What Happens When You Lose a Forest

July 2019 marks the month that the 5-acre forest located across the road from my house was suddenly removed so the owners could develop the land. Unfortunately, they followed the model of development used far too often these days—strip the land bare and start from a blank canvas.

In the short run, this makes construction simple. But it’s the purest example of working against nature—not with it. It may seem easy at first, but this approach to land use leads to numerous problems down the road.

And the problems are not limited to the land that was cleared. As I sit by the window writing this post, I can see the impacts clearly. Instead of looking out over a lush and vibrant forest, I’m instead greeted by ecological devastation and the worn out structures the forest used to hide.

I can also see hints at other changes that become obvious as I step outside. This post covers these changes, offering a reminder of the often-overlooked benefits of forests by looking at what happens when the forest disappears. But before you scroll down, make sure to grab your free and easy-to-print worksheet all about why you should re-wild your property. Taken from the blog post, How to Work With Nature to Rewild your Property (And Why You Should), this worksheet covers 5 ways you can bring more wildness to your property.

When I found out my neighbors were going to cut down their woods, I was sad that our local environment was going to lose a forest. I was sad about the changes on their side of the street. But now that the trees are gone, the impact on my side of the road immediately became clear. The first thing I noticed was the sudden change to the micro-climate, which has already altered my property dramatically.

Stepping out my door on a hot July day this year is a very different experience than a year ago. Today, the sun beats down in the late afternoon, baking my house and large stretches of my property.

A year ago, by 5:00pm in the summer, the forest would be casting its shadow over my property. Now it’s hours later before the sun finally sinks below the distant horizon.

I had relied on the late afternoon shade to help moderate the summer extremes on my property. This extra late afternoon sunlight is making our property much hotter.

But when you lose a forest, there are more changes than extra sunlight.

We’re also getting a lot more wind blowing over our property. The winds often blow from the west, and the forest was perfectly placed to block much of this wind. Now, the winds blow unhindered across the devastated land and then run roughshod over our property.

We don’t always think about the role of the breeze in drying out a landscape, but more wind equals more evaporation. Together, this means that our property is now much hotter and drier than it used to be.

Losing a forest also impacts the quality of life of the people living around it. Some of our other neighbors have expressed sadness over the loss, and it has definitely impacted my family.

Our property just feels different. When I’m out working the land and I look back towards the house, it just feels wrong to see the clearing where the forest used to stand.

On hot summer evenings, we used to cool off in the food forest out front, enjoying the wildlife and the serenity of the space, with the more established greenery across the street. Now when we go out front, we’re greeted by a barren landscape piled with stripped logs as the summer sun pounds down.

Nature—and forests specifically—have repeatedly been shown to improve the quality of life of humans living near them.

We’re lucky—our property is a vibrant and abundant place in and of itself, and it’s growing more connected with the natural world every day. But not everyone has the option to rewild their own backyard. When we lose a forest, whole communities suffer.