Deforestation

Introduction
Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is
thereafter converted to a non-forest use.[1] Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland
to farms, ranches, or urban use.
The term deforestation can be misused when applied to describe a tree harvesting method in which
all trees in an area are removed (clear cutting). However in temperate climates, this method is in
conformance with sustainable forestry practices, and correctly described as regeneration harvest.[2][not
in citation given]
In temperate mesic climates, natural regeneration of forest stands often will not occur in the
absence of disturbance, whether natural or anthropogenic.[3] Furthermore, biodiversity after
regeneration harvest often mimics that found after natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss
after naturally occurring rainforest destruction.[4][5]
Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut down to be used or sold as fuel (sometimes in
the form of charcoal) or timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of
commodities and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in
damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration of
atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforestation has also been used in war to deprive the enemy of cover
for its forces and also vital resources. Modern examples of this were the use of Agent Orange by the
British military in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency and the United States military in Vietnam
during the Vietnam War. As of 2005, net deforestation rates have ceased to increased in countries
with a per capita GDP of at least US$4,600.[6][7] Deforested regions typically incur significant
adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade into wasteland.
Disregard of ascribed value, lax forest management and deficient environmental laws are some of
the factors that allow deforestation to occur on a large scale. In many countries, deforestation, both
naturally occurring and human induced, is an ongoing issue. Deforestation causes extinction,
changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of populations as observed by
current conditions and in the past through the fossil record. [4] More than half of all plant and land
animal species in the world live in tropical forests

Causes
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat,
the overwhelming direct cause of deforestation is agriculture. Subsistence farming is responsible for
48% of deforestation; commercial agriculture is responsible for 32% of deforestation; logging is
responsible for 14% of deforestation and fuel wood removals make up 5% of deforestation. [9]
Experts do not agree on whether industrial logging is an important contributor to global deforestation.
[10][11]
Some argue that poor people are more likely to clear forest because they have no alternatives,

others that the poor lack the ability to pay for the materials and labour needed to clear forest. [10] One
study found that population increases due to high fertility rates were a primary driver of tropical
deforestation in only 8% of cases.[12]
Other causes of contemporary deforestation may include corruption of government institutions,[13]
[14]
the inequitable distribution of wealth and power,[15]population growth[16] and overpopulation,[17]
[18]
and urbanization.[19] Globalization is often viewed as another root cause of deforestation,[20]
[21]
though there are cases in which the impacts of globalization (new ows of labor, capital,
commodities, and ideas) have promoted localized forest recovery
In 2000 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that "the role of
population dynamics in a local setting may vary from decisive to negligible," and that deforestation
can result from "a combination of population pressure and stagnating economic, social and
technological conditions."[16]
The degradation of forest ecosystems has also been traced to economic incentives that make forest
conversion appear more profitable than forest conservation. [23] Many important forest functions have
no markets, and hence, no economic value that is readily apparent to the forests' owners or the
communities that rely on forests for their well-being. [23] From the perspective of the developing world,
the benefits of forest as carbon sinks or biodiversity reserves go primarily to richer developed
nations and there is insufficient compensation for these services. Developing countries feel that
some countries in the developed world, such as the United States of America, cut down their forests
centuries ago and benefited greatly from this deforestation, and that it is hypocritical to deny
developing countries the same opportunities: that the poor shouldn't have to bear the cost of
preservation when the rich created the problem.[24]
Some commentators have noted a shift in the drivers of deforestation over the past 30 years.
[25]
Whereas deforestation was primarily driven by subsistence activities and government-sponsored
development projects like transmigration in countries like Indonesia and colonization in Latin
America, India, Java, and so on, during late 19th century and the earlier half of the 20th century. By
the 1990s the majority of deforestation was caused by industrial factors, including extractive
industries, large-scale cattle ranching, and extensive agriculture.

Aims & Objectives

Forests are the lungs of the environment. They pump huge amounts of oxygen in the
atmosphere which forms the basic need of almost all living forms on the earth. These
forests are depleting day-by-day with an alarming rate. Human intervention is causing
degradation and depletion of forests in many ways. Globally, every twenty minutes
1200 acres of forest are destroyed (Conservation International, 2000). Forest
degradation is characterized by a reduction in forest quality and biomass by an opening
up of the canopy (Joshi, 2006).Change detection is the process of identifying change in
the state of an object or phenomenon by observing it at different times (Singh, 1989).

