In between the World Wars, Australia started to create significant amount of paper pulp and kiln dried timber thanks to methods pioneered by the CSIRO. But the bulk of the timber came from pine plantations and removal of defective trees, or use of timber cleared for other purposes. 

In the 1970s the expanding supply of wood-chips to the Japanese pulp and paper industry led to a significant increase by clear-felling areas of tall and medium eucalypts in State forest that had previously been selectively cut over. Significant levels of protest started to occur.

John Williamson released "Rip, Rip Woodchip" in 1989, giving $1 from each sale to the Australian conservation Foundation. It won an ARIA award in 1990.

As I write this (13 November 2022) there is a major news report on VicForests overseeing loopholes in legislation to allow clear felling in State controlled old growth forests. The wolf is truly in charge of the hen house.

Trees are important for many reasons, and the older and bigger the tree, the more important it is to the ecosystem. They hold the soil together, so clear felling leads to erosion. They are the repository of large amounts of stored carbon -  less of an issue so long as they are converted into stored timber, but waste may be burnt and the CO2 goes into the atmosphere. Old trees are usually prime habitat for nesting birds and arboreal marsupials, and the sub forest under their canopy is diverse. Clear felling is a disaster for many species.
 
Although the Sahara is desert mainly because of its geological position, there is some evidence that the introduction of a grazing culture of goats and trees accelerated the decay.This also appeared to be a problem in the near East in the area now around Jordan. For further reading, follow the link below, then search the web further for the problems we cause by over stretching our environment.

Desertification in the Near East