defoliate
verb
[ diːˈfəʊlɪeɪt ]
• remove leaves from (a tree, plant, or area of land), for agricultural purposes or as a military tactic.
• "the area was defoliated and napalmed many times"
Origin:
late 18th century: from late Latin defoliat- ‘stripped of leaves’, from the verb defoliare, from de- (expressing removal) + folium ‘leaf’.
