Eight thousand years ago, when humans didn’t have an astounding affect on the world ecosystem, trees covered two fifths of the land. Since that time, the human race has burnt and chopped down half of the original forestland. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, deforestation is defined as "the action or process of clearing of forests…" (www.m-w.com). The act of deforestation could, in a matter of just a few decades, completely strip the …showed first 75 words of 1840 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1840 total…MA: Merriam- Webster, 2000. Online. Available www.m-w.com. Monastersky, R. "Hidden Threats Take Toll in Amazon." Science News 10 Apr. 1999: Online. Available www.findarticles.com. Parker, Edward. Forests for the Future. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1998. "The Social Dynamics of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon: An Overview." United Nations Research Institute for Social Development . Discussion Paper No. 36, July 1992. Online. Available www.unrisd.org. Victor, David. "Restoring the Forests." Foreign Affairs. Nov.-Dec. 2000: Online. Available www.findarticles.com.