Are you Pro-logging / anti-logging?

Question

With the deforestation of many forest for logging (Tasmania) and clearing of land for Palm Plantations what are peoples views.
I am against clearing anymore land for reasons of the enviroment.
These places in long term will gain more jobs through eco-tourism than logging. What are your views.

Answer 1

Forests can be logged in an environmentally appropriate manner. This is usually not the case, however. In a best case scenario, nature organizations would buy up timber rights and manage critical areas as forests, aka habitat, rather than tree farms, which have significantly lower biodiversity.



The ecotourism plan can fit in here, too, with tours of the logging facilities, and demonstrations of short term and long term benefits achieved through proper management, the public can became better educated and support wholesale and retail vendors carrying materials that were harvested with sustainable methods.



The sad thing is that many areas fought against environmental restrictions on logging, only to deprive their children and grandchildren of an income doing what they themselves had done for generations.

Answer 2

I'm for effective forest management. This doesn't mean to strip off all the trees, and it doesn't mean to stop logging. It means to make sure the land can support the amount of biomass, without risk of out-of-control forest fires. Over the last 15 years, because of legislatiion early on in the Clinton Admin, the forests in the Southwest are out of control ... too much biomass for the water available. And, we've had record forest fires for the past few years, as a result.

Answer 3

In developed and populated areas, cutting down and even the prescribed burning of trees is required to maintain species diversity and wildlife habitats. The "let nature take its course" philosophy will result in forests with only one or two tree species and a dramatic loss of birds and animals. In New England, for example, we are losing many species of birds that used to be abundant because those species need early succession forests (young plants and forests growing on land that was previously cleared for farming or logging) in order to survive. Other birds and animals need open spaces and meadows. Without logging, trees that need abundant sunlight to grow, like aspens and cherry trees and birches, will soon disappear, along with all the wildlife species that depend on them.



Unfortunately, many Americans are horrified by the very idea of cutting down a single tree, never mind clear-cutting hundreds of acres at a time. I used to be one of those people, until I became interested in forestry and learned a little bit about silviculture, dendrology, and forest management techniques.



There are no simple solutions, but you are not helping if you are armed with passion but lack knowledge. If you're interested, there are some short and very informative presentations at the site listed below.

Answer 4

It's a complicated issue. Third-world nations are not very open to the people of the developed world saying "Hey, we've cut down all our trees - can you keep yours for us to use as a park?" Eco-tourism is growing and becoming an important segment of the economy in a number of countries, but it won't work everywhere, and even where it does, it wouldn't be smart for any nation to put all their eggs in that basket. A diverse economy is important to weather ups and downs in any one segment. And most third world nations still have many people who survive by subsistence agriculture. The soil is often poor, and the only way to find new land to grow food is to clear the forest. It's tough to tell people they can't feed their children because we need to save the trees for the rich people to come visit.

Answer 5

Anti-logging! Deforestation brings unbearable miseries into the lives of people especially the poor. Insufficient water supply, landslide and flood is so devastating. Forest fires, charcoal production, conversion into agricultural lands, excessive mining and poaching destroy natural resources that are essential money makers in long terms through eco-tourism.

Answer 6

Given the choice between forest fires that clear land in an irresponsible way, and the loss of life both human and animal, or logging operations that clear the land in a responsible way that causes no loss of life, I would choose pro logging.

Answer 7

I am anti-logging. It is in no way sustainable and the government should be more concerned with the environment and less concerned with winning the next election and the economy.

Answer 8

I'm pro logging..we have several logging companies where I live and they replant sapplings