Saving The Hardwoods, Deforestation In The US And Why Should We Care

by Miranda Yearwood-Brumbaugh
(Cornelia, Georgia, US)

Trees are our life force, providing us with clean air to breathe and a whole variety of fruits and nuts, as well as a natural habitat for wildlife and other plants. Cutting down all the world's forests and replacing them with spindly pine trees is ecologically inefficient, and is killing our "old" forests that are filled with precious hardwoods.

The reason all the pines and other softwoods are being planted and replacing the long-living hardwoods is mainly due to cost, since it takes a lot shorter time period to farm these trees. Softwood is easier to process, and its versatility means it can be used for building materials, furniture, pulp for paper and press-board, and printmaking. In fact, softwoods account for 80% of the production from the timber industry worldwide.


REDD And FORMA






The reasons this should be seen as a environmental disaster is that the hardwoods are grown in a natural environment, unlike the farming of great tracts of land covered with one type of softwood that will inevitably be cut down.

Why is this important?

The natural environment is where animals, insects and other plant life grow, and the flora and fauna depend on the variety of trees for habitat and food. Hardwoods reproduce using seeds or fruits that certain animals subside on, while softwoods emit pollen to reproduce. Without hardwoods, we would not have cherries, apples, walnuts, pecans, or any other fruit or nut that comes from a tree. Softwoods give us pollen.

Unfortunately, since it takes more money and time to grow hardwoods, I believe that the world will try to maintain the timber industry by farming softwoods. Then, as they realize the crisis that will be inevitable in the circle of life, as animals are dying due to loss of habitat or becoming displaced resulting in the “overpopulation,” too many years will be lost. The time it takes to “regrow” the forests with the appropriate types of trees will be too late.


Tropical Deforestation






Why can't we learn from nature instead of raping it of all its glory? Are we destined to continue to believe the hallucination that we a separate from everything else and that we are not 100% dependent on certain conditions in order to live?

By working with the natural environment rather than pillaging it, we could benefit the whole world for the present and future.

Money and politics once again show their hand and power by ruling the conscious of the people. It's time to take a stand. First, we must get educated on what types of trees are growing in our own backyard. Then, we can become responsible for our immediate environments by planting hardwoods, such as oaks, redwoods, cedars, fruit and deciduous trees.

There is one organization, the Arbor Day Foundation, that will send you 10 trees for $10 for your annual membership, and they even guarantee that the trees will grow as they send those trees that are appropriate for your zone.

Organizations such as this are on the right step in supporting our forests. By supporting these groups and planting hardwoods around your community, we can take back our natural forests. Share the knowledge with others and let us spread the word about what is going on with deforestation in America as well as around the globe.

Thank you for listening to my thoughts. Am I wrong?


-Miranda