Deforestation, Its Effects, and Strategies to Deal with

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees. The condition is caused by both natural and human activities. The activities might either be direct or indirect. As a way of sourcing food, human beings engage in cultivations and livestock farming. The farming method calls for finding extra land to ensure smooth operation. The trees in the forest are cut in the process. The situation is made worse after the cut trees to be scheduled for timber are set on fire. Furniture and the paper industry make use of timber as the raw material (Willi Weber, 2013). The century-old trees have to be cut to acquire timber and cellulose for the industry. Road construction also finds a way through the forest. Trees have to be cut in the process, hence encouraging deformation. The unattractive trees, some of them that are of less value to the community are eliminated from society. The practice results in a wide range of deforestation practice. Minerals are randomly located. Some of them are found in the forest-covered areas. Extracting them calls for cutting down trees which, eventually result in deforestation.

Cutting of trees affects the environment in diverse ways. Most animals rely on the forest as their habitat (Jules N. Pretty, 2012). The conditions in the forest offer the animals suitable living conditions. Eliminating the forests results in the animals being exposed to harsh climatic conditions. The lifespan of the animals is therefore drastically reduced. The plant species that grow in the forest are also affected. Some of the plant species hold certain values to the community. Its eradications result in certain degrees of inconvenience to the community. Some individual lives are based in and around the tropical forest. They depend on the forest as a hunting ground, farming activities and seeking herbal medications. Elimination of the trees will result in lifestyle interruption. An increase in greenhouse gases as seeing with carbon dioxide results in dramatic climatic changes. The trees facilitate absorption of the carbon dioxide and release oxygen, Deforestation result in a drop in the amounts of carbon dioxide being absorbed. Apart from that, cut wood decays and release extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

One straight forward method that can be implemented in dealing with deforestation is the planting of trees. Lifelong investments in the environment are seeing with the planting of trees. The trees significantly boost the mental health of individuals. The greenhouse gases released when the trees are cut is high. The levels of global warming get to increase doubly with the increase in greenhouse gases. Tree planting gets to combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide (Peter Cramton, 2017). Excellent strategies have to be set where each person takes the responsibility of planting one or two trees leading to an increase in the forest cover. The trees are primarily used in the paper industry. Increase in the use of paper will lead to an increase in the number of trees being cut. The levels of deforestation will rise. The use of paper has to be cut down. The same has to be responsibly done. Companies have to also increase paper recycling activities. Logging will drop drastically while the forest cover will increase.

​​​​​References

1. Jules N. Pretty, Stella, W., and Camilla, T., 2012. Sustainable Intensification: Increasing Productivity in African Food and Agricultural Systems. 2 ed. London: Routledge.
2. Peter C., David, M., Axel, O., and Steven, S. 2017. Global Carbon Pricing: The Path to Climate Cooperation. 3 ed. Cambridge: MIT Press.
3. Philipp, H. and Fariborz, Z., 2015. Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Governance and Politics. 2 ed. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
4. Willi, W., and Simon, Y., 2013. Lessons from Vernacular Architecture. 4 ed. London: Routledge.