Forests give us life
...d when only a single species of tree is reintroduced, that leaves nowhere for these animals to go. For instance; In the Southeast United States, hardwood forests used to grow extensively. However, since the 1970’s there has been a lot of logging and clear cutting, harvesting the hardwoods for their valuable and desirable wood, and replacing them with pine forests. This is not only negative due to the aforementioned soil degradation that has been witnessed, but also because that left no food sources and no residence for many species of animals that once lived in those forests. Not every species can survive off of pine forests. This rule can also be applied to mammals and planned forests all across the globe. Yet another problem seen with deforestation is that it affects global warming. Trees store carbon dioxide in their fibers; but when these trees are cut, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a major contributor to global warming, thus deforestation also speeds up this process. Bottom line: Deforestation and tree plantations lead to decreased biodiversity. Tree plantations do definitely have their place, and are a good solution for providing the wood from which our products that we use all the time(i.e., paper) are made, but they are not a panacea. They do not make up for the destruction of the natural environment. What can be done to stop this process? There are a number of things. First, we must reduce the rate at which our forests are being devoured, which means we must put a stop to the irresponsible logging. The illegal logging must be stopped altogether, and a leash needs to be put on even legal commercial logging. This means having to shift the focus for the demand placed on wood from natural forests to sustainable resources. Once these goals have been established, restoration and conservation must become our priority. There are many organizations (such as the Earth day network, and their project, Global Releaf) that individuals can get involved with, so that they can have some direction and assistance when it comes to starting a campaign; gathering groups of supporters; and actually getting down to doing the work. One of the best things that people can do is to plant trees. However, it is often best when planting trees to be involved in some sort of organization like that, because even well meaning people can damage the environment and delicate ecosystem by planting the wrong type of tree in the wrong place; potentially introducing all kinds of contaminants like disease or fungi into the habitat. Another thing that can be done is to raise awareness. Anyone can do that. All it takes is getting informed on the issue yourself, and then passing that information on to anyone who has an interest or is willing to listen. If enough people will voice their concern for our forests and the rate of deforestation, and get involved in conservation and restoration campaigns, then we can make a real impact on the logging industry. Indeed, it may be the only way to stop the destruction. There is power in numbers, and if enough people will get involved then they won’t be able to ignore us anymore. And more people will get involved, if only they are given the pertinent and alarming facts. Facts like this: Around 40% of the w...