Week 6: Forest Management and Biodiversity Flashcards
3 Functions of the forest
Ecological => conservation of biological diversity, protection of groundwater and local climate, reduction CO2 emission
Economic => wood and non-wood products, employment, flood and erosion control, range lands
Social => tourism, leisure, landscape
factors that grow against forest
- pop growth
- urbanization
- con growth
SO2, NOx from…
- industrial emission
- cars and airplanes
commercial logging uses…
vast amount of pesticides and fertilizers
Deforestation
excessive logging and urbanization
CC negative
- droughts
- salinization
- increasing spring and fall frost risk
- insect and pathogen damage
- acid rain
- wildfire
CC positive
- more precipitation
- rising temp => increase forest growth and growing crops
- shipping commerce benefit from opening northwest passage thanks to loss of arctiv sea ice
what does forest provide
- 1bn people depend on forest for wood timber, fuel, johs, shelter
- 50% of food we eat comes from trees
- 75% of freshwater comes from watershed areas
- 25% are managed for protection of soil and water
UN forum on forest goals 2017-2030
1) reverse loss of forest through sustainable forest man
2) enhance forest based economic social env benefits
3) increase area of protected forests
4) mobilize incremental, new and additional fin resources
5) promote gov frameworks
6) enhance cooperation at all levels
monoculture
raising single species stand of trees
tree farms area
2-3% of world forest
monoculture pros
- efficient production
- increase production to meet demand
- reduce pressure to large areas
monoculture cons
- fertilizers and persticides
- no consideration execpt wood production
- bad for flood control
- wildlife habitats
- scenic values
Policies in forest management
- reforestation
- control forest pests
- fire management
- community involvement in management
toward sustainable timber production
- over 4 million m3 of wood in 2022 => increase by 37% by 2050
- pop growth, deforestation, slow restauration => in 2020 2.3 billion people rely on wood fuel as primary source of energy => growth rate will go down after 2050, until then main energy source in emerging industries
sierra club 1882
a voice of crying in the wildness
Biodiversity
- diversity of diff species together with genetic variationn with each species in a given area
- useful for food, medicine, philosophical, aesthetic
Damages Forest biodiversity
- fewer crop varieties (GM food)
- clearance for timber, ranching or cropping, fisheries overexploitation, wildlife trapping
- mineral exploitation, dams, pollution, tourism
- wetlands drained for irrigation, malaria control, property
Tropical rainforest
less than 10% of the earth
habitat for 50-90% of plants and animals
converted to roads, ranches, farms, cities, factories
already cut 50%
200,000 ha per year lost
if continues, all gone in 40 years
Life support system - tropical rainforest
1) regulate composition of atmosphere and help offset the effect of CC by taking CO2 and releasing O2
2) maintain soil health through rapid leaf fall ad decomposition
3) help provide water
goods from forest
- food
- cash crops
- medicines against malaria, …
- timber, e.g. oil plantations
Deforestation
- slash-and-burn agriculture
- use for few year, abandon 3-5 years, resting period 10-20 years but gets faster
- cattle ranching (more meat consumption, fuel wood, industrial logging)
effects deforestation
- cc =>radiaton of heat, more CO2
- loss of gene pools and extinction of species
- floods => human and econ losses
Policies for tropical forests
- local people involvement in planning and implementing
- agro-forestry => growing trees among crops on particular lands to reduce soil erosion and sequester carbon
- indigenous knowledge
Green belts: purpose
- protect env
- air quality improvement
- human access to countryside
Green belts UK: critique
- preserved advantage of landlords
increase urban spiral => commuting, cars
Green tourism
reduction of env impacts and use some profits for env management
ecotourism
local people act as guides and staff for accommodation and other services => educate tourists
