A gentle breeze blows uninterrupted across a barren landscape. With every gust, small particles of dirt, once held in place by the mighty roots of towering trees, fly into the air. The wind carries the particles for miles and miles of infertile land. If logging continues at its present pace, the inhabitants of Earth may expect their home to resemble this horrid scene. For centuries, people have been taking natural resources from Earth; unfortunately, in recent years humans have increased the pace, specifically that of logging. Logging is simply the process of removing trees, generally for any purpose. Logging harms forests and the environment, but there are means to prevent the horrible consequences of logging.
Although proponents of logging claim strategic removal of trees will prevent depletion, loggers rarely implement such tactics. Avaricious harvesters raze entire forests with animosity, as if the ancient landmarks were uninvited weeds on a well-kept lawn. Unfortunately, Americans have been annihilating their natural resources for decades, specifically since the beginning of industrialization during the early twentieth century. According to Julie Casper PhD, in her book Forests, foresting had a profound effect upon the nation: “… the massive deforestation in America moved inland. In the early 1900’s, about 500 million board feet of redwoods were harvested each year. Then, from 1947 to 1958, this rate rose to a billion…” (81). During the huge economic boom of the mid-twentieth century, America began experiencing unprecedented increases in deforestation. Casper also reports “much of America’s old growth forests have been cut down”(81). Not only industrialization, but also urbanization caused a massive diminution of trees in America. Casper states because humans have rapidly expanded their domain for past few centuries, only “about 3% of the original temperate forests in the United States remains intact” (73). For thousands upon thousands of years, trees have flourished on the undeveloped lands of America, however, within a few hundred years, humans have reduced the amount of intact forests by roughly 97%. Sadly, humans will likely continue devastate forests. Casper predicts by “2050, more than 3 billion trees will be cut down just to keep up with the world’s need for toilet paper”(84). If the greedy maintain wasteful tactics, the Earth will soon be lacking its oldest forests. Once again, although the dangerous consequences of logging may be avoided through careful procedures, few loggers implement such procedures. The loss of forests has much more severe consequences than just losing quaint scenery; the global environment is at stake. Casper reveals a widely implemented technique known as clear-cutting, in which entire plots of forests are buffeted within one harvest. Unfortunately, clear-cutting may lead to “forest fragmentation and… a loss of biodiversity because it destroys key habitats”(81). By destroying the homes of rare and exotic species, America is destroying biodiversity and the integrity of the environment. Despairingly, the depletion of wooded areas also contributes to the concept of global warming. The article “Value a Forest, Cool a Planet” published within the Christian Science Monitor, states deforestation “is the third-largest source of climate-warming carbon emissions today, larger than the emissions produced by either the U.S. or China” (“Value…”). Obviously, ending deforestation is vital to preserving global equilibrium. The same source also reports the world must reduce carbon emissions to “50% of their 1990 levels if the vital goal of keeping global warming to only 2 degrees Celsius by [2100] is to be met” (“Value…”). These goals are obviously irrational, considering the extent of modern logging. Sadly, the Earth finds itself on an unwavering path towards imminent destruction. However, one must not lose hope. The effects of logging may be reduced in several ways. One method, already mentioned, is to strategically cut down trees. As stated by Michael Allaby, logging can be safe because “if the land is left alone, young trees grow up to replace those that have been removed…” (54). Logging only becomes dangerous once loggers remove entire forests and then proceed to develop the land with agriculture or housing. In addition, the people of the world can look to their government for reform. Jane Danowitz claims there currently exist “more than a dozen new proposals for three million acres of additional wilderness across the West poised to advance in [Congress]…” (Danowitz). If one region supports preserving the environment, surely the rest of America shall follow. Global policy also supports limits on deforestation. Michael Casey discusses an “international climate agreement, under which countries would be rewarded for reducing their galloping rules of deforestation” (Casey). Finally government is intervening on behalf of trees across the globe. Nevertheless, people must continue to fight to end deforestation and logging across the globe. Logging has devastating effects on forests and the global environment; however, there are multiple ways to limit these effects. Due to the vanishing forests and damage to the global ecosystem, people across the world must take a stand. Everyone can do something. Everyone can help change the world. Everyone can help prevent our home from turning into an arid, alien landscape.