Tearing Down Trees

On my ride yesterday, I came around a curve, slowly, as I was climbing a hill, and realised there was more sun than usual on that heavily forested road. Very quickly I saw that it was because another winery was clear-cutting the area to the east which normally shielded the road from the sun.

This made me think of a few lines in the song "Peace on Earth" by U2.

Where I grew up there weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down
And use them on our enemies

Of course, in this situation they're not being used to literally beat enemies, but the idea is similar: destroying the environment for personal gain; for advancement over rivals.

I'm not a fanatical defender of the trees, I just wonder: at what price success?