Forests cover about one-third of the Earth’s land surface, regulating global water cycles, influencing regional rainfall patterns, and sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This extensive tree coverage also supports the livelihoods of approximately 1.6 billion people globally, providing resources, shelter, and sustenance. Despite the planet’s reliance on these ecosystems, humans interact with forests primarily through necessity and economic demand, which drives the removal of trees. The decision to cut down trees is fundamentally rooted in the need to acquire raw materials and create space for an expanding global population.
Harvesting Wood for Materials and Products
The wood industry represents a substantial demand for trees, with harvesting operations focused on obtaining a renewable raw material for construction and manufacturing. These operations involve the selective felling of trees from managed forests or plantations, distinguishing them from the permanent land conversion associated with deforestation. The resulting wood is processed into two major categories: lumber and pulp.
Sawmills convert harvested logs into lumber for the construction sector, furniture making, and structural components in housing. The physical properties of wood—its strength, workability, and insulating qualities—make it a preferred material for framing homes and creating interior fixtures. Lower-grade wood and by-products from sawmilling, such as wood chips and sawdust, are channeled into pulp mills.
These pulp mills break down the cellulose fibers in the wood to create a slurry that is the foundation for paper, cardboard, and various packaging materials. The demand for paper products, from newsprint and writing paper to food packaging, ensures a continuous cycle of harvesting and processing. This type of tree removal is generally based on a sustained-yield concept, where trees are replanted or naturally regenerated after harvesting to ensure a continuous supply.
Clearing Land for Agriculture and Infrastructure
The single largest driver of tree removal globally is the permanent conversion of forest land, a process known as deforestation. Agricultural expansion is responsible for the vast majority of this conversion, accounting for almost 90% of global deforestation. This clearing is driven by the need to feed a growing world population and the increasing demand for commercial goods.
Large-scale commercial agriculture, focusing on cash crops and livestock, is a primary driver, particularly in tropical regions. The expansion of pasture for cattle ranching is the dominant cause of deforestation in South America. Cultivation of crops like soy and palm oil drives conversion in other tropical areas. These globally traded commodities create a powerful economic incentive to clear forest land for products ranging from animal feed to biofuels.
Beyond industrial farming, the need for space also stems from subsistence agriculture, where small-scale farmers clear forest plots to grow food for their families. The cumulative effect of these localized clearings contributes significantly to forest loss. Coupled with agricultural expansion is the pressure from infrastructure development and urbanization. The construction of linear infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and power lines, requires clearing forest corridors. These projects are often considered necessary for economic development, but they also open up previously inaccessible forest areas to further agricultural conversion and illegal logging. Expansion of cities, mining operations, and reservoirs necessitate the permanent removal of trees for human settlements and resource extraction.
Utilizing Wood as an Energy Source
Wood remains a significant source of energy worldwide, providing an estimated 6% of the global primary energy supply. This usage is divided between traditional, localized consumption and modern, industrial applications.
In many developing regions, especially in Africa and parts of Asia, wood fuel—including firewood and charcoal—is the primary energy source for cooking, heating, and boiling water. This traditional reliance on wood is driven by necessity, as it is often the most accessible and affordable fuel, supporting approximately one-third of the world’s households.
The modern use of wood as an energy source centers on industrial biomass, where wood chips and densified wood pellets are burned to generate heat and electricity. This practice is common in industrialized countries, particularly in Europe, for large-scale power generation and district heating. While bioenergy is often framed as a transition away from fossil fuels, it still requires harvesting trees or utilizing wood residues from the lumber and pulp industries.