Veselin KaradjovDimitar DrumevSimona Zahova

What is it?Cutting down treesElimanating huge land masses of woods and forestsThinning/dearing of forestsMay vary from a small area to areas bigger than a country

http://www.all-creatures.org/hope/gw/amazon_deforestation.jpg

Ecological Impacts part 1Selective logging – increases the flammability of

the forestDeforested land – turns into steep mountain

hillsides – no roots, high rainfalls and slopes leads to landslides – kill people/land

Forests are “Earth’s lungs” – they produce O2, which is vital for most of the ogranisms

No CO2 absorbed – as trees grow they sequester carbon in the form of wood and other biomass, taking it from the atmosphere as CO2

CO2 released as woods decomposes or is burned

Ecological Impacts Part 2Loss of living spaceAnimals die – tropical forests – the greatest

concentration of animal and plant species – 2/3 of the species on the planet – as deforestation proceeds it may cause the extinction of species

Trees and plants dieRain forests help generate rainfall – no

rainfall any moreCause drought

Causes Part 1Earth’s total croplands – 15 mil. Sq. km., 11

of which from deforested land

Tropical forests cut down:Croplands – 2 millions square kilometersGrazing – from 5 to 9 mil. Sq. Km.Commercial loggingPlantations of rubber trees, oil palms, or

other economically valuable treesProduction of paper

Causes Part 2Temperate forests cut down:Croplands – 9 millions square kilometersGrazing – at least 2 mil. Sq. Km. only in

Europe and North AmericaSlash-and-burn agriculture – small areas are

cut down and then crops are grow, thanks to the fertilized soil by the ashes

Timber productionWood used as fuelProduction of paper

Solution Sustainable forestry – way of management a

forest that makes it inexhaustible of the resources humans need

Uneven age management – the cutting of the trees in a forest at different periods of timeSelective cutting – very little of the trees are cut

and at different periods of time so the life in the forest does not really change

Shelterbelt – many trees are cut and are left only those who could make a shelter from wind to provide a friendlier environment for new species

SolutionEven-age management – the cutting of the trees in

a forest at the same time Clear-cutting – cutting absolutely all trees allowing

new species to realize their fundamental niches (due to the newly present lack of shadow)

Shelter-wood cutting – lowering the competition between the plants and offering a semi-shadowed environment which again allows new species to grow

Seed-tree cutting – cutting almost all trees and leaving just a few for reproduction; after they have reproduced, they are cut too

SolutionTree Plantations – getting the timber humans

need from artificially planted forests Advantages – decrease n cutting natural

forests + serving the environmentDisadvantages – a lot of them need to be

planted in order to make a difference and that will lead to the extinction of a lot of species

• Forest plantations in Brazil supplied 102.9 million m3 of timber in 2001

Amazon DeforestationBiggest rainforest on EarthCauses : 1/3- subsistence agriculture and 2/3-

other economic activities: Clearing for cattle pasture Infrastructure construction Commercial agriculture Logging Floods caused by hydroelectric projects

Amazon Deforestation1. Clearing for Cattle PastureSince 1970s38% of the total deforestation in the AmazonIncrease in meat exports Demand for more

land2. Subsistence agriculturePoor farmers are encouraged to settle there

by gov’t policiesUse fire to clear the forest

Amazon Deforestation3. InfrastructureRoads provide access to new logging and

mining sitesTrans-Amazonian Highway- rapid increase in

deforestation4. Commercial Agriculture – soybean export5. LoggingOnly in designated areas, but there is illegal

logging.

http://www.jabulela.com/files/media/Deforestation-Amazon.jpg

http://www.rechargenews.com/multimedia/archive/00027/amaz2_27672a.JPG

Works citedButtler, Rhet. "Deforestation in the Amazon". Mongabay.com. 16 June 2010 <http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html>.Butler, Rhet. "Reduced Impact Logging." Mongabay.com. Rhet Buttler, 2010. Web. 15 June 2010. http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1011.htm"deforestation." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite.  Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010."Environmental Studies." Spark Notes. SparkNotes, 2009. Web. 15 June 2010.http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/gensci/envsci/section3.php May, Peter. "FOREST CERTIFICATION IN BRAZIL: ." WTO. WTO, 2003. Web. 15 June 2010. <http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/ngo_e/ccc_cert_forest_brazil_e.doc>.