July 10, 2025

Saima Athai 

10th Grade

Thomas A. Edison CTE High School

Deforestation is a process where humans attempt to clean or thin the environment. This process, however, has turned out to be one of the largest global issues impacting the land. The area of forest cleared for human use, including removing trees for wood products, croplands, and grazing fields, is the traditional basis for estimating deforestation. Clear-cutting is the process of removing all trees from the land and destroying the forest entirely. However, in certain instances, even unintentional fires and partial logging can drastically alter the forest structure by thinning out the trees. 

Large-scale forest removal has significant scientific effects on Earth’s system. By releasing stored carbon dioxide (CO₂) from trees into the atmosphere, it upsets the carbon cycle, escalating the greenhouse effect and causing climate change. Since forests are essential for transpiration, which influences rainfall patterns and preserves soil moisture, the removal of trees also modifies the water cycle. Deforested areas have more erosion, nutrient loss, and occasionally dryness since there are no tree roots that secure the soil. As environments are destroyed, biodiversity decreases, resulting in the extinction of species and the collapse of ecosystems. The Earth’s reflectivity is also impacted by the loss of forest cover, which modifies surface temperatures and has further effects on climate systems. These changes often trigger feedback loops, such as decreased rainfall leading to more forest loss, creating a cycle that accelerates environmental degradation. 

As the Rainforest Connection’s solution uses inexpensive environmentally friendly technology, repurposed smartphones with solar panels to identify and report illegal logging in real-time, it can be applied to forests in many geographical locations and might be adopted globally. Rapid reactions, which are essential for persevering endangered ecosystems, is made possible by the use of AI to analyze sound and mobile networks to send alarms. This measurable and eco-friendly method provides a useful tool for conservation efforts globally as mobile infrastructure improves and awareness of deforestation rises, particularly when paired with community involvement and local enforcement.