Deforestation Causes, Effects, and Solutions

Every human, tree, and animal will die if deforestation continues at its current pace. Climate change and global warming are partially driven by ongoing deforestation worldwide, and with no end in sight, we are at a pivotal crossroad capable of altering the future of life on earth.

fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered information on what is causing deforestation, its effects on our planet, and how we can collectively solve this potentially catastrophic problem.

What is Deforestation

Deforestation, clearcutting, clearance, or clearing is the removal of the trees in a forest or stand of trees from a piece of land, then converted to a non-forest use.

Deforestation involves converting wooded land to farms, ranches, or urban areas. The majority of deforestation activities benefit the production of soy, beef, palm oil, and other widely popular and lucrative commodities.

Currently, the most widespread deforestation is occurring in the Amazon rainforest located in South America.

What Causes Deforestation

Deforestation occurs deliberately, naturally, or accidentally, and can happen anywhere trees densely populate land. The following are causal examples of deforestation:

• Volcanic eruptions
• Hurricanes
• Avalanches
• Temperature/Climate change
• Drought
• Disease
• Severe insect infestation
• Agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial land development
• Logging
• Strip mining
• Wartime/Human activities

These occurrences are dangerous because deforestation is self-perpetuating, and fuels further deforestation. The loss of trees and underbrush allows for flooding, soil erosion, higher temperatures, and desertification to occur more rapidly and exponentially.

While it may seem that natural occurrences are to blame for the majority of tree loss, it is – in fact – human activity that causes the most deforestation worldwide.

Deforestation Effects

While studies continue on the grave effects of deforestation, there is much that is already known. The following are effects or consequences induced by continued deforestation:

Atmospheric Effects of Deforestation – Forests are carbon sinks that sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in its place. The rainforests of South America are responsible for 20% of Earth’s breathable oxygen.

As trees are cut down, the carbon dioxide they have sequestered is subsequently released back into the atmosphere, increasing the quantity of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.

Atmospheric Water – Trees help control the level of water found in the atmosphere. As trees are cut down, there is less water in the air to return to the soil. The result of deforestation is dryer soil that eventually will no longer support agriculture or cattle ranching.

Loss of Habitat – Eighty percent of Earth’s known animal and plant species reside in forests.
Forest trees provide shelter, while the canopy helps regulate light and temperatures. As these trees are removed, temperature variations, increased sunlight, and vulnerability could prove fatal for all forest plant and animal species.

This loss of habitat can result in the endangerment or extinction of known species, and more tragically, the loss of unknown species.

Flooding and Soil Erosion – Underground, tree, shrub, brush, and grassroots all work together to prevent soil erosion. Without trees, precious topsoil erodes and washes away, leaving the land sterile and more prone to flooding.

Soil erosion on deforested farmland only serves to perpetuate deforestation. As the land can no longer support crop growth or cattle grazing, new land is deforested.

Indigenous People’s Homeland – While the effects of deforestation in the urban setting are not yet as poignant, the impact on the indigenous tribes of the rainforests are immediate and often catastrophic.

Deforestation kills plants used for medicine and sustenance, drives away the animals, leaves the indigenous people susceptible to the elements, and violently disrupts their way of life.

Read more about how trees are vital to our environment at fasttreeremovalatlanta.com/importance-trees-environment

Deforestation Solutions

There are many ways to look at potential solutions for deforestation. The obvious answer is to stop the human activities that are causing it. However, with an increasing population of people comes an increase in demand for the commodities grown on deforested land.

So, here is what you can do now to help reverse the effects of deforestation:

Plant a Tree – Every tree planted and cared for abates the effects of deforestation. You can learn about choosing the right species and planting location at fasttreeremovalatlanta.com/tree-planting-location-landscape-species

Research – By learning about organizations fighting deforestation and its global effect, you can gain insight on ways to help slow and eventually stop deforestation. For example:

• WWF – For more than 50 years, the World Wildlife Federation has worked with government entities, companies, and communities promoting certification for responsible forest management practices, combating illegal logging, reforming trade policies, protecting forested land, and much more.

• IUCN – Since 1948, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has been a membership Union composed of government and civil organizations. By providing public, private, and non-governmental organizations with information and tools that enable and support human progress, economic development, and nature conservation to take place simultaneously.

