Phenomenal. Fascinating, erudite, entertaining and inspiring.
"To clear-cut the forest is to break the millennial rhythm of the events. Soil destruction is rapid and can be catastrophic. The alkaline ash of burned-over trunks masks these effects for a few years, since it amounts to an all-at-once shot of plant nutrients, but soon it produces accelerating deterioration. The alkali makes silt and clays disperse, shattering the soil's structure and forming a tight crust. Falling water runs off the surface, carrying away nutrients with it. Furthermore, the soil, exposed to the rays of the sun, quickly becomes hotter and digests the leftover organic matter, whose growth promoting nitrogen soon bleeds through the soil and disappears."