Name two man-made causes of deforestation and two natural causes of deforestation.

Two major man-made causes of deforestation are agricultural expansion and commercial logging. Agricultural expansion drives massive forest clearing globally as growing populations require more food—forests are converted to cropland for commodities like soybeans, palm oil, and coffee, or cleared for cattle ranching, particularly in tropical regions like the Amazon and Southeast Asia. Commercial logging involves cutting trees for timber, paper, and wood products; while selective logging can be sustainable, illegal logging and clear-cutting operations devastate vast forest areas. These human activities account for the overwhelming majority of modern deforestation, driven by economic incentives, poverty, population pressure, and consumption patterns.

Two natural causes of deforestation are forest fires and severe weather events. Forest fires, whether triggered by lightning strikes during dry seasons or occurring naturally in fire-adapted ecosystems, can destroy large forest areas—though many modern fires have human origins (intentional clearing or accidental ignition). Severe weather events including hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes, and intense storms can knock down extensive forest areas through high winds and flooding, while prolonged droughts weaken trees and make forests vulnerable to pest infestations and disease that kill large numbers of trees. However, it's crucial to recognize that natural forest disturbances historically occurred at rates that allowed ecosystems to recover naturally, whereas current deforestation rates driven overwhelmingly by human activities far exceed forests' natural regeneration capacity, resulting in permanent forest loss rather than cyclical renewal.