Depends on the soil. Rain forest soil is not very fertile, and the vegetation is quick to recycle - most nutrients are in the very top layer and in the plants a

Depends on the soil. Rain forest soil is not very fertile, and the vegetation is quick to recycle - most nutrients are in the very top layer and in the plants at all times. Thus if you take away the trees without letting them rot and release the nutrients you could run into problems very soon. In mid-latitudes, on the other hand, it's not as big a problem because the recycling is a lot slower and the reservoir is far greater.