in the trenches/forests

 

1. In Twelve Hundred Words Or Less...

 

Eight thousand years ago, forests covered almost 40% of the earth's land surface. From the lush rainforests of Central Africa to the great boreal forests of Siberia to the majestic cedars of Lebanon, forests in all their varieties were the dominant ecosystem on this planet. Since then, a growing human population has spread over all the continents, and forests now cover less than 17% of the earth's land surface. A great deal of forest destruction has taken place in the last fifty years, and the rate of loss continues to accelerate today. The loss of forests--to pastures, croplands, and towns--is currently occurring most rapidly in Amazonia and Southeast Asia. In other regions--much of Europe, the United States, and Canada--the amount of wooded land is no longer decreasing, but natural, multi-species forests are being replaced by less healthy and less diverse managed forests.

Globally, there are 21.1 million square kilometers of temperate forest and 12.2 million square kilometers of tropical forest. The terms "tropical forest" and "rainforest" are not synonymous, though rainforests constitute about 90% of all tropical forests. Rainforests provide many of the largest remaining intact tracts of primary (or old-growth) forest left in the world, including the Amazon basin, where 85% of the primary forest remains intact. Other forest types in the tropics account for far smaller areas (tropical dry forests at 6.5% and mangrove forests at 1.5%). They too are threatened by such forces as demand for firewood and uncontrolled coastal development.

Forest issues in the temperate regions focus more on quality rather than quantity. Old-growth or primary forest has largely disappeared from the temperate regions: the Pacific Northwest of the United States, for example, retains less than 5% of its old-growth forest. Replacing the primary forest in this and other temperate zones are heavily logged secondary forests or managed plantations. These forests are typically composed of young, even-aged stands of one or two species of trees, rather than the complex range of age, size, and species differences found in primary forests. Some forests, notably in Central Europe and parts of the eastern U.S., are heavily stressed by air pollution. As a result, many of these forests are more prone to disease and insect infestations, and are able to support only limited animal and plant diversity.

 

THREATENED FRONTIER FORESTS OF THE WORLD

This information courtesy of the World Resources Institute

 

Changes in the global forest mosaic are the work of human beings, driven primarily by two human appetites - the desire for more wood and wood products, and the desire for more land for farming, grazing, and inhabiting. In the temperate zones, demand for wood products--timber, paper, pulp, and others--is currently the greater factor, though historically it has been demand for cleared land that has had the most impact. In the tropics, the roles are reversed. Domestic and international demand for wood products is certainly significant, as is the rapidly growing demand for firewood, which still accounts for a surprising 50% of the global timber harvest. Even this pressure, though, is secondary in tropical countries to the conversion of forest lands to pasture and agriculture. Rapidly growing populations, unequal land distribution, and great demand in international markets for livestock and agricultural products are the major impetuses. Whether it is for cross-beams or packing crates, printer paper or telephone books, firewood or fodder, forests and the lands they occupy are in great demand.

What is the significance of this global loss and degradation of forests? Conservationists have long held that undisturbed forests are most valuable, providing sanctuary for millions of species and pristine areas for humans seeking a connection to the natural world. Arguments on behalf of natural forests as sanctuaries of biodiversity -- defined as the multiplicity of living creatures and their habitats -- have taken on a particular urgency in recent years. Most terrestrial species are forest species, biologists have discovered, and their existence is gravely threatened by forest disturbances. The loss of biodiversity concerns many scientists, not least those who recall that wild plants have provided the source of more than half of the medicines now used by humans.

In addition, a growing body of evidence is emerging regarding the services and functions of forests. Scientists now understand that forests provide critical ecological services with direct human benefits, including watershed protection, soil conservation, and regulation of local climate and rainfall patterns. Forests also act as carbon sinks, moderating the carbon dioxide releases that contribute to global warming. Forests support recreational uses and attract tourism; one study estimates that by the year 2000 forest-based recreation will pump 100 billion dollars into the U.S. economy, compared with 3.5 billion dollars from timber sales. Finally, forests provide a home and means of livelihood for many human communities, some of which have existed in the same forest homes for thousands of years.

Given the desire of most countries, and most people, to use forest resources to their short-term economic advantage, the old models which have driven forest management-- industrial forestry aimed at supplying timber and pulp products, forest clearing to make way for cattle pasture and farmland, forest destruction for the benefit of new housing developments--will continue in most places for the foreseeable future. But, as primary forest areas decrease, the scale and speed of these activities will become less and less tenable, and forest managers used to "mining" forests which often take centuries to regenerate will find their options narrowed. They will also face competition from environmentalists and others intent on preserving remaining natural forests. Of the 33 million square kilometers of forest globally, a little over 2 million square kilometers--6 percent--are now included in protected areas, and there will be pressure to increase this share. But in the main, debates over forests will increasingly move from issues of preservation to issues of management and cost-benefit analysis.

Finding the right answers for forest management will be difficult. Differences in societal preferences, in levels of economic development, and in the ecological characteristics of forests themselves argue for a variety of management practices and policies. One promising concept is "social forestry", or the idea that forests can be returned to the control of the local communities which have always depended on them and which have a vested interest in their long-term health. Another is the development of wood alternatives, particularly fibers such as kenaf and hemp, and the push to get the public and industry to reduce and improve their efficiency of wood use. Even plantation forestry, literal tree-farming of rapid growth, monocultural tree crops, may provide answers through its ability to reduce pressure on natural forests.

Finally, certified sustainable forestry, the idea that, with proper management, trees can be harvested without destroying the basic structure of the forest, is gaining many adherents worldwide (to find out more about sustainable forestry, please see the in-depth treatment in the Hot Spots and On The Other Hand sections of this site). No single answer will work for all the world's forests, but applications of these and other ideas provide hope that forests will face a kinder fate as we enter the next century.

 

More on Forests:
Table of Contents | Twelve Hundred Words or Less... | Web Resources
Activist Groups | Voices | New in the Literature
Hotspots | On the Other Hand... | Funders