Saying that they killed all the trees to help the moai get into place (or similar) is ridiculous.
In addition, the first reports from the 1720+ timeframe (first contact and there abouts) estimated the population at a few hundred iirc, no trees, toppled moai.
[This explains explains it from an academic standpoint.](https://www.amazon.com/Questioning-Collapse-Resilience-Ecolo...)
Saying that they killed all the trees to help the moai get into place (or similar) is ridiculous.
In addition, the first reports from the 1720+ timeframe (first contact and there abouts) estimated the population at a few hundred iirc, no trees, toppled moai.