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How can removing forests change rainfall, wind patterns, and local climate?

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Tall giant sequoia trees with reddish bark and thick trunks rise closely together in a dense forest at Sequoia National Park, California. — tree A stand of giant sequoia trees (*Sequoiadendron giganteum*) in Sequoia National Park, California.

Removing forests significantly disrupts the water cycle and alters local and regional climates by removing the trees that regulate these systems.1

Impact on Rainfall and Climate

Forests act as critical moisture recyclers. Through evapotranspiration, trees draw water from the soil and release it into the atmosphere as water vapor, which contributes significantly to local rainfall. In regions like the Amazon Rainforest, this process accounts for approximately half of the regional precipitation. When forests are cleared, this moisture recycling mechanism is lost, which can lead to severe droughts and a shift toward a drier local climate.231

Impact on Wind and Energy

Forests influence regional weather patterns by interacting with atmospheric circulation, such as trade winds. The loss of dense forest cover alters the global energy balance, as the removal of trees changes how heat and moisture are exchanged between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Furthermore, burning forests to clear land releases stored carbon as greenhouse gases, which contributes to broader climate change and can further destabilize regional weather patterns.31