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Loading...There’s No Such Thing as Sustainable & Profitable Logging in Rainforests
Written by Mat McDermott
You can have one of the two, but not both: Either you can commercially cut down trees in a tropical rainforest that has minimal impact on the ecology of the forest, or you can cut down trees in a way that is profitable, at the expense of the forest. That’s the word from a new study in Bioscience.
Mongabay has its usually thorough account of why this is the case, but the gist of it is as follows.
We know that clear-cutting rainforests, either for logging or converting them to agricultural purposes is bad. But even so-called low impact logging actually has a significant impact on the ecology of a rainforest. Doing so generally leaves 20-50% of the forest canopy open, which increases the risk of fire (otherwise naturally very rare) and changes the composition of the forest in negative ways.
Truly sustainable logging of a rainforest can be done, the report argues, but it would radically reduce the profitability of the effort. Less than five trees per hectare could be cut, only once every 60 years or more, thereby leaving smaller gaps in the canopy. Young trees would have to be avoided entirely. New seedlings would have to be planted in place of those taken.
This post was originally published by TreeHugger.
Related Stories:
Amazon Loggers Caught in the Act
Dangerous Forestry Law Partially Vetoed By Brazil
Deforestation: Fast-Tracking Our Own Extinction
Read more: logging, lumber, rainforest, sustainable wood
Photo: Sam Beebe/flickr
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They can build rockets but can't figure out a balanced way to grow and cut down trees?? let me help you out...cut only the ones you planted! he hee
agreed. rainforests are self-sustaining. Remove rainforest generally very poor soil is left. So the slash and burn cycle will continue as long as rainforests are targeted as being good locations for plantations. That is something I learnt as a child, yet over 20 years later it continues and there hasn't been any real solution to helping countries rich in rainforests to financially make rainforest preservation financially viable, yet we need them.
Smh ppl have to damn knowledge and power to change the world. And they do not because they want money & have money. Man I want this generation & want to teach the older generations to care & learn & change this bull sh*t mess.
unfortunately those who profit don't care. who needs air tomorrow when they want money TODAY?
This is bad.. but we as individual people need to start making changes with our own actions too. Buy sustainable toilet paper, tissues etc. Recycle where you can and cut down your paper usage.
Ditto to Aludra N. Couldn't have said it better.
Blessings to all who love Mother Earth. Those that are destroying her will get theirs in the end--they will have destroyed everything so won't be able to make any more money off it! And I thought those running this country had an education - hahaha - yeah right!
We do need air, don`t we?............
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