What is it with clear cutting anyway? To leave barren land where everything needs to regrow from scratch. Is it too unprofitable to cut trees selectively, drag

What is it with clear cutting anyway? To leave barren land where everything needs to regrow from scratch. Is it too unprofitable to cut trees selectively, drag/lift those out, leaving the forest as a whole (+ ecosystems in it) mostly in place? Let nature decide which species fill the gaps. At least this would prevent loss of topsoil.