Deforestation

Imagine a big, green forest. It is full of tall, tall trees with leaves that dance in the wind. You can hear little birds singing “tweet, tweet, tweet” and squirrels chattering as they scamper up the trunks. The air smells fresh and sweet like dirt after it rains. But one day, a new sound came to the forest. It was a loud “chop, chop, chop.”. One by one, the big, tall trees started to fall down, leaving a big, open space. The sun shined right down on the empty ground. I am what happens when the trees are cleared away. My name is Deforestation.

Why did the trees go away. A very, very long time ago, around 10,000 BCE, people learned how to be farmers. They needed sunny places to plant yummy seeds that would grow into food. The tall trees made too much shade, so people cut them down to let the sunshine in. As more time passed, people used the wood from the trees to build cozy houses and big boats that sailed on the water. They also used the wood to make warm fires when it was cold outside, especially in places like Europe during the Middle Ages, which was a long, long time ago. As more people lived on the Earth, they needed more and more space for their families and farms.

But guess what. People are amazing helpers. Now, we know that trees are super important. They are homes for the birds and squirrels, and they help keep our air fresh and clean for us to breathe. So, all around the world, people are planting new baby trees. They put tiny seeds in the ground and watch them grow. They are helping the forests grow back, big and tall and green. They are making our world a greener and happier place for everyone to play in.