Derek Farnes

Geography 1700, Timmins

Global Deforestation
There are a few different causes of Deforestation that are triggered by
human decision. From clearing forests to use the land for building homes, oil
plants etc. to climate change causing temperatures to rise and kill off forests.
One of the biggest problems that we are causing as humans would be illegal
logging. Companies are cutting wood from protected areas and taking more
than they are permitted to because they are more worried about how much
they sell than how much damage they are doing.
This illegal logging not only ruins the forests but it creates other
problems as well. Illegal logging also depresses the price of timber
worldwide, disadvantaging law-abiding companies, and depriving
governments of revenues normally generated by duties and taxes. Outside
of illegal logging to sell, about half of the illegal logging that is occurring is
being taken to be used as fuel.
As to where this global deforestation is happening, the better question
to be asking is where is it not happening globally? On nearly every continent
we see the same patterns happening. And although some countries have
done better to regulate and keep this from happening, others are still on the
rise. A new global map of deforestation reveals that 888,000 square
miles(2.3 million square kilometers) of forest has vanished since 2000.
(Vanishing Forests, livescience.com)

Derek Farnes
Geography 1700, Timmins

Some countries such as Brazil have made an effort to stop

deforestation and have reduced the loss by 500 square miles a year. But the
rest of the tropics more than made up for Brazils improvements with rapidly
increasing losses.(Vanishing Forests, livescience.com) The country that has
increased the most between the years 2000 and 2012 was Indonesia. They
nearly doubled their loss in those 12 years, going from an average loss of
4000 square miles to more than 7700 square miles. 32 percent of global
loss occurred in the tropics, with half of that amount attributable to South
American countries(Vanishing Forests, livescience.com)
Once again there are many reasons why Deforestation is occurring.
Agricultural activities, logging urbanization, desertification and mining are a
few of the major ones. (Deforestation: Compromises of a Growing World)
Because of the growing populations around the world more forest is being
cleared so the land can be used to grow food and to raise cattle. Logging as
has already been mentioned and outlined is needed for firewood to cook and
warm, as fuel, for furniture and buildings etc.
Overpopulation has caused the need for more room for building houses
and roads which means clearing more land and forests. Mining oil and coal
takes a large portion of forests as well. Oil and coal mining require
considerable amount of forest land. Apart from this, roads and highways
have to be built to make way for trucks and other equipment(Deforestation:
Compromises of a Growing World) The need for land and the need to harvest

Derek Farnes
Geography 1700, Timmins

the wood itself are huge. The world would not be able to function without the
added land and wood to build and expand with the growing population.
There are steps being taken to regulate deforestation. There are not
only these efforts to regulate what is being taken, but many are trying to
reforest and grow these trees which are needed to live on this planet. One of
the technologies that is being produced to help in these efforts is TreeTAG.
It is a smartphone-based supply chain traceability system developed by
Earth Observation Systems that tracks the location of logs transported from
the forest to the mill.(Technologies that Track Woods Roots, wri.org) It helps
to make sure that the volumes of wood cut as well as any suspicious
activities get reported properly so that deforestation can be monitored.
There are other government agencies that are developing ways to help
trace the wood being shipped. Knowing where the trees were cut and
shipped from can help to regulate the amount of wood that is being cut to
make sure that it is not exceeding the amount that was granted. It also helps
to make sure that wood being shipped is being cut by companies that are
legally logging.
Overall deforestation is still on the rise and is an issue that effects each
of us much more than we are aware.

Derek Farnes
Geography 1700, Timmins

Sources
Deforestation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2016, from
http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation
Vanishing Forests: New Map Details Global Deforestation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2016, from
http://www.livescience.com/41215-map-reveals-global-deforestation.html
Deforestation - Causes, Effects and Solutions - Conserve Energy Future. (2013). Retrieved July
13, 2016, from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-ofdeforestation.php
5 Technologies Help Thwart Illegal Logging by Tracing Wood's Origin. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13,
2016, from http://www.wri.org/blog/2016/05/5-technologies-help-thwart-illegal-logging-tracingwoods-origin