Forest Removal Research Articles

Evapotranspiration and land cover transitions: long‐term watershed response in recovering forested ecosystems

ABSTRACTChanges of the land surface affect the water balance components over seasonal, annual and decadal time scales. This study explored the role of vegetation cover transitions on evapotranspiration in forested watersheds of the North American West. We applied empirical time‐recovery functions describing the impact of forest removal and subsequent regrowth on actual evapotranspiration (AET) or runoff. A generalized function (K‐curve) was adapted to the North American West and tested using three different datasets of observed or estimated AET in forest chronosequences: AET from flux towers equipped with eddy covariance sensors, AET estimated from the water balance in experimental paired watersheds and in a set of gauged watersheds with considerable forest cover history dating back to the 18th century. AET from the first two datasets showed a behaviour similar to the K‐curve, although the timing and the magnitude differed substantially. To reconstruct long‐term changes in AET for the gauged watersheds, we applied a transfer function approach linking the K‐curve and the reconstructed forest cover history at the watershed scale. In several watersheds, correlation coefficients between the reconstructed AET changes and the annual water balances suggest that changes in time were driven by the land cover transitions. In watersheds with low correlations, disturbance activities peaked before the 20th century, and the effects of vegetation have phased out in the period of streamflow observations. The findings of this paper suggest that trends in the observed water balance in forested watersheds can be associated to land cover disturbances well before the start of hydro‐climatic observations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clear-cutting affects habitat connectivity for a forest amphibian by decreasing permeability to juvenile movements

Conservation of forest amphibians is dependent on finding the right balance between management for timber production and meeting species' habitat requirements. For many pond-breeding amphibians, successful dispersal of the juvenile stage is essential for long-term population persistence. We investigated the influence of timber-harvesting practices on the movements of juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). We used a chronosequence of stands produced by clear-cutting to evaluate how stand age affects habitat permeability to movements. We conducted experimental releases of juveniles in 2008 (n = 350) and 2009 (n = 528) in unidirectional runways in four treatments: mature forest, recent clearcut, 11-year-old, and 20-year-old regeneration. The runways were 50 x 2.5-m enclosures extending into each treatment, perpendicular to a distinct edge, with four tracking stations at 10, 20, 30, and 40 m from the edge. We recorded the number of animals reaching each tracking station, and the proportion of animals changing their direction of movement at each distance. We found that the mature forest was 3.1 and 3.7 times more permeable than the 11-year-old regeneration and the recent clearcut, respectively. Animals actively avoided open-canopy habitats and sharp edges; significantly more animals returned toward the closed-canopy forest at 0 m and 10 m in the less permeable treatments. There were no significant differences in habitat permeability between the mature forest and the 20-year-old regeneration. Our study is the first to directly assess habitat permeability to juvenile amphibian movement in relation to various forestry practices. We argue that habitat permeability at this scale is largely driven by the behavior of animals in relation to habitat disturbance and that caution needs to be used when using spatial modeling and expert-derived permeability values to assess connectivity of amphibian populations. The effects of clear-cutting on the migratory success of juvenile L. sylvaticus are long-lasting. Forestry practices that involve canopy removal and conversion of natural forest to conifer plantations may affect regional population viability by hindering successful dispersal.

Urban forest regeneration: Responses of Scots pine seedlings to partial humus removal in mid-boreal N-enriched forests

Nitrogen (N) deposition results in accumulation of N-rich organic matter in urban forests. Partial removal of vegetation and humus layer (REMOVAL treatment) was used to reduce N content of soil and to improve the establishment and performance of planted Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings in urban boreal forest sites. Corresponding rural sites of a similar forest type with background N deposition were used as a reference. The REMOVAL treatment increased shoot and root biomass of the seedlings, but did not affect fungal biomass in the roots. The treatment decreased peroxidase activity, an indicator of physiological stress, in roots, which suggests an overall improvement of soil conditions. Present results thus imply amelioration of stress in Scots pine roots in urban soil environment by partial removal of vegetation and the humus layer.

