but it only takes a few years (a presidential tenure...) of cutting three hundred year old legacy hardwood trees to make those controlling the operation very very rich.
Add to that the fact that tropical rainforest soils are fragile and rely on the cycling of plant matter to maintain themselves. After the logging and the burning and the conversion to grazing and/or cropping, it only takes a few more years (maybe ten if you're 'lucky') before those areas are no longer viable due to erosion/instability, leading to desertification. It really is suicidal.