands or forests are cut down. In some cases, the trees themselves are the desired resource. Trees have been a source of fuel for many generations and continue to be used in this way today. They are also turned into timber for use in building and carpentry, as well as used in the production of paper products.
In other cases, trees are cleared because they are in the way of progress. Forests may be cleared to make room for farmland or for grazing land for cattle, or they may be removed to make room for new houses, neighborhoods or expanding cities. Some deforestation is not intentional and can result due to natural causes, such as wildfires.
Regardless of the cause, deforestation can be detrimental to the environment. A forest acts as a carbon sink because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis. When trees are destroyed, they release their stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the phenomenon whereby atmospheric gases, like carbon dioxide, trap the sun's heat, causing the earth's surface to warm.
The harmful effects of deforestation can also be seen on land. Without trees to protect soil and hold it in place, soil erosion, or the washing away of soil, can occur during periods of rain. Trees also play a pivotal role in the water cycle, which is the constant movement of water between the earth and the atmosphere.
Tree roots absorb water from the ground and return water vapor back to the atmosphere. If trees are removed and can no longer contribute to the water cycle, the previously forested land can transform into a much drier climate. This dry environment can spread due to a decrease in atmospheric water vapor and results in a decline in precipitation levels in the area.
• Desertification is a process by which fertile land becomes desert as a result of drought, deforestation or inappropriate agriculture.
• Deforestation means cutting down of trees of forest land for a purpose like logging, agriculture and grazing operation etc.
• As a result of Desertification, land degradation occurs within which a comparatively ground region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water, wildlife and vegetation.
• Effects of Deforestation includes Soil erosion, Flash floods, Drought, Rainfall which leads to Desertification.