[LUM#21] Fred, age 7: “Why are we cutting down trees in the forest?”
Fred, age 7. Future X-wing pilot.
You’ve probably seen trees marked with a red dot while walking in the woods—a mark that shouldn’t be confused with a hiking trail marker. This mark actually means
that the tree is going to be cut down. You’ve likely also seen
stumps or large piles of logs along the side of the road. But why are these trees being cut down?
First, trees can be cut down to obtain wood for making products:
furniture, pencils, spoons, toys… To obtain large quantities of wood,
foresters plant trees far apart from one another and prune the branches
as they grow. This results in tall, straight trees
that can be used to build houses, make furniture, or
paper. Plantations operate like an orchard: trees are planted,
harvested, and new ones are planted.
However, not all trees are suitable for producing the items that humans
need, and the reasons for this can vary widely. For example, if the forest is very
old and there are regeneration issues, the old trees are felled
to allow light to reach the ground and young seedlings to grow.
When trees are too close together, it is necessary to remove some of them
so that the remaining ones do not lack water, light, and nutrients. And
in the event of a fire, maintaining a certain amount of space between the trees will prevent the fire
from spreading too quickly. In this case, those that are twisted or damaged
are often cut down. Thus, the taller, straighter trees will be the parents of
future generations.
Diseased trees are also cut down to prevent the spread of insects or
diseases. These are often used by residents of nearby villages as
fuel to light their fireplaces. Other times, they are chipped and
turned into planks or briquettes, or the wood chips are simply left
in the forest so that nutrients return to the soil and the remaining trees
grow healthy. Finally, sometimes trees must be cut down for
the good of the entire forest.
Martina Sánchez Pinillos – researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier (CNRS, UM, IRD).
An article in partnership with The Conversation.
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