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Oceans are not the only environment in danger from us, forests are also far from thriving. Deforestation, pollution, and carbon footprints are all things that can be the downfall of all forests. When you think of forests you might think of the Amazon rainforest, or the forest of redwoods in California which are in danger, but the forgotten forests right behind your backyard need to be considered too. There are so many forests around the world, with so many important and beautiful plants and animals. We may not be able to save all of them, but we have to try.
Deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is a global problem due to the demand for wood, agricultural development, and commercial development. Every year there are around 15 billion trees cut down3. These trees transform land into an environment, whether a swamp, forest, or park, there are thousands of reasons to save trees living around them. Think about the thousands of species of plants there are, now think about how many species are being lost, or are already gone4.
Birds, deer, rabbits, insects, flowers, and the thousands of other wildlife depending on the trees for survival. Animals lose their habitats that are so special and unique to them to a certain point that they cannot survive, and make them vulnerable to extinction. When you go to a zoo, you see all kinds of monkeys, sloths, panthers, and even tigers. Imagine a world where those animals were so rare you might not even be able to see them at the zoo. There are already certain animals that are endangered due to our impact, we really don't need to increase those numbers. Instead, increase the numbers of survival5.
Your interests may not lie with plants or animals, but maybe humans. Trees clean the air of greenhouse gases, or CO2, and other pollutants. Without trees, and people releasing more greenhouse gases, humans would be taking more bad gases in than ever. Consider this problem: Less trees + more CO2 = unhealthy air for us to breathe.
Solutions are using the exact amount of wood you need, and not wasting. Replenish what you use, plant the same amount of trees you used, or more. Help reduce the amount of commercial businesses wrecking forests. I am not saying to stop using wood, and there can't be any more businesses, but if we reduce it, and replenish it, we can make a difference.
Pollution
Pollution
Pollution is an obstacle for every environment. You may just think that this only applies to the ocean, or the side of the road, but it effects the forests too. There are many types of pollution, including, air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution, and the trash everywhere.
Air pollution is caused from something as simple as the exhaust of cars and trucks6. The more exhaust emitted is more of that black gas you see come out of cars, that is released into the air we breathe. It may not always be visible, but it is there. Factories6, the burning of fossil fuels7, refineries, and industrial waste8are all also emitting gases into the air. This air pollution causes acid rain, which is not actual rain, which in turn makes soil and waterways acidic9. Acid rain kills wildlife, weakens trees, corrodes buildings and ruins lakes10. Plus, air pollution causes global warming, and higher temperatures means more forest fires35.
Soil pollution is contamination of toxic substances in the soil11. Toxic products, and oil spills both affect the soil12. These problems infect the waterways, which can kill wildlife, and if humans drink it, we could be affected too. The soil is so important, a critical factor in a forests ability to withstand pollution seems to be the soil13. The soil is even being destroyed though, the cation capacity, the soil's ability to store a single group of nutrients14, or cations, are being destroyed by acid pollutants15.
Though there are so many problems, there are solutions. Carpooling, using less fossil fuels, and helping reduce industrial waste, are just a few of the basic things you can do to stop air pollution. You can stop soil and water pollution by taking proper care of toxic products. Then there is taking care of the garbage cluttering the forest floor. Our forests are beautiful, we should take care of them, after all, we would rather look at a pretty scene than one filled with trash.
Top photo from : https://wallpapertag.com/beautiful-forest-wallpaper
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