Deforestation is a global issue which has been steadily improving for a number of years. However, these overall improvements have been due to increased replanting in Asia and not necessarily decreased deforestation in many parts of the world. The tropics are of great concern, where deforestation has not slowed in most places, especially due to their high biodiversity.
Along with concerns of the loss of the trees themselves, entire ecosystems can be lost due to deforestation. Even if an entire forest is not removed, fragmentation can also trigger major ecosystem downturns. In addition to ecosystem concerns, deforestation is also estimated to be responsible for upwards of twenty percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally each year.
Which is why a recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation focused on current timber practices in the tropics. The team focused on an example of tropical timber practices on the Solomon Islands. The scientists found the deforestation events ongoing on the islands concerning, especially as the current practices are not just occurring on the Solomon Islands but in many areas of the tropics.
In their study the scientists stated: “Unless something fundamental changes […] we believe that logged tropical forests will continue to be over-harvested and, far too frequently, cleared afterwards, leading to an inevitable global decline in native timber supplies. […] It has become common these days to speak of ‘peak oil’. In the tropics, we assert we should also begin to seriously consider the implications of ‘peak timber’.”
Previous studies have found that the harvesting of trees in the Solomon Islands would likely cause timber to be low by 2012. This was found to be due to too high a harvesting rate each year, not allowing the trees to regenerate for a proper number of years. Subsequently, areas designated for timber practices have been depleted causing a shift to forests not being managed and thus deforestation.
The scientists also found that alongside the timber practices and subsequent deforestation due to mismanaged forests, a number of other effects are compounding the problem. For example, the building of roads has resulted in the removal of trees and increased access for illegal logging. Deforestation and road building are also causing an influx of other negative impacts for the environment, such as illegal mining.
