deforest
verb
de·for·est
(ˌ)dē-ˈfȯr-əst 
-ˈfär-
deforested; deforesting; deforests
: to clear (an area) of forests : to remove trees from (an area)
As eroded hillsides become useless, the displaced farmers move still farther up the mountains, deforesting still more land.—
Jane Jacobs
Jane JacobsOvergrazing has joined with the wide use of wood fuels to deforest large areas.—Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.
Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.Examples of deforest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s the lesson behind a study out this week in the Journal of Applied Ecology in which researchers assessed which worms, ants, and other invertebrates were wiggling their way through plots of soil that had been deforested, revegetated, or left natural.
—Hannah Richter, science.org, 16 Aug. 2024
Up to 70,000 acres in Michoacán and neighboring Jalisco state have been deforested for avocado farming in the last decade, the data from Guardian Forestal and Climate Rights International show.
—Reuters, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2024
Reuters visited two orchards in July that an analysis of satellite images by U.S. nonprofit Climate Rights International showed were illegally deforested in Madero after 2015.
—Reuters, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2024
At the northern end of the county, a developer is deforesting upward of 500 acres in an area known as Clevenger’s Corner.
—Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 10 July 2024
Using environmental geographers, satellite images and Mexican government estimates, the NGO Climate Rights International estimates that the area deforested for these plantations is between 16,000 and 28,000 hectares.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 14 June 2024
Brazil is one of the world’s biggest beef exporters, with more cattle than people, and in the Amazon, 86% of the areas deforested between 1985 and 2020 became pastures, according to an analysis from environmental nonprofit Imazon.
—Andre Cabette Fabio, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023
England has been deforested for a very, very, very long time, because it's been quite heavily settled.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
The state was 80 percent deforested by the end of the 19th century, so even though much has grown back and our topography now is far more wooded than not, most of it is relatively new growth.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
Hannah Richter, science.org, 16 Aug. 2024
Up to 70,000 acres in Michoacán and neighboring Jalisco state have been deforested for avocado farming in the last decade, the data from Guardian Forestal and Climate Rights International show.
—Reuters, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2024
Reuters visited two orchards in July that an analysis of satellite images by U.S. nonprofit Climate Rights International showed were illegally deforested in Madero after 2015.
—Reuters, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2024
At the northern end of the county, a developer is deforesting upward of 500 acres in an area known as Clevenger’s Corner.
—Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 10 July 2024
Using environmental geographers, satellite images and Mexican government estimates, the NGO Climate Rights International estimates that the area deforested for these plantations is between 16,000 and 28,000 hectares.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 14 June 2024
Brazil is one of the world’s biggest beef exporters, with more cattle than people, and in the Amazon, 86% of the areas deforested between 1985 and 2020 became pastures, according to an analysis from environmental nonprofit Imazon.
—Andre Cabette Fabio, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Dec. 2023
England has been deforested for a very, very, very long time, because it's been quite heavily settled.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023
The state was 80 percent deforested by the end of the 19th century, so even though much has grown back and our topography now is far more wooded than not, most of it is relatively new growth.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deforest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Deforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deforest. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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