CONSERVATIONFORESTS

Kristopher Kasulis

What is a Forest?

A large piece of land covered with trees and many forms of underbrush (Dictionary.com)

An ecosystem or multiple ecosystems dominated by trees and other plants

There are more than 200 different definitions of a forest all serving different purposes, a legal definition is going to be different than a ecological definition

Forests versus Woodlands

There are a few different ways to determine if a group of trees is a forest or a woodland

A forest (according to the National Vegetation Classification system) is a cluster of trees that have peaks or crowns that overlap covering 60%-100% of the ground (from above) or the sky (from within the forest)

A woodland (according to the NVC system) is an area that has trees that cover 25%-60%

Example of forest and woodland

What is happening to the forest?

Deforestation is happening worldwide and it has many adverse affects on the land, animals, and people around the world

Deforestation is the destruction of naturally occurring forests

Deforestation happens for many reasons Open land is very valuable Charcoal and lumber can be sold for a profit Open land is used for settlement or used to

pasture animals

Detrimental effects of deforestation

There are infinite numbers of effects deforestation has on earth, here are a few of the major ones Loss of biodiversity Change in climate worldwide Soil erosion And many more

Chain Reaction

Deforestation starts a destructive chain reaction of events

First is the immediate lack of trees which causes loss of animal species, climate change, and soil erosion

Next the climate change melts ice caps which raises water levels

Those high water levels increase the soil erosion, and threaten coastal areas with more powerful hurricanes

The loss of trees in the Amazon and many other rain forests can cause extreme droughts in other areas

The loss of animal species causes lack of biodiversity and can cause the overpopulation of other species

All of these events effect our everyday life

Chain Reaction

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