Clear-cutting of trees for agriculture, beginning in the Americas three centuries ago, modern harvesting in the U.S. and Canada for lumber and pulpwood, continuing today in Brazil for agriculture and mining, and in southeast Asia for palm oil plantations — all result in harmful environment degradation to the natural earth state.
Increasingly, large corporations have clear-cut old growth forests in North America for lumber and paper products (towels, tissue) through pulpwood. Such clear cutting practices are only now understood to be detrimental, though they are somewhat being corrected.
De-forestation in large scale has very serious environmental consequences. Trees store carbon by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, and through photosynthesis, generate wood and plant materials which are being harvested. Discarded wood product scrap, or biomass, sometimes is processed for fuel and electricity generation. When trees are felled and forests are clear-cut, the carbon dioxide captured while trees are living now increases the global warming affect.
Clear-cutting and even subsequent careful re-foresting using a single species such as conifers creates a monocultural environment which poses several problems:
- Soil Degradation and Erosion: Planting only the same species strips specific nutrients from the earth. This weakens soil structure and reduces organic matter, making the land prone to erosion.
- Pest and Disease Outbreaks: A uniform crop acts like an endless buffet for pests. Without natural predators or diverse plant neighbors to slow them down, diseases and insects can spread rapidly through the entire forest.
- Chemical Pollution: Because pests and nutrient-depleted soils threaten monocrops, crop managers may rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. These chemicals wash into rivers and streams, polluting water and creating aquatic “dead zones.”
- Climate Vulnerability: Monocultures lack the genetic diversity needed to adapt to extreme weather. Untended forests with a single species are quite prone to fire which can easily spread.
- Loss of Biodiversity: Many plant and animal species require the coverage of multi-species tree and plant life, and some animals require specific plant species such as bamboo (pandas) and eucalyptus leaves (koalas) for their survival. A diverse forest plant species environment benefits all creatures in nature’s food chain — useful bacteria, insects, pollinators, mammals and birds.
So what should we do? Maintaining a diverse “small forest” environment and managing it carefully in our own home yard and gardens is a start. Additionally, supporting local, state, national and world organizations and conservancies which directly engage in addressing healthful forest life requires our concerned attention.
David Neff, FHC Earth Care Leader