Forestry and the Economy

~Comparison of wood product markets~

1.        Whenever people think of jobs in the forestry industry they usually just think of lumber jacks. In reality there are various different jobs in the forestry industry such as a conservation scientist or a forest technologist. In Ontario more than 90,000 people have a job in forestry. Billions of dollars are made each year from this industry; billions more are invested in secondary industries that use this natural resource (wood) to make products e.g. paper making industry. Forestry has a very high economic value in Canada; British Columbia alone is the world's largest exporter of forest products. The pulp and paper industry has employed more than 30,000 people in B.C.-it is a 3.5 billion dollar industry.

Clear Cutting vs. Forest Fires--are the effects the same?




~Clear cut forest~

People often compare clear cutting and forest fires, and you can’t help but think-aren’t they the same thing? Masses of trees are destroyed in both cases, so are habitats. One is a natural disaster, while the other is just human needs. Clear cutting leaves large patches of barren land in between forests, it will take hundreds of years for it to reshape into its natural form but it will still never be the same because the ecosystem is much too disturbed. Clear cutting is the same thing as natural disasters/disturbances is the reason foresters give when asked if clear cutting is the right way of harvesting wood. Forest fires skim through a forest, because fire spreads fast so it doesn’t destroy a large section of a forest like clear cutting does.  Of course forest fire still affect the environment negatively, but clear cutting more is not helping the cause.

~After a forest fire~

Too Much Clear Cutting in Nova Scotia!!

 

     On average Nova Scotia has clear cut over 500km² of forest area per year since 1992.Unfortunately, in Nova Scotia clear cutting is becoming a very big problem. Over 98% of forest cut down in Nova Scotia was clear cut in 1998. Many environmentalists are taking action and writing letters to the mayor, and providing alternative ideas such as selective cutting. Even though it's not as fast and as easy it can still benifit the economy because you are giving the customors exactly what they want (using timber as an example) and you are making a lot of money that way. Selective cutting is the most expensive type of harvesting wood but it can be a very benificial method in the long-run. Majority of the public according to a recent survey suggests that clear cutting should only be performed if the tree species and land/area is compatible to the negative effects. In other words foresters should carefully pick and choose which area they should clear cut, the tree species and the surrounding area should not be as negatively affected. Today there is no law that applies to forestry in partcular, loggers are free to clear cut wherever they wish to, this is why Nova Scotia is suffering today in terms of protecting the environment. I feel that there should be a ban or some sort of law that prohibits you from clear cutting more than a certain number of hectares in an area in Nova Scotia.  

Clear Cutting..it's unsustainable but..????

   Forestry is a very big and booming industry in Canada, if it were to completely end it impact the economy hugely because the industry provides so many jobs. Basically half of Canada is made up of forests, so forestry companies take this for granted and decide to harvest wood by clear cutting. Clear cutting is cutting down all the trees in a particular area of a forest. The majority of Canada’s forests (90%) is clear cut. There are many draw backs to clear cutting the most obvious one is that it is very unsustainable.

Why is it Unsustainable?

·         Causes soil erosion

·         Disturbs the surrounding ecosystem

·         Animals lose their habitats

·         Less trees means more CO2 in the air, which is one of the major causes of global warming

    No matter how much clear cutting is criticized and looked down upon we still cannot deny the fact that it is cheapest and easiest way of harvesting wood. Not to mention that it is safer for the loggers. Alternatives to clear cutting would be shelter wood or selective cutting, however clear cutting is more desirable from a capitalists point of view.