• Pachamama Alliance – The Pachamama Alliance is a global community offering people the opportunity to learn, connect, engage, travel, and cherish life to create a sustainable future for all. Read More at pachamama.org/about/mission

Advocate – Take action by becoming a subscriber, donor, or member of an accredited organization that is responsibly working to stop unnecessary deforestation and the eventual demise of our climate.

Deforestation and Climate Change

Stopping deforestation is not “rocket science.” All living creatures depend on the planet’s forests in one way or another, and deforestation coupled with climate change is taking us down a path of inevitable calamity.

In this article, you discovered the causes of deforestation, its global effects, and what you can do to participate in solving these issues.

If deforestation continues unabated, global warming, climate change, and the destruction of life on earth is inevitable.

Sources:
worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/deforestation-and-forest-degradation
pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation
wri.org/blog/2018/06/deforestation-accelerating-despite-mounting-efforts-protect-tropical-forests

Fast Tree Removal Services Atlanta

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Importance of Trees to the Environment

Without trees, there’s no environment for life on earth. Every living creature is affected by the health of the world’s tree population.

Trees influence everything from the environment to our physical health. As the world’s tree population diminishes, ignorance and inaction are no longer viable options concerning our forest and urban tree population.

fasttreeremovalatlanta.com gathered information on the importance of trees in our forests and urban settings for the environment, wildlife, and human health.

Importance of Our Forests

The importance of our forests to the health of our planet cannot be overstated. One of the primary functions of trees is to consume CO2 from the atmosphere and release oxygen to it through the process of photosynthesis.

In fact, our forests are responsible for 35% of the oxygen used by the Earth’s inhabitants, soil stabilization, flood control, fresh water purification, and cooling the planet.

Forest trees play an intricate role in keeping the planet cool, by regulating the exchange of solar energy and water between the planet’s surface and atmosphere, trees are one of the planet’s most significant defense mechanisms in stopping global warming.

Of the approximately 3 trillion trees growing today, 15 billion are felled, die, or are lost in wildfires each year. If these numbers are left unaddressed, our planet will lose its last tree in roughly two hundred years. Then, slowly, all life will expire as the world becomes inhospitable.

Visit fasttreeremovalatlanta.com/trees-dying-all-over-the-world to read more about the plight of trees on a global scale.

Urban Tree Benefits

Trees in the urban setting are fundamental for healthy living. The following are some of the benefits from a healthy urban tree canopy:

Improved Air Quality – Besides the oxygen they produce, trees absorb and store carbon dioxide. Trees also act as a filter by trapping and holding impurities, pollutants, and dust.

Increased Property Value – Because of their aesthetic value to a property, trees create curb appeal which translates to higher property value.

Boosted Wildlife Habitat – As squirrels, birds and other wildlife enter the urban setting, it is the trees that create microhabitats for them to seek refuge, acquire sustenance, and thrive.

Environmental Control and Regulation – Mature trees within a city efficiently absorb CO2, reduce wind speeds, moisten the air through evapotranspiration, and can significantly reduce the temperature in a city by reflecting solar energy.

Cities large and small across the nation recognize the need for a significant canopy cover and have developed or adopted tree ordinances which protect the health and population of their trees.

The most straightforward way to make a difference and improve the world you live in is to plant and care for a tree. If everyone did this annually, there would be 75 billion new trees within ten years.

Trees and the Environment

Trees are the stabilizers of the planet’s ecosystem. As forests return moisture to the air, they are fundamental in the formation of clouds, helping to regulate weather patterns, and as previously mentioned, participate in the production of breathable air for all surface life on the planet.

Trees act like scrubbers, removing pollutants from the soil and air and help purify freshwater streams and reservoirs.

As trees grow up, they also grow down. Tree roots are fundamental in the prevention of soil erosion and flooding.

While wildfires can be life-threatening and cause massive devastation, the soil left behind is carbon and nutrient rich.

It takes time, but most tree species are able to repopulate areas affected by wildfires successfully. In fact, some tree species like the quaking aspen depend on such disturbances to grow and thrive.

How Do Trees Help Birds and Animals?

Animals, insects, lichen, fungi, and even bacteria rely on trees for habitation, refuge, and food.

In both forests and urban settings, migrating species of birds will often seek out the same trees to nest in year after year. Some owls and woodpeckers will take up residence as the trees age and offer hollow spaces in their trunks for nesting.

