Logging, or cutting down trees in a forest to harvest timber for wood, products or fuel, is a primary driver of deforestation. ... Farmers clear the land for crops or for cattle and often will clear acres of land using slash and burn techniques -- cutting down trees and then burning them.

How is logging destroying the rainforest?

Typical logging operations are quite damaging to the rainforest ecosystem. ... Selective logging—as usually practiced—degrades forest because the felling of a single large tree can bring down dozens of surrounding trees which are linked to the target tree by vines and lianas.

What is deforestation logging?

If we examine the strictest definitions of the terms, we will find that logging is described as the commercial felling of trees to make other products. Deforestation, on the other hand, is defined as the complete removal of the forest and all of its associated life forms.

How is logging bad for the environment?

Logging can impact climate change by increasing the amount of free carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Plant life stores carbon dioxide within its tissues. Deforestation often goes hand in hand with fire, which releases this stored carbon dioxide into the air, compounding the greenhouse gas effects.

What problems are caused by logging?

The environmental effects of illegal logging include deforestation, the loss of biodiversity and the emission of greenhouse gases. Illegal logging has contributed to conflicts with indigenous and local populations, violence, human rights abuses, corruption, funding of armed conflicts and the worsening of poverty.

Climate 101: Deforestation | National Geographic

40 related questions found

What causes deforestation?

Direct causes of deforestation are agricultural expansion, wood extraction (e.g., logging or wood harvest for domestic fuel or charcoal), and infrastructure expansion such as road building and urbanization. ... The road development itself causes a limited amount of deforestation.

How does timber harvesting affect the environment?

Logging impacts the environment in two ways, the timber harvest itself, that is, the removal of trees from the forest, and secondly by the disturbance caused by logging operations. ... Harvesting adjacent to streams can increase sedimentation and turbidity in streams, lowering water quality and degrading riparian habitat.

Who does logging negatively impact?

Logging and the Environment

It can increase the harmful impact of wind and rain on local ecosystems; destroy the valuable wildlife habitat used by pine martins, caribou, and other animals; and cause soil to become dry and overheated, which may in turn increase the risk of fire or interfere with seedling growth.

What are the 5 effects of deforestation?

Effects of Deforestation

• Climate Imbalance and Climate Change. Deforestation also affects the climate in many ways. ...
• Increase in Global Warming. ...
• Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions. ...
• Soil Erosion. ...
• Floods. ...
• Wildlife Extinction & Habitat Loss. ...
• Acidic Oceans. ...
• The Decline in Life Quality of People.

How does mining affect deforestation?

Large-scale mining operations, especially those using open-pit mining techniques, can result in significant deforestation through forest clearing and the construction of roads which open remote forest areas to transient settlers, land speculators, and small-scale miners.

How does urbanization cause deforestation?

Urban growth drives deforestation in at least two ways. First, as rural migrants to cities adopt city-based lifestyles, they tend to use more resources. Their incomes rise and their diets shift to a greater share of animal products and processed foods.

What is deforestation through logging and/or burning?

What is Deforestation? ... Deforestation typically occurs through logging and/or burning activities aimed either to acquire timber or to replace the land use of a forested area with alternative uses, but wildfire and disease may also cause deforestation.

Why and how does deforestation happen?

Deforestation happens for many reasons, such as logging, agriculture, natural disasters, urbanization and mining. There are several ways to clear forest -- burning and clear-cutting the land are two methods. ... And scientists see that deforestation has a significant effect on climate change, or global warming.

How does timber extraction cause deforestation?

Centuries-old trees are cut down to make timber or cellulose for the furniture or paper industry. Any system employed for wood cutting causes serious damage to the ecosystem, and these damages are amplified by construction of roads required for vehicles and to trasport chopped timber to its destination.

What percentage of deforestation is caused by logging?

Agriculture is the direct driver of roughly 80 percent of tropical deforestation, while logging is the biggest single driver of forest degradation, says a new report funded by the British and Norwegian governments.

What are the 10 causes of deforestation?

Causes of Deforestation

• Mining. The increase of mining on tropical forests is furthering damage due to the rising demand and high mineral prices. ...
• Paper. ...
• Overpopulation. ...
• Logging. ...
• Agriculture Expansion & Livestock Ranching. ...
• Cattle ranching and deforestation are strongest in Latin America. ...
• Climate Change.

How does deforestation cause global warming?

The surplus carbon is stored in the plant, helping it to grow. When trees are cut down and burned or allowed to rot, their stored carbon is released into the air as carbon dioxide. And this is how deforestation and forest degradation contribute to global warming.

What are the causes of deforestation Class 8?

The main causes of natural deforestation are droughts, exotic animals, forest fires, climate change, floods and overpopulation of foreign animals.

What process leads to deforestation and increased erosion?

The main reason behind both deforestation and soil erosion is the human activities. ... Deforestation is basically the situation when trees are cut on a large scale. This explains that the process of urbanization mainly is responsible for deforestation. Having said that, it is also responsible for increased erosion.

How does logging affect biodiversity?

They found that fifty percent logging intensity retained diversity levels with the exception of birds and mycorrhizal fungi, who's diversity decreased. ... The researchers found that at 100% logging intensity, all species were affected and biodiversity was greatly decreased.

How do forests affect the environment?

Forests cover about a third of the earth's land area and are essential to the health of our environment. For example, trees and forests absorb and store much of the carbon dioxide that otherwise would be contributing to climate change. Forests are home to about 80 percent of remaining terrestrial biodiversity.

What are the causes of logging?

Logging occurs for many economical reasons, such as: agriculture (planting crops), cattle-ranching, mining, oil and gas extraction, development, and subsistence-farming.

What are the effects of timber extraction?

Some of the major unintended impacts of timber extraction are as follows: 1. Loss of Cultural Diversity 2. Loss of Biodiversity 3.
...
Loss of Carbon Storage Capacity.

• Loss of Cultural Diversity: ...
• Loss of Biodiversity: ...
• Loss of Carbon Storage Capacity:

What problems is wood causing for the environment?

The harvesting of wood fuel in SSA is said to result in deforestation and its use as a source of energy is responsible for much of the region's household greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, indoor pollution from inefficient stoves and poorly ventilated kitchens is believed to be a major cause of respiratory disease.

Why is timber harvesting bad?

Logging operations greatly alter the natural structure of a forest by changing the amount of downed woody material, the incidence of snags or standing dead trees with cavities that provide wildlife habitat, and reducing the canopy cover of the immediate area, with the result of a homogenized or less diverse forest ...