It is extremely essential to monitor forest cover changes and find remedial measures to
control deforestation after studying the reasons for forest cover depletion. Hence,
detecting deforestation and other types of Land Cover Change (LLC) and determining
factors contributing to it are important, as this could be a first step in controlling forest
loss and is necessary in comprehensive forest management planning and formulation of
appropriate forest policy (Grainger, 1993).
Forest cover in hilly terrain is important from the ecological considerations.
Recognizing this fact, the National Forest Policy (1988) aims at maintaining two thirds
of the geographical area in hills of the country under forest and tree cover (SFR, 2009).

Need of Deforestation
At the current rate at which the rain forests are being destroyed, there will be
no more rain forest in 30 years. In the last four decades, the demand for
precious tropical hardwoods has multiplied nearly 25 times. People will
continue to want them for furniture, woodworking and cabinetry, musical
instruments, shipbuilding, and construction. Unfortunately, this means that the
rain forests will not last unless something drastic occurs. Not only is the
demand driving the extinction of the worlds rain forests, but so is the
population increase in the tropics, the fastest population growth area in the
world. In 1950, about 2.7 billion people lived in the world. In 2003, that many
people lived in the tropics alone.
Tropical hardwoods can only grow in a very narrow band of the world, and
several of the most popular can only grow where the mean annual
temperature is between 71 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit. They also need lots of
rain, sometimes more than 6 feet per year. Except for the rain (which is not
bad in Costa Rica, since it usually only happens for part of the day), most
people would love to live where it is 75 degrees year round. People thrive
where tropical trees thrive.
Much of the deforestation has come from clear-cutting the forest to raise cattle
for beef. (Cows like tropical temperatures, too.) Unfortunately, this is very
short term, because clear-cutting causes massive loss of topsoil and
degradation of the streams and the environment. Pretty soon, the land no
longer supports cattle, because it has lost its fertility. Then the farm is moved

to the next area, and another section of the forest is clear-cut. It is our craving
for cheap beef that has created this cycle, and it is hard to be self-righteous
when we understand that the people in the tropics are just trying to survive.
Although growing tropical hardwoods is vastly more profitable than growing
cows, you do not get any money back for at least 6 years, which is way too
long if you need the money in order to eat.
Another issue is the poaching of trees from the forests. Since a mature
hardwood log can bring in two to three times the average annual income in
Costa Rica, the temptation is enormous to cut whatever trees are left. Imagine
the temptation to yourself if you could get more than three times your annual
income by harvesting one tree! Many of the people who are poaching were
loggers in the past. As it was their job to cut down trees, it is hard for them to
understand that they shouldn't do it any more.
Currently, 99% of tropical hardwoods sold are taken from virgin, old growth,
tropical rain forest. Only 1 to 2% of the wood is currently harvested from
plantations. This cannot continue much longer, or, as stated before, within a
few more decades, there will be no more tropical rain forest from which to
harvest.
Presentation of Data
eforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography.[27][28][29][30][31]
Deforestation is a contributor to global warming,[32][33] and is often cited as one of the major causes of
the enhanced greenhouse effect. Tropical deforestation is responsible for approximately 20% of
world greenhouse gas emissions.[34] According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change deforestation, mainly in tropical areas, could account for up to one-third of
total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.[35] But recent calculations suggest that carbon dioxide
emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (excluding peatland emissions) contribute about
12% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions with a range from 6 to 17%. [36]Deforestation
causes carbon dioxide to linger in the atmosphere. As carbon dioxide accrues, it produces a layer in
the atmosphere that traps radiation from the sun. The radiation converts to heat which causes global
warming, which is better known as the greenhouse effect.[37] Plants remove carbon in the form
of carbon dioxide from theatmosphere during the process of photosynthesis, but release some
carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere during normal respiration. Only when actively growing can
a tree or forest remove carbon, by storing it in plant tissues. Both the decay and burning of wood
releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere. In order for forests to take up carbon,

there must be a net accumulation of wood. One way is for the wood to be harvested and turned into
long-lived products, with new young trees replacing them.[38] Deforestation may also cause carbon
stores held in soil to be released. Forests can be either sinks or sources depending upon
environmental circumstances. Mature forests alternate between being net sinks and net sources of
carbon dioxide (see carbon dioxide sink and carbon cycle).
In deforested areas, the land heats up faster and reaches a higher temperature, leading to localized
upward motions that enhance the formation of clouds and ultimately produce more rainfall.
[39]
However, according to the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, the models used to investigate
remote responses to tropical deforestation showed a broad but mild temperature increase all through
the tropical atmosphere. The model predicted <0.2 C warming for upper air at 700 mb and 500 mb.
However, the model shows no significant changes in other areas besides the Tropics. Though the
model showed no significant changes to the climate in areas other than the Tropics, this may not be
the case since the model has possible errors and the results are never absolutely definite.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in developing countries has
emerged as a new potential to complement ongoing climate policies. The idea consists in providing
financial compensations for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation".[41]
Rainforests are widely believed by laymen to contribute a significant amount of the world's oxygen,
[42]
although it is now accepted by scientists that rainforests contribute little net oxygen to
the atmosphere and deforestation has only a minor effect on atmospheric oxygen levels. [43]
[44]
However, the incineration and burning of forest plants to clear land releases large amounts of CO 2,
which contributes to global warming.[33] Scientists also state that tropical deforestation releases 1.5
billion tons of carbon each year into the atmosphere. [45]

