clear-cutting

noun

clear-cut·​ting ˈklir-ˌkə-tiŋ 

: the removal of all the trees in an area of forest

Long considered a "trash tree" by the timber industry, the number of Pacific yews has been drastically reduced—perhaps halved—by clear-cutting, the logging practice that totally strips a targeted area.

—Rob Nicholson

… the clear-cutting of chestnut trees ahead of the spreading disease.

—Sandra L. Anagnostakis

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above