Depletion of Forest Resources

INTRODUCTION

Eco systems around the world help support the lives of millions of species. Eco systems that are primarily forests provide a home for the vast majority of living species. Therefore, the trees of these forests are considered the most important species. Although it is true, that most species are not able to sustain each other.

There are many benefits we get from our forests. Some of these include cleaner drinking water, a home for plants and animals, economic growth, clean air, recreational opportunities, a reassuring future. Another benefit we get from trees is called oxygen. If there were no trees to give us oxygen to breathe, we could not live. So if you need a good reason why a forest should exist, staying alive is a very good reason.

CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM

Forests have many resources that people can use to raise their standard of living. An example is wood for house construction. Certain wood materials last a long time, keep the house warm and make housing easier. Unfortunately, the world is overpopulated and the demand for a higher standard of living is constantly increasing. Therefore, the demand for more resources is growing at levels that cannot be sustained. Since forests provide a large part of the world’s resources, many forests are cut down or burned.

The cause of forest clearing is directly associated with the high demand for wood to make paper products and sawn wood for other manufacturing. We practically use wood for everything. It is used in home construction, marine products, furniture, and the list seems endless. Just look around you right now and chances are you will find a product within your reach that is made of wood. Wood is not only a good building material, but also has great aesthetic qualities. Most people appreciate a nice wooden dining table or classic wooden rails on a staircase. Unfortunately, we don’t always take into account how many trees we have to cut down in order to have these luxuries in our lives.

Another major direct cause of forest depletion is simply the burning of forests for farmland. This is more common in countries that are not developed and have tropical rain forests. Many poor farmers in these countries burn or cut down small portions of tropical forests to make room for agriculture and livestock. But the large-scale problem is created when large corporate farms burn thousands of square acres a year. They need so much space to be able to provide agriculture on a much larger scale to compete in the global food market. The reason forests are burned for farmland is due to the rich mineral fertility of the soil.

Unfortunately, even large-scale farmers in underdeveloped countries are not informed on how they can maximize their results by reusing soil. Thus, the soil is depleted and left as a desert while farmers burn down more forest to make another farm. The Amazon rainforest, which is the largest in the world, has been a victim of such deforestation. This forest is located in South America, where countries are going through difficult financial times. The Brazilian market is a third of all Latin countries included. However, “Brazil’s foreign debt, except in the most unlikely positive economic circumstances, is simply unsustainable for years to come” (CRF.org 2002). The economic pressure on a country is another great cause that will force a country to deforestation, as is the case of Brazil. The Basic Sciences and Remote Sensing Initiative (BSRSI) shows data that between 1978 and 1988, 230,000 square miles, nearly the size of Texas, were affected by deforestation (bsrsi.msu.edu). That’s 16.5% of the entire Amazon rainforest.

The following example shows the cause of deforestation for agriculture. According to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), “Between 1990 and 2001, the percentage of Europe’s processed meat imports that came from Brazil increased from 40 to 74 percent” and in 2003 “For the first time in history , the growth of Brazilian cattle production, 80 percent of which was in the Amazon, was largely export-driven.” As more roads are built to provide access to forests in underdeveloped countries, deforestation becomes more apparent.

SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

As mentioned above, we get a large part of our oxygen from vegetation, such as trees. Since most trees live in forests, it is important to realize the negative impact deforestation can have on our air quality. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas that has an impact on the greenhouse effect. There is a cycle between CO2 producers, like cars, and CO2 consumers, like plants. Together they create the “Global Carbon Cycle”. Tropical forest plants and soil contain between 460 and 575 billion metric tons of carbon worldwide (McKane et al. 1995). From 1850 to 1990, deforestation worldwide released 122 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere, with a current rate of 1.6 billion metric tons per year (Skole et al. 1998). By comparison, all the fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) burned in one year release about 6 billion tons per year. Therefore, deforestation, even compared to the rest of the pollution, plays an important role in global warming and clean air.