Hydrological
The water cycle is also affected by deforestation. Trees extract groundwater through their roots and
release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, the trees no longer transpire this
water, resulting in a much drier climate. Deforestation reduces the content of water in the soil and
groundwater as well as atmospheric moisture. The dry soil leads to lower water intake for the trees
to extract.[46] Deforestation reduces soil cohesion, so that erosion, flooding and landslides ensue.[47][48]
Shrinking forest cover lessens the landscape's capacity to intercept, retain
and transpire precipitation. Instead of trapping precipitation, which then percolates to groundwater
systems, deforested areas become sources of surface water runoff, which moves much faster than
subsurface flows. That quicker transport of surface water can translate into flash flooding and more
localized floods than would occur with the forest cover. Deforestation also contributes to
decreased evapotranspiration, which lessens atmospheric moisture which in some cases affects
precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area, as water is not recycled to downwind

forests, but is lost in runoff and returns directly to the oceans. According to one study, in deforested
north and northwest China, the average annual precipitation decreased by one third between the
1950s and the 1980s.[citation needed]
Trees, and plants in general, affect the water cycle significantly:

their canopies intercept a proportion of precipitation, which is then evaporated back to the
atmosphere (canopy interception);

their litter, stems and trunks slow down surface runoff;

their roots create macropores large conduits in the soil that increase infiltration of water;

they contribute to terrestrial evaporation and reduce soil moisture via transpiration;

their litter and other organic residue change soil properties that affect the capacity of soil to
store water.

their leaves control the humidity of the atmosphere by transpiring. 99% of the water
absorbed by the roots moves up to the leaves and is transpired. [49]

As a result, the presence or absence of trees can change the quantity of water on the surface, in the
soil or groundwater, or in the atmosphere. This in turn changes erosion rates and the availability of
water for either ecosystem functions or human services.
The forest may have little impact on flooding in the case of large rainfall events, which overwhelm
the storage capacity of forest soil if the soils are at or close to saturation.
Tropical rainforests produce about 30% of our planet's fresh water.
Undisturbed forests have a very low rate of soil loss, approximately 2 metric tons per square
kilometer (6 short tons per square mile).[citation needed] Deforestation generally increases rates of
soil erosion, by increasing the amount of runoff and reducing the protection of the soil from tree litter.
This can be an advantage in excessively leached tropical rain forest soils. Forestry operations
themselves also increase erosion through the development of roads and the use of mechanized
equipment.
China's Loess Plateau was cleared of forest millennia ago. Since then it has been eroding, creating
dramatic incised valleys, and providing the sediment that gives the Yellow River its yellow color and
that causes the flooding of the river in the lower reaches (hence the river's nickname 'China's
sorrow').
Removal of trees does not always increase erosion rates. In certain regions of southwest US, shrubs
and trees have been encroaching on grassland. The trees themselves enhance the loss of grass

between tree canopies. The bare intercanopy areas become highly erodible. The US Forest Service,
in Bandelier National Monument for example, is studying how to restore the former ecosystem, and
reduce erosion, by removing the trees.
Tree roots bind soil together, and if the soil is sufficiently shallow they act to keep the soil in place by
also binding with underlying bedrock. Tree removal on steep slopes with shallow soil thus increases
the risk of landslides, which can threaten people living nearby.
Damage to forests and other aspects of nature could halve living standards for the world's poor and
reduce global GDP by about 7% by 2050, a report concluded at the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) meeting in Bonn.[70] Historically, utilization of forest products, including timber and
fuel wood, has played a key role in human societies, comparable to the roles of water and cultivable
land. Today, developed countries continue to utilize timber for building houses, and wood pulp
for paper. In developing countries almost three billion people rely on wood for heating and cooking. [71]
The forest products industry is a large part of the economy in both developed and developing
countries. Short-term economic gains made by conversion of forest to agriculture, or overexploitation of wood products, typically leads to loss of long-term income and long-term biological
productivity. West Africa,Madagascar, Southeast Asia and many other regions have experienced
lower revenue because of declining timber harvests. Illegal logging causes billions of dollars of
losses to national economies annually.[72]
The new procedures to get amounts of wood are causing more harm to the economy and overpower
the amount of money spent by people employed in logging. [73] According to a study, "in most areas
studied, the various ventures that prompted deforestation rarely generated more than US$5 for
every ton of carbon they released and frequently returned far less than US$1". The price on the
European market for an offset tied to a one-ton reduction in carbon is 23euro (about US$35).[74]
Rapidly growing economies also have an effect on deforestation. Most pressure will come from the
world's developing countries, which have the fastest-growing populations and most rapid economic
(industrial) growth.[75] In 1995, economic growth in developing countries reached nearly 6%,
compared with the 2% growth rate for developed countries.[75] As our human population grows, new
homes, communities, and expansions of cities will occur. Connecting all of the new expansions will
be roads, a very important part in our daily life. Rural roads promote economic development but also
facilitate deforestation.[75]About 90% of the deforestation has occurred within 100 km of roads in most
parts of the Amazon.[

