How is clear cutting good

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According to the WWF, trees can essentially act as anchors for soil. Removing those anchors can make the soil more vulnerable to erosion. Raines also points out that removing trees during clearcutting can also take away the bacteria, worms, and fungi that maintain and treat the forest soil, and removing these organisms may also put other forest plants at an increased risk of illnesses. The degradation of soil is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing society at present and clearcutting only contributes to it.

According to Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch EPFW , while clearcutting is potentially economically beneficial for timber owners, contractors and employees do not receive the same benefits. The EPFW points to data that suggests that the recreation associated with national forests may bring in 31 times as much income as logging these same national forests in the United States, and recreation may yield as many as 38 times as many jobs.

As a result of clearcutting, a formerly vibrant forest can look diminished and sparse. The aesthetic value of forests has economic value since beautiful forests can increase the property value of a given area and attract tourists. The EPFW talks about how the natural beauty of the Sierra Nevada forests is a tremendous draw in terms for both tourists and people interested in relocating.

Recreation is one of the ways in which the habitat loss caused by clearcutting can intersect with other consequences of clearcutting since people interested in hunting or fishing for certain wildlife may lose the opportunity to do so as a result of clearcutting. While the value of natural beauty can be difficult to quantify, the EPFW refers to statistics that suggest that scenic highways may bring in as much as 32, dollars per mile.

While there certainly are many negatives to clearcutting, there are decided positives that can be very beneficial to ecosystems. According to the Sierra Logging Museum before a clearcut harvest is approved, several requirements must be met that include.

The association points out:. Clearcutting provides a way to clear stunted and diseased forests and afford the opportunity to replant and produce a healthy growing forest.

The clean slate offers the ability of artificial regeneration with a planned forest that includes a variety of species. In natural reforestation, plants that previously didn't grow underneath the forest canopy will thrive and provide new food sources for animals while encouraging new wildlife to move in. According to WWIA, it's a popular misconception that clearcutting increases soil erosion.

The organization points to poorly planned road systems as the biggest cause of erosion, not clearcutting. Clearcutting is said to benefit both soil and water. These benefits include:. There are arguments that clearcutting offers several financial advantages. One argument claims most timber companies profit greater from selective cutting than they do from clearcutting.

Selective cutting is based on market value, while clearcutting gives a mix of trees, some not suitable for veneers or other uses. Others argue that it costs less to clearcut than it does to harvest trees through selective cutting. Depending on which side you believe, timber companies could see an increased profit from clearcut harvested trees. While some of the negative effects of clearcutting are obvious, there are beneficial and positive ones, especially for unhealthy forests.

Clearcutting can transform an area in several ways that can be a mix of good and bad. Before making a decision about clearcutting your property, consider all these aspects. Green Living Environmental Issues Effects of Clear Cutting According to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute OFRI , clear cutting is the process by which all the trees in a given section of a forest are logged at once, with only a small number of trees left standing.

Habitat Loss The trees removed during a clearcut were part of the local ecosystem. In the drier, sunnier Ponderosa pine forests east of the Cascades, the forest canopy helps protect fragile seedlings from heat and frost, so clearcutting is less common.

Trees are usually harvested individually or in small groups. Thinning in western Oregon forests is typically done in overcrowded stands of trees. Removing selected trees reduces the competition for sunlight, water and nutrients, helping the remaining trees stay healthy and grow faster.

But when it comes to harvesting mature trees for timber west of the Cascades, clearcutting is more common than thinning. They will not grow well in the understory unless the overstory trees are very widely spaced. By creating a clearing with lots of sun exposure, clearcutting provides more ideal growing conditions for Douglas-fir seedlings planted after the timber is harvested.

Following harvest, Oregon law requires that trees be left as buffers along streams to protect water and fish habitat. And in the clearcut area, two trees or snags and two down logs per acre must be retained for wildlife habitat. After harvest, seedlings must be planted within two planting seasons, which typically run January through April.

Oregon rules limit clearcuts to acres, and adjacent areas in the same ownership cannot be clear cut until new trees on the original harvest site are well-established. Forest Management. Harvest Methods.

When is clearcutting the right choice? Forest Fact Break: Clearcutting. This increase in water accumulation is believed to be desirable since it serves to both provide water to populations of plants, animals, and even humans while also improving soil quality and encouraging tree regrowth. When land is clearcut, it is lost as a site of recreation. This is due to the need to use the land as a space for re-seeding trees and the fact that clearcut space loses much of its aesthetic appeal.

After a clearcut, many stumps are left as well as dead plants and trees; undergrowth then develops which prevents the land from being used, as it becomes difficult or impossible to navigate. In the s and s, clearcutting created more than half a million square miles of new farmland in developing countries, particularly in areas that formerly contained tropical rain forests. While this was harmful to the environment, and to biodiversity in the regions, it also helped create jobs for local farmers.

Similarly, new technologies and techniques in agriculture increase crop yields and slow expansion into other forested areas. Harrison Pennybaker began writing in He has written as a student and a journalist, specializing in politics, travel, arts and culture and current affairs.

He holds a Master of Arts in political science and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in political science. Related Articles Examples Of Deforestation. The Disadvantages of Deforestation.