Deforestation is the removal of forests, by whatever means. Deforestation occurs for many reasons: when trees are cleared to make way for crops, pastures, settlements, or logged for timber. Forest degradation refers to a reduction in the quality and extent of forest ecosystems.
Some of the emerging trends in deforestation include the use of satellite data to track and monitor forest cover, the use of drones to map and assess forest cover, and the use of machine learning to predict and prevent deforestation.