The earth is dying. Wood is being used to create new establishments, but we do not think where the wood came from! Forests cover only thirty percent of Earth’s land. That means that only 7.5% of Earth’s surface area is forest. However, every year forested land the size of Panama is destroyed! Trees are being cut down to make houses every day. Trees are cleared because there might be a new house coming. Many times the new houses are built years after the land has been cleared. In my neighborhood, about 10 trees are killed every day. Most of this cleared land has’t even been sold yet. To me, this mindless killing is just plain wrong!

Earth’s tiny forest area is rapidly decreasing. Usually, it is cleared for money. I know that money can also be made by working hard and playing fair. Not many people do that. I see that land is cleared for homes also. Wherever I look, I see builders clearing five acres of land for a one-acre homesite. I don’t think that the builders will ever learn!

Rain forests are the largest land based contributors of oxygen in the world. Many acres of rainforest are cut down every year, mainly for agriculture. Unused, cleared land is abundant on Earth. There are also places that had been cleared for agriculture earlier. I wondered, “Why do they clear more land for what they already have?” The reason is, the land had been over farmed. There were no more nutrients left in that land. To solve the problem they cut down the rainforest. In the rainforest, the soil is extremely rich. That is because when tree leaves fall, the decomposers eat up the leaves and leave nutrient filled dirt. When the trees are cut down, they are degrading the value of the soil. I do not think they realize they are driving over a million species of plants and animals to extinction.

Construction and furniture also contribute to the downfall. Many people order specific types of wood, which are usually found deep in the rainforest. Because of the specifications, builders burrow deep into the hearts of the forests to get the oldest, thickest wood. Sometimes, animals are killed. The builders see that they are doing a good job doing their work. I see them helping the evil claw of deforestation reach into the heart of the planet.

Deforestation is an abomination. It needs to be stopped just like the Nazis needed to be stopped during WWII. Unfortunately, our government embraces this evil act. Deforestation is a disaster, because once enough trees have been cut down, oxygen levels in the air will start reducing. Most of our air will slowly be replaced with greenhouse gases. This will have many effects. It will increase Global Warming. It will make it dangerous to get a fresh breathe of air. It will eventually become permanent, unless we can stop it. Even you can help, by writing to construction companies. You could write to the government. You could hold demonstrations. You could also educate people on this topic, like I am. The possibilities are endless. However, even as you read this, the evil hand of deforestation will be searching for another forest to cut down.