Sixth Grade
Worksheets
A Tale of Deforestation
In the tropical rainforest of South America, Miguel is studying a global issue. That issue is deforestation and its impact on the world. Does it seem unlikely that an event in a rainforest far away could have an effect anywhere else? It may seem unlikely, but it is true.
Do you know what deforestation means? It is the permanent destruction of forests and woodlands. Most deforestation in the world takes place in the tropical areas of Latin and South America, Asia, and Africa. There's a real concern that tropical rainforests could disappear by 2050 unless they are protected.
Miguel has witnessed several things that he feels cause deforestation. He has seen farming in poor and overpopulated areas. This is basically subsistence agriculture for survival. The poor move into a forest area. They slash and burn the trees to remove them. The ash is fertilizer. This method also gets rid of the parasites. Soon after farming this patch of land, they often need to move and repeat the process.
