Does the poor land mean the infertile land?

Question

Most of the land in rain forests is very poor.       What does the sentence mean?     Does it mean that the land is infertile?   Could you help me clarify it?  Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

deborahjeongMost of the land in rain forests is very poor. What does the sentence mean?

Why Is Rain Forest Soil So Poor?

One reason the rain forest soil is so poor is that most of the nutrients are stored in the plants themselves.

In any forest, dead organic matter falls to the ground, providing valuable nutrients for new growth. In cooler or drier climates, the nutrients build up in the soil.

But in a rain forest, with its abundance and variety of life, those nutrients are reabsorbed almost as fast as they’re deposited. Also, the trees in tropical rain forests are often evergreens and so very few leaves actually fall to the ground.

When a rain forest is burned to raise crops or cattle, most of the nutrients are destroyed along with the vegetation. Grass may grow for a year, but as the grass is turned into beef, the few remaining nutrients are depleted.

Does the poor land mean the infertile land?

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