Clear-Cutting Forests in the Cordillera Region
What: Clear-cutting is the removal of all trees in a forest area.
Where: Cordillera Region: BC: Delta, Gambier Island, areas near the coast, Abbotsford and Yukon
When: Happening since to mid 1800s; still happening today
Why: To create wood, buildings, lumber, furniture, paper, pencil; Burning for fossil fuels; Create space for cities, farmland, agriculture; First Nations used trees to make medicine, canoes and homes
Who: People - decrease in oxygen, recreation spaces; Animals - loss of habitat, might start to go into cities; Government - makes decisions and laws on clear-cutting
“In 2004, the B.C. Liberals enacted legislation that has effectively turned all of our unprotected forests into timber farms that a few large corporations are rapidly clearcutting.”
Source: http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-join-the-fight-to-save-b-c-s-public-forests-1.1070231#sthash.AAHvhblm.dpuf
Where: Cordillera Region: BC: Delta, Gambier Island, areas near the coast, Abbotsford and Yukon
When: Happening since to mid 1800s; still happening today
Why: To create wood, buildings, lumber, furniture, paper, pencil; Burning for fossil fuels; Create space for cities, farmland, agriculture; First Nations used trees to make medicine, canoes and homes
Who: People - decrease in oxygen, recreation spaces; Animals - loss of habitat, might start to go into cities; Government - makes decisions and laws on clear-cutting
“In 2004, the B.C. Liberals enacted legislation that has effectively turned all of our unprotected forests into timber farms that a few large corporations are rapidly clearcutting.”
Source: http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-join-the-fight-to-save-b-c-s-public-forests-1.1070231#sthash.AAHvhblm.dpuf
Pros:
- Forestry Industry provides jobs (people move to that region and spend money) - Lets people build things with wood - Provides money to the government and industries - Some animals can adapt to changes in habitat - Trees can regrow (planted or naturally) in cut down areas - Creates more space for homes, cities, businesses, parks - Creates valuable resources for the region - Removes dry and dead trees; which lowers the risk of forest fires - Not all animals live in forests, so their habitat is not affected - Cleared areas can provide farmland; provides food for citizens - Erosion in land can reduce chance of floods - Clear-cutting is the most reasonable and economical way to harvest trees - People are now making protect areas to help prevent clear-cutting |
Cons:
- Forces animals out of their habitat; may move closer to the city - Destroys the world slowly by decreasing oxygen; leads to increases in Greenhouse gases - Increases stream flow and flooding - Animals, insects and fungi lose food sources (herbivores & omnivores) - Can lead to increased soil erosion - Stopping forestry will cause people to lose jobs and income - Changes in landscape in the cordillera could lead to less tourism - Kills plant and tree habitat - Clear-cutting near the coast could lead to changes in the water ecosystem - Takes decades to regrow a clear-cut area - Regrown areas have the same type of trees that are the same age |