The role of land use and soils in regulating water flow in small headwater catchments of the Andes

Land use changes can have a significant impact on the terrestrial component of the water cycle. This study provides a comparison of three small headwater catchments in the Andean mountains of Colombia with different composition of land use. Several methods were used to quantify differences in the hydrological behavior of these catchments such as flow duration curves, stormflow analysis, and the linear reservoir concept. They were combined with an analysis of the characteristics of soils that contribute to understanding the aggregate catchment hydrological behavior. Andisols, which are soils formed in volcanic areas and with a large capacity to hold water, amplify differences in land use and limit the potential impact of land use management activities (conservation or restoration) on the water regulation function of catchments. Of the three studied catchments, less variability of flows was observed from the catchment with a larger percentage of area in forest, and a slower decrease of flows in the dry season was observed for the catchment with a relatively higher percentage of area in wetlands. Evidence is provided for the infiltration trade‐off hypothesis for tropical environments, which states that after forest removal, soil infiltration rates are smaller and the water losses through quick flow are larger than the gains by reduced evapotranspiration; this is compatible with the results of the application of the linear reservoir concept showing a faster release of water for the least forested catchment.

Water Resources and Land Use and Cover in a Humid Region: The Southeastern United States

It is widely recognized that forest and water resources are intricately linked. Globally, changes in forest cover to accommodate agriculture and urban development introduce additional challenges for water management. The U.S. Southeast typifies this global trend as predictions of land-use change and population growth suggest increased pressure on water resources in coming years. Close attention has long been paid to interactions between people and water in arid regions; however, based on information from regions such as the Southeast, it is evident that much greater focus is required to sustain a high-quality water supply in humid areas as well. To that end, we review hydrological, physicochemical, biological, and human and environmental health responses to conversion of forests to agriculture and urban land uses in the Southeast. Commonly, forest removal leads to increased stream sediment and nutrients, more variable flow, altered habitat and stream and riparian communities, and increased risk of human health effects. Although indicators such as the percentage of impervious cover signify overall watershed alteration, the threshold to disturbance, or the point at which effects can been observed in stream and riparian parameters, can be quite low and often varies with physiographic conditions. In addition to current land use, historical practices can greatly influence current water quality. General inferences of this study may extend to many humid regions concerning climate, environmental thresholds, and the causes and nature of effects.

Effects of stump removal on soil decomposer communities in undisturbed patches of the forest floor

Soil preparation after clear-cutting leads to fragmentation of forest floor and, consequently, changes the habitat of decomposers. Stump removal for bioenergy is further increasing the disturbance in the soil. We studied responses of decomposers to stump removal in boreal spruce forests during the first 4 years after clear felling in relation to mounding. Samples for each decomposer organism group were taken from undisturbed forest floor patches that are the main habitat for decomposers after forest regeneration and whose amount and size obviously differ between the treatments. Microbial biomasses and community structure, and the abundance of enchytraeids, were not found to be affected by the stump removal. The abundance of nematodes and the total numbers of collembolans were lower in the stump harvesting plots compared with the mounded plots 3 years after the regeneration. In addition, microbivorous macroarthropods had higher abundances in the mounded plots. Together, decomposer community in the fragments of undisturbed forest floor only slightly differed between the mounded and stump removal areas. However, more data are urgently needed to also find out the longer-term effects of stump removal on the forest soil decomposers and their functioning and the development of decomposer community in exposed mineral soil.

Prioritizing locations for the riparian establishment based on spatiotemporal change of riparian forest area at a watershed scale

A majority of streams in Korea have been channelized and their adjacent flood plains have been converted for anthropogenic land use, especially in urbanized areas. Fortunately, recent elevated public recognition to the stream ecosystem has led to governmental efforts to conserve riparian areas. In this study, a simple method to prioritize locations for riparian establishment was developed at a watershed scale based on spatiotemporal change of riparian forest area. The developed method was applied for the Ansung and Sapkyo watersheds, which were under consideration for the stream riparian area establishment by the Korean Ministry of Environment. Two riparian forest indices, Riparian Forest Index (RFI) and Riparian Forest Change Index (RFCI) were developed to represent spatial and temporal change of watershed riparian forest, respectively. LANSAT satellite images with a 30 m × 30 m resolution were used to estimate the two riparian forest indices. A precautionary approach, which intends to preserve the existing riparian forests as much as possible, was applied by ranking sub-watersheds based on the two riparian forest indices to prioritize locations for the riparian establishment at a sub-watershed level. The results showed that overall urban land cover in riparian areas increased while forests and cropland decreased over the past 25 years. More importantly, riparian forest removal occurred more rapidly in the riparian area, which is one of the most important niches for riparian ecosystems, as compared to the entire watershed. Most riparian forests appeared to be located upstream of the watersheds, and thus it is important to develop management measures to preserve existing riparian forests from human activities. The developed approach could be a useful tool that can assist policy makers to prioritize locations for the riparian area establishment. However, this method has limitations of only considering riparian forest area and therefore, other aspects such as stream morphology as well as ecology needs to be incorporated into riparian area determination process as they become available in the future. In addition, considering that substantial portions of riparian areas have already been disturbed, the restoration aspect of the impaired riparian also needs to be investigated further.

