de‧for‧es‧ta‧tion /diːˌfɒrəˈsteɪʃən, diːˌfɒrɪˈsteɪʃən $ -ˌfɔː-,-ˌfɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
[Word Family: noun: forest, deforestation, forestry, forester; verb: deforest; adjective: forested]
the cutting or burning down of all the trees in an area:
the deforestation of the tropics
—deforest /diːˈfɒrəst, diːˈfɒrɪst $ -ˈfɔː-, -ˈfɑː-/ verb [transitive usually passive]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