What is Deforestation

What is deforestation and what are the issues surrounding it?

Deforestation is the clearing of trees

The term deforestation is used to describe the process of removing the trees in forests and woodland and converting the land to other use.

Since ancient times, man has been adapting the environment to meet the growing needs of civilizations. From the cutting down of the first trees for fire, through to the clearing of woodlands to settlers to build their homesteads, trees have long been at the mercy of man. In many parts of the world huge areas of woodlands and forests have been cleared over the centuries to both provide wood for essential purposes such as fuel, ships and building, and also to free the land for other use.

Over recent years, however, we have become more aware of the wider issues of deforestation and the harm that it causes our planet. Just because this is something we have been doing for centuries does not mean that it is right, or that we have the right to continue. Likewise, we cannot judge history by contemporary standards, and while we now know the issues of deforestation we cannot condemn the practice in the past. The historic clearing of forests was to allow civilizations to grow and flourish, while many of the forests cleared today are for economic reasons only. We now know that 80 percent of the world´s ancient forests have been destroyed.

This situation has changed however, and issues surrounding deforestation are known and recognized. Back in the 1980´s the issues of preserving the rain forests of South America started to become high profile and artists such as Sting helped raise awareness. Despite this, in the past 30 years aggressive deforestation has continued -- and much of it has been illegal.

What is deforestation? The green definition of deforestation is the destruction of a forest and changing the use of the land.

Many people are concerned about the fact that there is no official or common definition of deforestation. For instance, should it also be used to describe forests where the nature of the trees have changed, such as replacing slow growing indigenous trees with fast growing woods, meaning that the precious eco-system of the forest is destroyed?

There are two key issues that surround deforestation. Trees absorb CO2, helping to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon is one of the key causes of global warming and reducing these gases will help to slow and stop the greenhouse effect.

The other issue is that trees are often cleared and burned. This is referred to as slash and burn and means that the wood from the trees is simply destroyed and not put to any positive use. The burning of the wood releases carbon into the atmosphere, giving the double whammy of releasing harmful greenhouse gases, yet reducing the number of trees that would have helped to remove this from the atmosphere.

The Internet contains a wealth of information about deforestation. It is possible to learn more about the issues in individual countries, understand the global effect or to read more about campaigning groups. Some interesting websites are:

• Greenpeace.org.uk – Information about deforestation.
• AmazonTeam.org – Information about a conservation team working in the Amazon.
• WildernessProject.org – Information about the campaign to educate about the issues of deforestation.
• unep.org – United Nations Environmental Programm website with useful information.

There are many steps that we, as individuals, can take to help stop deforestation. Joining one of the many campaign groups is a positive step that can be taken, however there are other practical things that we can do. Ensuring that all paper is recycled and that paper purchased is recycled means that the demand for virgin material is reduced. Recycling woods is also important. Many wonderful items can be made from recycled floorboards or other building materials and carpenters often welcome working with recycled wood as it is full of character and every piece has a story to tell.

Deforestation remains as one of the key issues facing the planet today, and by learning more about it and the issues we can help educate and determine both our own future and the future of the planet.

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