Impactos potenciais das alterações do Código Florestal nos recursos hídricos

Florestas ripárias, mosaicos de vegetação e áreas alagadas têm papel fundamental na proteção dos recursos hídricos mantendo a qualidade da água em excelentes condições para abastecimento e recarregado aquíferos repondo, portanto, volumes substanciais de águas para o componente subterrâneo. A remoção de florestas ripárias e áreas alagadas têm um efeito extremamente negativo degradando a qualidade das águas superficiais e subterrâneas, acelerando a sedimentação de lagoas, represas e rios, e diminuindo o estoque de água nas nascentes e aquíferos. Todos os serviços ambientais dos ecossistemas aquáticos ficam comprometidos com o desmatamento e remoção de áreas naturalmente alagadas, portanto a preservação destas áreas é essencial para regular tanto o ciclo hidrológicos como os ciclos biogeoquímicos. A remoção destas áreas torna insustentável a agricultura em curto prazo.

Response of Ants and Their Seed Removal in Rehabilitation Areas and Forests at El Cerrejón Coal Mine in Colombia

Open‐pit coal mining causes strong negative impacts on biodiversity because this activity completely removes thick layers of soil. Focusing on ants as functional agents responding to mine site rehabilitation has proven useful in improving restoration practices. This study sought to evaluate the success of the 20‐year‐old ecological rehabilitation program at El Cerrejón, one of the world's largest open‐pit coal mining operation located in a vulnerable dry tropical forest region of Colombia. This study compared ant assemblages in 13 sites classified along a gradient of rehabilitation sites aged 0–14 years, as well as in three forest reference areas. Two sampling methods (pitfall traps and visual search) were conducted during three sampling periods. Seed removal by ants was also quantified at seven of the 13 sites using seed bait from native plants. Eighty‐two ant species, belonging to 29 genera, were found. The highest number of ant species were found inside the forests. Ant species richness increased with rehabilitation age of sites, along with higher canopy cover and milder soil temperature. Rehabilitation actions enhancing these ecological factors might, therefore, favor the presence of wild fauna such as ants. The oldest area (14 years) was the most similar to the forests, both in terms of functional ant groups (guilds) and dominant species. Seed movement was highest in the 14‐year‐old restored area and was similar to that of the forests, suggesting that this ecological function has been partially restored and that the movement of seed dispersal agents across the landscape would be enhanced.

Biogeochemical Proxies of Anthropic Impact in Mediterranean Forest Soils

AbstractQuantitative changes in soil organic matter (SOM) from undisturbed Mediterranean forests and neighbouring deforested sites were assessed by analysing soil lipids and humic acids (HAs), in total studying 80 variables. Changes in the composition of free lipids reflected vegetation types, whereas HAs analysed by visible and 13C NMR spectroscopy, sodium perborate degradation and Curie‐point pyrolysis indicated the extent of structural alteration of lignin in soil. The molecular fractions released by degradation techniques applied to HAs showed that demethoxylation and oxidation were associated with the removal of forest vegetation, and the aromatic compounds consisted mainly of methoxyphenols and benzenecarboxylic acids. Decreased concentration of alkanes and increased amounts of alcohols were observed after removal of forests. The chain lengths of alkyl compounds also tended to decrease. In forest soil, there was a series of diterpene resin acids, whereas in pasture soil steroids from animal origin and a root‐derived triterpenoids with friedelan structure were found. In relation to the total quantity and quality of soil C, the overall chemical descriptors indicated that clearing and cultivation (semiarid cereal fields) lead to intense mineralization of SOM (mainly particulate, free organic matter) but the residual humic substances have enhanced maturity in terms of structural condensation and potential resilience. Conversely, the cleared forest soil under pasture had a comparatively higher potential for C sequestration, but the HA characteristics suggested selective preservation of plant biomacromolecules directly incorporated as underground biomass.

