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Theclearing of woods and forests is the process by which vegetation, such astrees andbushes, together with theirroots are permanently removed. The main aim of this process is to clear areas of forest, woodland or scrub in order to use thesoil for another purpose, such aspasture land,arable farming,human settlement or the construction ofroads orrailways.
Many of the world's most prominent forests have suffered significant levels of clearing in recent years, including theAmazon. In the 2 years following thepresidential election ofJair Bolsonaro, clearing in eastern Brazil increased by 27%.[1]
Indonesia has the highest rate of clearing and deforestation, with 15 million acres lost between 2000 and 2012. This was primarily due to the increase in demand forpalm oil.[2]
One definition of forest clearing is given in theAustrian federal law that governs the forestry industry which defines it as "the use of forest land for purposes other than forestry".[3]
Sometimes a distinction is made between forest clearing or tree clearing, whereby the trees, including the stumps, are cleared, and stump or root clearing where the trees are first felled and the stumps removed subsequently.
Forest clearings may result in small, isolated, treeless areas or cleared corridors, for example along rivers or other linear features. Isolated clearings frequently occur in advance of more general and large-scaledeforestation.
Many towns andvillages in Central Europe emerged during historical "clearance periods" resulting in "clearing or clearance landscapes as a form ofinternal colonisation. An example of this is thesettlement of people in theCentral Uplands in so-calledWaldhufendorf villages. The names of many towns and villages in Europe derives from their origin as clearance settlements, for example, names ending in-rode (Gernrode,Wernigerode) or-reuth (Bayreuth).
Unlike in other areas of the world, clearing in Europe has decreased in recent years. In the 25 years from 1990 to 2015, forested areas in Europe increased by 90,000 square kilometres (9 million hectares).[4]
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