Clear cutting

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Clear cutting

by Kris
(Clodine, TX, USA)

Clear-cutting - short-term profit for a very few, long-term detriment for the majority.

I witnessed large areas of clear-cut forest during the time (1997-2001) I lived in Vancouver, BC, and took a drive up to Whistler. Although they tried to keep some trees along the roads to "prettify" the drive for tourists, even a short stop in most places revealed huge gashes on the mountains that were devoid of anything green.

This astounded and disgusted me, because I'd thought it was common knowledge that this is directly contributing to the huge declines in the salmon fisheries. It's clearly a case of sheer greed and people "cutting off their nose to spite their face", because the very short-term profits (to a VERY few people) don't offset the long-term detriments, not only the environmental disruption but also the economic disruption.

While everyone has to earn a living, it's at-best ignorant, and at worst willfully stupid, to allow a tiny number of people to obtain short-term profit at the very long-term expense of huge numbers of people. Clearly, the laws need to be brought up-to-date so that sustainable forestry practices will be rewarded, and stupidly-destructive practices punished.

Barry's Response - Somehow those involved obtained the rights to do so. I don't know how, but those practices are likely to change as time evolves.

Search this site for more information now.

Comments for
Clear cutting

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Nov 26, 2009
Rating

condition of our forest
by: Anonymous

Restoration forestry is the process of restoring forests to a more natural condition. Most of the forests in the Western United States have been altered to an unnatural condition by over a century of fire suppression and past timber harvest practices. The current condition of our forests leaves them vulnerable to disease and catastrophic fires. Many people believe that we need to lock up the forests to protect them from human activity. The problem with that idea is that this does not allow us to fix the problem and it leaves them in an endangered condition. Even though past forest harvest practices have contributed to the problem, responsibly harvesting forest products can also be a viable tool to restore our forests

Forest fires are a natural part of the forest ecosystem. Before the arrival of Europeans fires were started naturally by lightning. Native Americans would also start fires to improve hunting. Our western forests are naturally dominated by conifers which have thick bark that provides insulation that protects them from fire. In the past fires would periodically be ignited and creep along the forest floor. These periodic fires would benefit the forest by cleaning up the forest floor and burning much of the underbrush and small trees that would compete with the larger trees for water and nutrients.

Nov 25, 2009
Rating

Very nice
by: Anonymous

it's very impressive article. very helpful.

Nov 24, 2009
Rating

CARE
by: KEERTHI

It is very impresive. This is very interesting and informative article.Every one have responsible for this. We have to save the life of the forest.thank you.

Nov 16, 2009
Rating

Very Nice
by: Kattie

One of the best articles I've read on this sight. I feel your pain and frustration and wish there was something that we can actively to do stop this. Unfortunately I believe that any attempt to appeal to your Council about this will end in more red tape meant to defer normal people from trying to make a change or a different.

It's a shame that we simply can't go fix the area in question ourselves without their expressed permission. If not save the trees then by ensuring that more trees are able to grow there in the future.

Nov 14, 2009
Rating

destruction
by: smee

Your article is very informative.Everyone have their own part to prevent the destruction of the trees.This will harmfully increase the global warming.This site helps to open eyes.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Water Pollution