What's a 'forest' and what does 'deforestation' mean?

Forest watch: A growing list of large companies have made pledges to ensure that their products are ‘deforestation-free’, but questions remain over how the effort can be monitored and measured. Photo: AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

By SARAH LAKE & ELIZABETH BAER

Dozens of companies including industry giants McDonald’s, Unilever, Cargill and Mars have committed to zero deforestation supply chains in the last five years, aiming to reduce their effect on forest landscapes. The potential impact is substantial: a handful of forest commodities – oil palm, beef, soy, and pulp and paper – account for more than 70% of all deforestation in tropical forests.