Is farming an example of deforestation?

Question

I met a founding member of Greenpeace who would say yes.

Answer 1

It depends what kind of farming you are doing...one example is in Malaysia and Indonesia where they practice the slash and burning of rainforests to clear land for huge palm oil plantations.  The farming itself is not deforestation but if you clear the land of forest first, then it is.

Answer 2

I think so. It has raised the eye brows of the many concerned citizens about shrimp farming making profits in Malaysia caused the severe deforestation is an example. This has damaged part of the rain forest. The global forestation has provided a wider scope regarding the global deforestation.

http://www.wrm.org.uy/deforestation/shri...

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/global...

I think Hong Kong has a very severe deforestation for making huge profit in property development. Hong Kong has turned into a cement forest with toxic air all over the city.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/archive/in...

Answer 3

Any activity that takes land, that was previously forest,and converts it to another use is causing deforestation (unless they replace the trees someplace else).  

A forest area logged and then replanted, is not causing deforestation.  But a forest area logged, and then converted to another use is causing deforestation. The rural area where I live was once covered in trees.  First it was logged, then farmers cleared it to raise crops and livestock.  That's deforestation.

Answer 4

No,  Farming is a productive use of land.

Answer 5

Depends on the situation,  there are farmers who remove trees to expand field however if the land is broke up by other farmers its really small plots of land.  Since I am a ex logger my view of how the forest is being abused, is land companies selling of forest lands and sub-dividing them out.  This fragments the forest and it is difficult to manage. Since people buying up the lots want to live there it now creates new roads power lines removal of trees for buildings.  I cruised some land yesterday morning where a land management company sold good forest land for lots. To me this is bad land management,  good for the bottom line.

Answer 6

the ever expanding population of people causes deforestation.

more mouths means more food means more land is needed.

one might note that when a large tree is cut down, and decays, several tons of co2 are released into the atmosphere.

Answer 7

What should be stopped is the deforestation of the rain forest, by the big conglomerates, they clear the forest drain the land then abandon it.

Answer 8

Deforestation is the removal of trees.

Farming is working the earth to produce foodstuffs for animals and humans...

So if farmers are removing trees to plant, yes it is deforestation but deforestation for a good reason.

There is also 'bad' deforestation in which companies destroy trees in order to build hotels and casinos...

My take is that farmers removing trees is okay ONLY, if there is no way to save the trees. There are plenty of areas on this globe where there are no or little trees. Trees can also be replanted, if one takes the time to do so. Or in the very least to save the seed of the tree and replant elsewhere.

On the other hand destroying trees and wildlife so that morons can gamble and peer at fake art and circus freak acts... is not only immoral but inane....

Answer 9

If you cut down a forest to farm, then yes.

Does this founding member of Greenpeace eat? Just curious.

Answer 10

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseac...

Answer 11

no it is overgrazing

Answer 12

I've lived most of my life on a farm and in farm country.  Sometimes a farm will go vacant for several years, and you know what happens?  Trees start growing.  Sometimes an entire field will become sapling trees.  So, if we weren't farming these fields, constantly, many of  these farm fields would become woodlands.  At least here in Wisconsin, from my observation.

I know this is the opposite way of thinking about your original question, but farming a deforested area is only one aspect.  Existing farm fields could potentially be woodlands if left unfarmed for an extended period of time.

Answer 13

not unless you take down trees to do it

Answer 14

If they are replacing trees with crops, they are still generating oxygen, so it's not as bad as slash/burn.

One thing though, if they are using till/turnover method of planting, they are slowly depleting the topsoil, and eventually won't be able to grow anything at all on that land.  This is why many people use zero till methods, either drilling or cutting the soil, to preserve it.