Another scope of the problem of deforestation is the decrease in biodiversity. Biodiversity is important for the sustainability of ecosystems, agriculture, medicine, recreation, aesthetics, and commercial value. There are about 5 to 80 million species living on this earth (Lawton and May 1995). Tropical rainforests cover about 7% of the world, but are home to more than half of the world’s living species. After a forest is cut down, many species cannot live without it and may become extinct. Since we depend on these species for many resources, their spread will rob us of their benefits. Maybe we could destroy the next cure for AIDS by deforestation and not know it.

FUTURE

The negative impacts of deforestation are being noted internationally. Many countries are taking steps to reduce the problem of a more sustainable land. Unfortunately, deforestation still generates financial gains and great competition, and for some it is the only way of survival. Many people are not educated about the long-term results their actions can cause. For these reasons, deforestation remains a reality around the world in many countries.

With greater international participation, countries will take effective steps to bring deforestation to sustainable levels. But there is still much work to be done. For some forests it is still not too late to recover them faster. Other forests that have been cut down can take centuries to return to their original state. In areas where pesticides were used, the echo system may have been damaged and may take a long time to grow back. Many forests were replaced by large banana plantations. These plantations use pesticides that kill many species that are vital for an eco system to be maintained. Erosion caused by deforestation may bring more water pollution in the future and may affect agriculture in the area. Other reasons for deforestation are simply to provide space for paved roads, residential and commercial development caused by urban sprawl. These types of developments permanently destroy forests. Deforestation is a serious threat to the future of life on our planet. It has major effects on our global climate. It leads to the loss of millions of species that are important in keeping an earth alive.

SOLUTIONS

As we discuss the causes of deforestation, we realize that these causes are very different. Because the causes are often controlled by a country’s economy, overpopulation, and many other social reasons, it is impossible to find a solution to deforestation. Although there are many solutions, it will take time and the cooperation of many different groups of people and organizations to make the solutions work.

A popular solution that has been in place for a few decades is forest conservation. We can work internationally, regionally and locally with organizations to develop policies and influence industries to help ensure a sustainable future for forests. Conservation helps protect, manage and restore the world’s most important forests by identifying threats and developing solutions to them.

Reduce the amount of products that are made as a result of deforestation. For example, using materials other than wood to build houses, furniture, and other common products made of wood. It encourages recyclable materials so that people don’t go back to using wood. Switching from wood to other materials will decrease the demand/supply of wood.

Implement more efficient farming methods to encourage land reuse.

Educate people around the world about the negative impacts of deforestation and what can be done to prevent it. The aid funds more educational programs. Help countries make the right economic decisions.

Sign international treaties and make laws/regulations to control annual deforestation.

Import meat and dairy products from markets that do not cause deforestation.

The solution that I think will be very effective is the second one. As for cutting down trees, this is a very viable solution. We have too many products that are made of wood nowadays. As economies around the world grow, the middle class will also grow. This middle class will demand more and more products that are made of wood. The American middle class is obsessed with wood products and we don’t even realize it. A large part of our houses are built with wood, as is our furniture. Most cabinets only require so much wood. If we like wood products, the rest of the world will like it too.

The solution is to take most wood products and find alternative materials to them. This, of course, is not as easy as it seems, but it is very doable. Once it is done, it will extremely decrease the demand for wood and thus reduce deforestation. With such high technological advances, we can travel in space and replace hearts. Therefore, it is possible to make materials that are safe for the environment and replace wood. Maybe even make materials that share most of the properties that wood has. We can even invent materials that mimic wood like the “knotwood” in our cars today. This “knotwood” in most cars is no longer wood, it’s a kind of plastic and pattern to mimic the look of wood. Speaking of the auto industry, I can’t believe how advanced our cars have become. These are the cars we drive every day. However, we live in new houses that were built using an old-fashioned method of wood and nails. I think that’s ridiculous. Perhaps the solution to replace wood with alternative materials will also lead to more efficient assembly methods and a safer environment. And most importantly, the first solution is to change our attitude to help prevent deforestation.

Tea Depletion of Forest Resources is a big problem with challenging solutions, let’s work as a team around the world to help solve these problems.