Is our planet going the way of Easter Island with regards to the trees ?

Question

Big Nickle. You sound like someone who cuts down trees for a living. That is codswallop.

Answer 1

not sure it may after all humans are destroying everything else that lives.

Answer 2

If people continue to behave as they are now then most sadly yes.

In this country for instance there are the normal sort of laws about responsible and sustainable harvesting of timber from both plantations and native forests. But the reality is that the logging companies do what they want on the ground because the government has neither the means not the will to enforce the laws. Anyone who might be able to intervene is either bought off, sidelined or neutralized. (this included totally eliminating them.)

So under current rates of exploitation 80% of the accessible rainforest will be logged out/destroyed in the next 12 years. (largest remaining Pacific rainforest). The Prim e minister and forest minister dispute the figures, but then they would, they are share holders in logging companies! One of the 2 daily national papers constantly runs articles pro logging anti the environmentalists, but being owned by a multi national logging company that is no surprise.

So despite massive fraud, massive human rights abuses well documented by reputable third parties, it is business as usual, chop down as much native old growth forest as you can as quickly as you can before some one stops you. Satelite imagery showing the amount of clear felling is scary!

Be all accounts the situation is not very different in other countries both tropical and temperate.

There are some small glimmers of hope though, the global warming scare is actually helping to focus attention onto the value of forests and carbon trading schemes and offset schemes have the potential to make a positive change. Also there are some positive steps being taken to preserve at least some forest areas, but it is very little very late in the day.

How much native old growth forest remains in your country? How much of that is protected? How much damage will it suffer due to global warming? Presumably you live in a developed country, and if the %s of remaining old growth forest under total protection are low, given that your country has the money to do something about it, what are the chances for an impoverished third world country of doing better?

Answer 3

I have acres of land, since 1982, we have planted 500 trees each year. Some of us do our part.

Answer 4

they say no seen satellite photos from the mid 60's and then lay over of recent satellite photos and they say we have more tree cover now then 40 years ago.They say this is due in part that forestry practises have changed and that our consumption of wood products has decreased