Question

In what different ways does lsrge-scale logging for timber destroy forests?

Answer 1

Most logging in the tropics selectively removes slow growing trees of high timber value that may take centuries to reach maturity. Large trees are an important component of forest structure; many plants and animals in the rainforest depend on the structure provided by large trees and by the dead wood on the forest floor when these trees fall. Studies find hundreds of species (orchids, bromeliads, ants, other insects) that live in the canopy of just one rainforest tree. More than just removing the trees, logging activities frequently damage surrounding trees in the process of felling, in addition to causing erosion from the removal of the timber and creating fire risk by letting in more light and adding to the fuel load. Logging may provide a gap in the forest for new species to grow, but large scale logging will remove seed sources make pollination and seed dispersal more difficult. Large clearings may also cause fragmentation and change the movement of animals such as primates that can only travel in the canopy.