A single mature tree is capable of sustaining several hundred different species all at once.

Health Benefits of Trees

Besides all of the amazing things trees do to help stabilize our atmosphere and make it possible for us to live, there is another side to trees that is not spoken much of in today’s society.

For several millennia, trees have been treasured by indigenous people for their medicinal values. Species like oak, pine, and birch were once highly prized for the healing qualities of the leaves, bark, roots, and sap.

Pine trees were regularly used to:

• Improve Blood Circulation

• Improve Vision

• Improve Skin and Hair Health

• Promote Respiratory Health

• Boost the Immune System

To learn more about medicinal trees and their benefits, visit fasttreeremovalatlanta.com/4-healing-trees-your-backyard

The Importance of Trees to Mankind

The fate of all life on our planet is intertwined with the survival of our tree population. Without trees to regulate and maintain the environment, there would be no life on Earth.

In this article, you discovered the importance of trees in forest and urban settings, how they affect the environment, wildlife, and our health.

As climate change and global warming become more of a threat to our planet’s ecosystem, ignorance and inaction must be replaced by attention and care for our urban and forest tree populations to survive.

Sources:
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/the-regents-park/things-to-see-and-do/gardens-and-landscapes/tree-map/why-trees-are-important
https://ucanr.edu/sites/sjcoeh/files/74156.pdf
https://www.nap.edu/read/5492/
https://news.osu.edu/forests-fight-global-warming-in-ways-more-important-than-previously-understood/
http://cuer.law.cuny.edu/?p=1839

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Fast Tree Removal Services Atlanta

3379 Peachtree Road #555a, Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 220-9965

https://plus.google.com/106668165995494593621

Fast Tree Removal Services Dunwoody

2111 Peachford Cir, Dunwoody, GA 30338
(404) 220-9963

To view the orignal version of this post, visit: http://www.fasttreeremovalatlanta.com/importance-trees-environment

Why Are Trees Dying All Over the World?

Trees around the world are dying, and they’re going fast. Can we figure out how to remedy this before it’s too late?

Trees on a global scale are being threatened and are dying from drought, disease, insects, and fire as average worldwide temperatures are on the rise. Individual action to plant and protect trees can and should be taken.

fasttreeremovalatlanta.com collected information demonstrating how global warming and climate change have adversely affected trees all over the world, including screwbean mesquite trees, ancient baobab trees, dying forests in California, and the plight of the pines in Canada’s Jasper national forest.

Tree Threats Due to Global Warming and Climate Change

As global warming leads to climate change, trees are forced to adapt or die. While many tree species are able to accommodate subtle temperature changes, there are those that are unable to cope with the environmental changes. Read here about climate change and the future of deciduous trees.

Warmer temperatures translate to a longer growing season. This produces larger trees with less wood density and a lower capacity to absorb and store carbon dioxide.

As trees are responsible for removing more than 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the global atmosphere, a decline in their capacity is noteworthy and somewhat alarming. For more on the planet’s carbon cycle visit globecarboncycle.unh.edu/CarbonPoolsFluxes.shtml

With higher temperatures (even by 1 or 2 degrees), droughts are becoming more frequent and widespread, potentially leading to:

Carbon Starvation – During a period of drought, trees will go into a state of conservation where they all but cease carbon dioxide absorption, thus dramatically reducing photosynthesis and the production of nutrients for the tree.

While many trees species have evolved to withstand drought, their decline and eventual death are hastened as periods of drought become more frequent and lengthy.

Hydraulic Failure – During periods of prolonged or severe drought, the lack of water also known as hydraulic failure can quickly debilitate and kill trees.

Bark Beetle Infestations – This same increase in temperatures also leads to more favorable conditions for wide-spread bark beetle infestations including in high-elevation pines.

As a beetle bores into the bark of a pine tree, it is met with resin, the tree’s primary defense mechanism. During periods of drought, the resin flow from pine trees is reduced, lowering the tree’s capability to repel the beetle’s attack.

Weather acts as another of the tree’s defense mechanisms against bark beetles. To kill a beetle brood, winter temperatures must remain below freezing for at least a week, and even this depends on the species of beetle.

USDA Hardiness Zone Map 1990 to 2015

To illustrate the warming tendencies across the continental United States, look no further than the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. The image below represents temperature increases between 1990 and 2015, subsequently causing a shift in the borders and sizes of the hardiness zones.

