Research Paper about Logging

đź“ŚCategory: Environment, Plants
đź“ŚWords: 645
đź“ŚPages: 3
đź“ŚPublished: 07 February 2022

Exploitation of forests for resources is not something new. In fact, Early settlements used forests as a major source of food, heat as well as a shelter from predators and other tribes. But following the domestication of some plants and animals in the middle east almost 10000 years ago, the so-called “Agricultural revolution” emanated and the need of flat land for cultivation surged (Braidwood,1960). This demand for land and timber became the excuse for humans to wipe areas of forests causing an ecological imbalance (Sukumar et al,1992). This paper will shed lights on logging, being one of the most damaging human practices in forests, in addition to its consequences on nature and the survival of humankind.

Early settlers in Russia and North America used to clear portions of forests for cultivation and building houses (Raphael zon,1920), but following the industrial revolution in the 18th century the demand for timber used in production increased dramatically (Allen,2009). Consequently, nothing has changed to this date as timber and non-timber resources are essential for our everyday lives, from production to food, medicine and a source of income for some nations. For example, Dearden and Mitchell (2021) mentioned that “The forestry industry is the largest single contributor to Canada’s balance of trade, with exports totaling over $35.7 billion in 2017”. However, forests are not unlimited in fact it is estimated that forests cover just over 30% of land on earth which is decreasing globally. For instance, “the FAO (2018) reports a decrease in global forest area from 31.6% in 1990 to 30.6% in 2015” (Dearden et al,2021). These alarming numbers are a result of the continuous logging all over the world.

Urbanization and agricultural expansion are the main motive of logging in Zambia which consequently is the major driver of deforestation in this country. Zambia is ranked one of the countries with the highest rates of deforestation in the world (Vinya et al,2011), This is since the country depends on burning wood for energy and charcoal production, it is estimated that the reliance on wood fuel in Africa is 63% the highest compared to other continents (Dearden et al,2021). Moreover, Brazil is also experiencing high levels of deforestation due to logging and forest fires. According to global forest watch “from 2002 to 2020, Brazil lost 26.2Mha of humid primary forest … the total area of humid primary forest in Brazil decreased by 7.7% in this time period.”,

Forestry industry is crucial for many countries, in addition to supplying the nation with much needed income, it’s considered a vital source of employment in various domains from logging to transportation, woodcrafts, paper industry and more. In fact, it’s a crucial part of the prosperity of a country’s economy. For example, the Canadian timber forest industry is huge that “employment in 2019 totaled 209,940, including those working in forestry and logging ...”. In addition to that, due to the global demand forest products are an easy path to the world’s market. Countries like The United States, China, South Korea are the greatest importers of such products.

Although, logging is essential for economy, it imposes a great risk on the environment and the safety of the people. Lawrence and Vandecar (2015) used satellite observation to understand the outcomes of deforestation on the tropical rainforests, they noted that “completely deforesting the tropics could result in global warming equivalent to that caused by burning of fossil fuels since 1850”. Trees play an essential role in capturing carbon dioxide, “more than 186 billion tons of carbon are stored in the Boreal’s trees which is equivalent to 913 years’ worth of greenhouse emissions in Canada.” (Dearden et al,2021). Despite the continuous decrease of the planets green shield, there’s global initiatives to combat this problem by reducing carbon emissions, reforestation, and replacing wood energy by more sustainable alternatives, most of these regulations are international agreements adopted by the UN (Dearden et al.2021).

In conclusion, Forests are vital for the survival of all living organisms. Managing this necessary resource poorly will lead to many problems which some are irreversible. Therefore, the world needs a real collaboration in order to limit the damages as much as possible. Since based on the current state of the things, the future doesn’t look that promising.

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