Bare-earth extraction from airborne LiDAR data based on segmentation modeling and iterative surface corrections

In the last decade, various algorithms have been developed for extracting the digital terrain model from LiDAR point clouds. Although most filters perform well in flat and uncomplicated landscapes, landscapes containing steep slopes and discontinuities are still problematic. In this research, we develop a novel bare-earth extraction algorithm consisting of segmentation modeling and surface modeling based on our previous work, forest canopy removal. The proposed segmentation modeling is built on a triangulated irregular network and composed of triangle assimilation, edge clustering, and point classification to achieve better discrimination of objects and preserve terrain discontinuities. The surface modeling is proposed to iteratively correct both Type I and Type II errors through estimating roughness of digital surface/terrain models, detecting bridges and sharp ridges, etc. Finally, we have compared our obtained filtering results with twelve other filters working on the same fifteen study sites provided by the ISPRS. Our average error and kappa index of agreement in the automated process are 4.6% and 84.5%, respectively, which outperform all other twelve proposed filters. Our kappa index, 84.5%, can be interpreted as almost perfect agreement. In addition, applying this work with optimized parameters further improves performance.

Livelihood trends in Response to Climate Change in Forest Fringe Communities of the Offin Basin in Ghana

The livelihoods of forest fringe communities in Ghana depend, largely, on the renewable natural resources that they can find in the forests and any activities that impacts on the integrity of the forest disrupt thelivelihood of the dependent communities. Forest fragmentation continues to take place in Ghana, mainly in response to a growing demand to feed an ever increasing population and for timber exploitation for export. One of the forest fringe communities in Ghana where the rural livelihoods of the people have been compromised due to deforestationand climate change is the Offin basin. The removal of forests impacts on local climate, water availability, and livelihoods due to influence of forests on precipitation and water balance. Fluxes in the quantity and frequency of rainfall contribute to decreasing food production and water availability. This study examines forest loss, precipitationand ambient temperature patterns in the forest fringe communities in the Offin river basin over the past four and a half decades and assesses current impacts and trends on rural livelihoods and coping strategies by the communities. The forests provide the communities with fuel-wood, fish and game, medicinal plants, food sources, and recreation.Between 2000 and 2005 deforestation rate in the basin was 2%. Mean annual precipitation decreased by 22.2% between 1960 and 2000 in response to a 1.3oC rise in ambient temperature over the same period. Considerable changes in the frequency of rainfall and its unpredictability impacted negatively on the livelihood of the fringecommunities who are predominantly cocoa and subsistence crop farmers. The livelihood resources of the community are severely constrained leading to reduction in food security and economic losses. In response to deforestation and associated climatic changes, several coping strategies for sustenance of livelihoods have been adopted by the forest fringe communities.

Simulated Flood Frequency Response to Forest Cover Removal for an Upstream Watershed in Central Taiwan

The effect of forest harvesting on flooding is a controversial subject. Determining such effects is constrained by the ability to directly measure how forest harvesting affects stormflow responses to extreme events. Stormflow caused by extreme rainfall or snowmelt events must be subjected to a frequency analysis to adequately describe them. In this study, the modified Peatland Hydrologic Impact Model (PHIM) was used to simulate forested and clearcut conditions in an upland firstorder watershed in central Taiwan. The results of simulations using 47 yr of precipitation records indicated that the overall daily average and maximum discharges were affected by clearing of upland forests in such watersheds; however, only the daily average discharge was significantly increased. In addition, the annual water yield increased by 11.2%, a difference that was statistically significant. Frequency analysis using the log-Pearson type Ⅲ distribution showed that quantiles of discharge for events of a small recurrence interval of approximately 5 and 2 yr after removal of the forest cover appeared to significantly differ from that of the original forested conditions for the daily average and maximum discharges, respectively. Since the frequency analysis showed only small differences in quantiles for before and after forest removal for events with a large recurrence interval, the effects of forest cover on large floods in central Taiwan are considered negligible.

The Influence of Tropical Deforestation on the Northern Hemisphere Climate by Atmospheric Teleconnections

AbstractNumerous studies have identified the regional-scale climate response to tropical deforestation through changes to water, energy, and momentum fluxes between the land surface and the atmosphere. There has been little research, however, on the role of tropical deforestation on the global climate. Previous studies have focused on the climate response in the extratropics with little analysis of the mechanisms responsible for propagating the signal out of the tropics. A climate modeling study is presented of the physical processes that are important in transmitting a deforestation signal out of the tropics to the Northern Hemisphere extratropics in boreal winter. Using the Community Climate System Model, version 3 Integrated Biosphere Simulator (CCM3–IBIS) climate model and by imposing an exaggerated land surface forcing of complete tropical forest removal, the thermodynamic and dynamical atmospheric response is evaluated regionally within the tropics, globally as the climate signal propagates to the Northern Hemisphere, and then regionally in Eurasia where land–atmosphere feedbacks contribute to amplifying the climate signal and warming the surface and lower troposphere by 1–4 K. Model results indicate that removal of the tropical forests causes weakening of deep tropical convection that excites a Rossby wave train emanating northeastward away from the South American continent. Changes in European storm-track activity cause an intensification and northward shift in the Ferrel cell that leads to anomalous adiabatic warming over a broad region of Eurasia. Regional-scale land–atmosphere feedbacks are found to amplify the warming. While hypothetical, this approach illustrates the atmospheric mechanisms linking the tropics with Eurasia that may otherwise not be detectable with more realistic land-use change simulations.

