The first effect of deforestation is of course: no forest. The forest is a necessary element of a healthy earth and the more forests that are killed and cleared, the more unhealthy the earth becomes.

Trees are our main source of oxygen. They release oxygen as they consume carbon dioxide, thus creating fresh, breathable air for us humans. The more healthy trees there are, the more fresh oxygen we have to breath. Since they take in carbon dioxide, they clean the air of this gas that we release when we breathe.

Trees also release moisture into the air, hold the ground together beneath their roots and make the earth cooler. The trees provide homes for the many different kinds of birds and small animals. They also provide food. Food not only for the animals, but also for mankind.

Squirrels live in the trees and eat the fruit of the oak tree. Birds too live on many products of the tree as well as larger animals even eat the leaves and small twigs. Without trees, many animals and birds either die or move to another area, taking with them their contribution they once had in the forest.

Small animals, such as foxes, and bobcats, eat rodents. So do larger birds, such as hawks and owls. Without forests, these birds and animals cannot survive. We are left then with infestations of mice and rats. Other birds eat insects that are a pest to humans.

Since trees lend a cooling effect to any area, when deforestation occurs, the air and land gets hotter. Streams can and do dry up, other plants die and leave a desert behind. Deserts have their place in the ecology of the earth, but there is a greater need of forests.

Deforestation causes less rain in the area, thereby adding to the dryness. And again without rain, streams dry up. No new trees will grow without water, and without the trees dropping their seeds to the ground.

Without tree roots holding the earth together, the wind easily blows the top soil away. What rain there is washes the topsoil away. These results are caused erosion which is never a good thing. The land cannot grow other plants that are vital to the health and well-being of mankind.

It is to everyone's benefit to encourage the re-growth of trees in any area where trees are being cut down or cleared. Our home needs trees to be healthy and we need a healthy home.

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