Some of these changes are significant enough to alter species selections for landscapes and gardens, more notably in the southern states. If these changes continue over the coming decades, plants and tree species planted as little as 30 years ago may succumb to their changed environment.

Dying Screwbean Mesquite Trees in the Southwest United States

Found in western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, California, southern Nevada, and in northern Mexico, the screwbean mesquite tree is a well-adapted species for desert climates. Yet, this tree species is rapidly dying off.

While the reasons for the decimation of the screwbean mesquite are still eluding researchers, two strong candidates are emerging from the theories:

Temperature Increases – While desert vegetation is uniquely adapted to withstand high temperatures and sparse rainfall, it is the increase in overnight temperatures that may be causing the decline and death of this species.

Pathogens – In recent studies of dead screwbean mesquites, an unknown pathogen has been discovered in several of the specimens. Whether this pathogen played a part in the demise of the trees or was an effect of what caused their death is still undetermined. To read more about the plight of the screwbean mesquite visit blog.nature.org/science/2018/10/09/the-mystery-of-the-dying-mesquites/

Ancient African Baobab Trees Dying Off

African baobab trees are long-lived, with some having thrived for over 2,000 years. That is, until recently. According to a recent study of the eldest of the species, they have all begun to decline or die.

Most striking is that baobab trees that have persisted for so long are now dying one after another, indicating a dramatic change in their ecosystem.

While more research is needed for a conclusive determination, the trees are currently under pressure by increasing temperatures and drought. All information thus far points towards climate change as the culprit. Read more here nature.com/articles/s41477-018-0170-5.epdf

Dying Trees in California

The effects of rising temperatures, infestations, and drought on forests are abundantly clear in California’s forests. In mid-2016, aerial surveys documented that nearly 28 million trees had died in the California forest landscape.

With a landscape already prone to wildfires, California in recent years has seen its most destructive fires leave paths of devastation through communities and entire cities.

Fueled by dead and dying trees, these fires are fast-moving, more intense, and deadly reminders of the effects the climate is having on trees. For more wildfire information visit insurancepublicadjustersofgeorgia.com/wildfire-property-insurance-claim/

For further reading on the death of trees in California visit www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article75411182.html

Trees Changing, in Decline, and Dying Around the World

As average temperatures rise around the world, invasive diseases, pests, and drought are taking their toll on the global tree population.

In Europe, studies have revealed that warmer temperatures have created a longer growing season, producing larger, but weaker trees.

Canadian forests are being decimated by mountain pine beetles. As temperatures rise, the beetles are able to survive and successfully attack in higher altitudes. Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies is a perfect example where nearly half of the park’s trees have been affected and are either in decline or dead.

Tree diseases are also on the rise. In the recent past, Dutch elm disease and hemlock woolly adelgid caused catastrophic tree loss in eastern forests.

In 2010, it was found that Hawaii’s ohi’a trees were infected and dying from what was called ohi’a death disease. By 2016, nearly 50,000 acres on the big island’s native forest were found to be infected with the disease.

Currently, Beech leaf disease is posing severe threats by rapidly spreading to Beech trees in all stages, including saplings, mature trees, and those that are centuries old in the northeastern United States and Canada.

Rising Global Temperatures and Tree Loss

Trees are being negatively impacted on a global scale by rising temperatures. Without a solution in thecoming decades, our forests may all be at risk of dying.

In this article, you discovered how the world’s tree population is struggling with rising global temperatures, drought, aggressive diseases, insect infestations, and wildfire. You also found out that screwbean mesquite trees, African baobab trees, and North American pines are under incredible environmental stress.

It may seem that on an individual level we are helpless to halt or reverse these climatic changes. However, we can plant trees and shrubs in their correct hardiness zones, take measures to control tree pests and infestations, and provide ample water for your trees.

Sources:
https://grist.org/article/the-last-ditch-effort-to-save-the-worlds-forests-from-climate-change/
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaba0f/pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms5967
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/climate-change-making-trees-bigger-weaker
https://www.arborday.org/media/mapchanges.cfm

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Fast Tree Removal Services Atlanta

3379 Peachtree Road #555a, Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 220-9965

To view the orignal version of this post, visit: http://www.fasttreeremovalatlanta.com/trees-dying-all-over-the-world