Survival, growth and reproduction by big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in open clearing vs. forested conditions in Brazil

Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) trees are often retained in agricultural fields and pastures for seed and timber production after selective logging and forest clearing in the Brazilian Amazon. At a forest management site in southeast Para, we censused trees growing scattered across a large open clearing after forest removal and in heavily disturbed forest after selective logging and canopy thinning for survival, stem diameter growth, fruit production, and date of dry season flowering initiation annually during 1997–2003. Trees in the open clearing died at faster rates, grew more slowly, produced fewer fruit, and initiated flowering earlier, on average, than trees in logged and thinned forest during this period. The principal cause of mortality and stem damage in both environments was dry season groundfires. Mahogany trees in logged and thinned forest at the study site grew faster than mahogany trees at a selectively logged but otherwise undisturbed closed-canopy forest site in this region during the same period. This was likely due to vine elimination by groundfires, increased crown exposure after canopy thinning, and soil nutrient inputs due to groundfires. Without effective regulation and control of anthropogenic fires, attempts to manage remnant mahogany trees for future timber yields or to restore commercially viable populations in this region may prove futile.

Input of litter in deforested and forested areas of a tropical headstream

Riparian vegetation is the main source of leaves and the main energy source for low order streams. Therefore, changes in its composition affect the structure and processes in streams. We studied the contribution of the riparian vegetation by analysing the annual input of litter in deforested and forested areas of a tropical stream. The lateral, vertical (aerial) and horizontal (drift) litter inputs were analysed separately. The lateral input differed significantly between the two areas and included mostly fallen dry leaves. The vertical input, represented mainly by fallen dry leaves, occurred only in the forested area. The drift transport of litter was not significantly different between the deforested and forested areas and the input was composed mostly by CPOM. The removal of the native forest was clearly reflected in the low contribution of leaf litter in the deforested area.

Removal Rates of Native and Exotic Dung by Dung Beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in a Fragmented Tropical Rain Forest

Many studies have evaluated the effect of forest fragmentation on dung beetle assemblage structure. However, few have analyzed how forest fragmentation affects the processes carried out by these insects in tropical forests where their food sources consist mainly of dung produced by native herbivore mammals. With the conversion of forests to pastures, cattle dung has become an exotic alternative and abundant food for dung beetles. This study compares dung removal rates of native (monkey) and exotic (cow) dung in different-sized fragments of tropical rain forests, during the dry and rainy seasons at the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve. Dung removal rates were affected by season, dung type, and the interaction between resource type and season. During the dry season, the removal rates of monkey dung were somewhat similar than during the rainy season, whereas the removal rates of cow dung were much higher during the rainy season. Dung beetle biomass and species richness were almost three times greater in monkey dung than in cow dung. Monkey dung attracted species belonging to the dweller, roller, and tunneler guilds; cow dung attracted mostly tunnelers. Therefore, the use of exotic dung may result in a biased misconception of the rates of dung removal in tropical forest and an underestimation of dung beetle diversity. This study highlights the importance of working with natural tropical forest resources when attempting to identify realistic tendencies concerning processes in natural habitats and those modified by fragmentation and by other human activities.

Consequences of habitat disturbance and recovery to recruitment and the abundance of kelp forest fishes

