de ‧ for ‧ es ‧ ta ‧ tion /diːˌfɒrəˈsteɪʃ ə n, diːˌfɒrɪˈsteɪʃ ə n $ -ˌfɔː-,-ˌfɑː-/ BrE AmE 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]