Excellent question~!

Let me explain by telling you that some plants give back nutrients and gases back to soil through their roots. Peanut plants, for example, are deliberately grown in used up soil to replenish the soil with nitrogen so that subsequent plants after peanut harvest can grow bountiful. Having said that, scientists would know how damaging the clearing of tropical rain forest can be to the soil. Furthermore, without plants that hold the soil with their vast array of roots that intertwine underground, soil would simply wash away in landslide when there are torrential rain falls, negatively affecting the quality and stability of the soil. 

However, clearing of tropical forest does not necessarily affect the ozone layer. Ozone layer is damaged by the chemicals that are emitted from automobiles and Freon gas used in refrigeration. 

This question was designed to find out whether a student can differentiate the chemical pollution issue with environmental destruction issue. 

I hope this clarifies. ^^