The complete or partial removal of kelp forests due to disturbance can alter species composition and cause large reductions in the abundance of fishes in temperate zones. The effects of a gradient in disturbance that results in the thinning of kelp, however, have not been explored. We conducted manipulations corresponding to 0%, 33%, 66%, and 100% removal of Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Ag at three sites along Santa Catalina Island, California. Surveys of fishes conducted 1–3 months after the removal of M. pyrifera revealed differences in recruitment for Brachyistius frenatus (Gill). Additionally, a trend was seen for Oxyjulis californica (Günther) showing an increase in recruit fish densities in treatments with higher amounts of M. pyrifera. For older life stages, there also were differences among treatments in the numerical densities of Chromis punctipinnis (Cooper) , Paralabrax clathratus (Girard), and B. frenatus and in the biomass densities of P. clathratus and B. frenatus. Algae surveys conducted annually in the 2 years following disturbance showed the stipe densities of M. pyrifera among all treatments were at least as high as at the initiation of the experiment, indicating that treatments of M. pyrifera removal had recovered quickly to pre-disturbance levels. With one exception, there were no differences in recruitment or in the numerical or biomass densities of older juvenile and adult fishes among treatments in either of the two years following the initial disturbance. M. pyrifera in mature vs. recovering forests differs in its distribution and morphology, which might influence recruitment of kelp-associated fishes. To investigate these differences we conducted an experiment manipulating the distribution of adult and juvenile fronds of M. pyrifera. Recruitment of fishes was significantly higher on adult M. pyrifera and bundled fronds of juvenile M. pyrifera than on a dispersed distribution of juvenile M. pyrifera, indicating that the distribution of fronds primarily influences recruitment of kelp-associated fishes. Our results indicate that a gradient in disturbance and variation in the density of fronds of M. pyrifera influences recruitment and the distribution of older life stages of fishes, revealing some patterns at intermediate levels of removal that would not be observed by the simple presence or absence of this habitat. Although recovery of M. pyrifera to pre-manipulation levels was achieved over a relatively short period time in this study, variation in recruitment and the abundance of kelp forest fishes as a result of disturbance will depend on the intensity of the disturbance, the conditions that promote or delay habitat recovery, and the life history characteristics of individual species.

Mapping land degradation in the Gilbués region, northeastern Brazil, using Landsat TM images

Several areas of land degradation are present in the northeastern part of Brazil, resulting primarily from old practices of vegetation clearing and burning for subsistence farming and grazing. However, no reliable information is currently available on the extent of these areas and whether they are expanding over time. Taking the Gilbués region as an example, this study shows the potential for obtaining this information using multitemporal dual-season Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. We used digital image processing, which involved the enhancement of soil-fraction images by segmentation/region classification and Normalized Difference Index (NDI) techniques. The results show highly degraded soils covering an almost continuous area of approximately 600 km2. The data also show that, over the past two decades, land degradation has been concentrated mainly along and in the heads of drainage systems, a pattern that indicates removal of riparian forests, thereby compounding the serious problem of sediment loading in the streams in the area. We show that satellite remotely sensed data can provide valuable information in support of environmental policies for northeast Brazil.

Climatic Impact of Global-Scale Deforestation: Radiative versus Nonradiative Processes

Abstract A fully coupled land–ocean–atmosphere GCM is used to explore the biogeophysical impact of large-scale deforestation on surface climate. By analyzing the model sensitivity to global-scale replacement of forests by grassland, it is shown that the surface albedo increase owing to deforestation has a cooling effect of −1.36 K globally. On the other hand, forest removal decreases evapotranspiration efficiency and decreases surface roughness, both leading to a global surface warming of 0.24 and 0.29 K, respectively. The net biogeophysical impact of deforestation results from the competition between these effects. Globally, the albedo effect is dominant because of its wider-scale impact, and the net biogeophysical impact of deforestation is thus a cooling of −1 K. Over land, the balance between the different processes varies with latitude. In temperate and boreal zones of the Northern Hemisphere the albedo effect is stronger and deforestation thus induces a cooling. Conversely, in the tropics the net impact of deforestation is a warming, because evapotranspiration efficiency and surface roughness provide the dominant influence. The authors also explore the importance of the ocean coupling in shaping the climate response to deforestation. First, the temperature over ocean responds to the land cover perturbation. Second, even the temperature change over land is greatly affected by the ocean coupling. By assuming fixed oceanic conditions, the net effect of deforestation, averaged over all land areas, is a warming, whereas taking into account the coupling with the ocean leads, on the contrary, to a net land cooling. Furthermore, it is shown that the main parameter involved in the coupling with the ocean is surface albedo. Indeed, a change in albedo modifies temperature and humidity in the whole troposphere, thus enabling the initially land-confined perturbation to be transferred to the ocean. Finally, the radiative forcing framework is discussed in the context of land cover change impact on climate. The experiments herein illustrate that deforestation triggers two opposite types of forcing mechanisms—radiative forcing (owing to surface albedo change) and nonradiative forcing (owing to change in evapotranspiration efficiency and surface roughness)—that exhibit a similar magnitude globally. However, when applying the radiative forcing concept, nonradiative processes are ignored, which may lead to a misrepresentation of land cover change impact on climate.