Conclusion
Thus, deforestation is an important issue to be discussed. It has adverse effects on each living beings'
life. Deforestation has become a huge concern in today's life as there has been a rise in the decline of
forests. Trees are cut down in order to manufacture paper products as well as for livestock farming and so
on.
In order to feed the ever increasing population of the Earth, trees and forests are converted to farm lands.
This has become a threat to the world and it has been seen that rates of decline in the forests are

increasing at a rapid rate. This has led the planet to warm up and leading to high temperatures. This cycle
would continue for the following years to come unless necessary steps are taken to prevent deforestation.
Deforestation has caused fewer trees to grow. It has also gone a long way in eliminating valuable
ecosystems in the planet.
If major steps towards afforestation are not taken, then even the great adaptability of human beings may
not be enough to cope up with the harsh climate of the future. Deforestation does have solutions. It's just
that the people must step forward. The safe keeping of our precious planet lies with each and every
member of its human population. We are the ones accountable for our actions even though it is ourselves
we are accountable too.

Suggestions
You dont have to live in the middle of a rainforest to do your part
in preventing deforestation. Below are a few suggestions to consider
when you are interested in preserving the amount of forests located in
the rest of the world, as well as right in your own backyard:
a) Use Recycled Items:

Today, a consumer can purchase a variety of recycled items, including

notebook paper, books, toilet paper, and shopping bags. When people
use recycled products and make a conscious effort not to waste, the
demand for new raw material to replace these items can decrease.
b) Tree Care:

When cutting down trees single out full-grown specimens and

spare younger varieties. In the event that you must remove a tree for a
legitimate reason (for safety issues or power line interference), make
sure that for every tree lost another is planted in its place.
c) Farming Practices:

Those who plant crops at a farm can participate in putting a dent in

deforestation by rotating crops. It is suggested to replace the habit of
using different portions of land each year with using the same portion

of land to plant different crops. This practice has proven effective in

maintaining soil fertility. Farmers may also embrace many other
options, such as high-yield hybrid crops and hydroponics, which relies
on a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions
instead of soil.
d) Cut Back on Palm Oil:

In Malaysia and Indonesia, an increasing amount of trees are cut

down in order to generate the palm oil used in the production of some
breads, chocolates, and shampoos. As a result, the native orangutans
are losing their habitat. You can spread awareness and limit your
consumption of products containing this type of oil.
e) Coals:

As the chill of winter takes over the autumn season, try using coals
instead of firewood in your fireplace. While it only takes a couple of
hours to consume a few logs here and there, keep in mind that it takes
years for one tree to fully grow.
f) Reforestation:

Take a page from the Peoples Republic of China, where the

government has in the past set a requirement that every able-bodied
citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 is responsible for planting three
to five trees per year or complete an equal amount of work in other
areas of forestry. Since 1982, the government claims that at least one
billion trees have been planted in China as a result of the program.
g) Become an Advocate:

Become an advocate of reforestation. Learn how you can spread the

word. For instance, a middle school in Washington took to the streets
asking people for just one penny. They explained that the money

would go towards purchasing acres of Amazonian rainforest. If

successful, this move ensures that no deforestation can take place on
the bought land. The effort was twofold spreading information and
collecting money for a good cause.
h) Arbor Day Foundations Rain Forest Rescue [6]:

Support programs, such as this Arbor Day Foundation gem, which

assists in the prevention of deforestation. Donated money is used to
purchase and preserve rainforest space before lumber companies can
get a hold of the land. As a result, the Arbor Day Foundation is able to
protect the land from deforestation.
i) Support Conservation Organizations:

Lend your support through donations of your time, money, or actions

to organizations that run programs concentrating on the preservation
of forest habitats, such as Greenpeace, World Wide Fund for Nature,
Community Forestry International, and Conservation International.