North and Central America

INTRODUCTION

A major concern for our Earth today is deforestation. Deforestation is led by many reasons that are important for the safety of our environment. If these issues are not considered today they may lead to a destroyed earth. With issues like these a view of Earth in the future will only be of a toxic waste. Even the technology that we use today will not protect us forever. Our food source can become extinct and living things with it as well. It’s the forests that make possible the life known as it is.

Throughout the past few centuries man has cut down forests for his own use. The need of forests is increasing today as well. Forests are slaughtered for industrial use, are turned into toxic waste, and are being put to extinction which will eventually result in the extinction of all living organisms including humans. To its relief our continents should be more alarmed and have further programs to enhance our environment regarding deforestation. The reasons of deforestation vary from place to place, them being the activity of natural disasters in each region and the practice of cutting down forests by humans. North America here is one of the matters that concern us today. North American deforestation activity is increasing since the past century. There are however many reasons for this, such being economical political and social causes.

SOCIAL REASONS FOR DEFORESTATION

There is only one forest left in Queens, New York; it is located in Forest Park. Can you imagine having only one forest on the entire planet?

Lack of awareness in people becomes the number 1 reason that forests are carelessly being cut down. We can not let people tear down trees and destroy our very own survival. The trees standing high in the forests support much of the life below. Animals and plant species are coming toward extinction as we cut down these forests for building roads and logging. There are diseases and pests that forests are already fighting with and considering human enemies they need to rethink their habitats. If only they could think!

POLITICAL

To get control of government many party officials make unintelligible policies that affect the forests. Wars on countries such as nuclear wars or any sort of bombing on a piece of land also causes drainage and total destruction of the area. Half of Earth’s forests are already destroyed and according to a National Geographic Society report forests that are left will vanish in the next fifty years and along with them a quarter of all life forms. Another reason is poverty in nations which leads to clear cutting of forests by farmers and also illegal cutting. For instance, illegal cutting activities are increasing in Mexico and Honduras due to poverty.

ECONOMICAL

Making sure that their business is at the top and productive is every business mans’ job. This however does not mean that they have to go out cutting down every forest nearby. Many companies work on mining, timber harvesting, and logging to enhance their businesses but all that activity is done in a forest destroying its being. They clear forests for land and use the wood for production, making paper, drugs, and using fuel wood.

Some endangered forests in North America :

• Clayoquot Sound is a temperate forest in western Canada where clear cutting makes its move.
• Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is located in the United States in the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. An area of valleys and mountain ranges, it is at risk of being wiped out by logging and mining.
• Tongass National Forest is a coastal temperate forest in Alaska, United Sates. It is being threatened by mostly logging. It has great valleys and mountains.
• Glacier National Park and surrounding forests and wilderness areas is in Montana, United States. It is the only forest in the United States where predators such as grizzlies, wolves, and mountain lions exist.
• Forest of the Darien Gap is a tropical forest in Panama and Columbia. It is threatened by cocoa cultivation and wood cutting programs.
• Mathias Colomb First Nation Lands is in Manitoba, Canada. Being a temperate forest it is home to a First Nation Cree community who rely on the forest for their cultural life.
• North Cascades National Park and surrounding areas are in the United States and Canada. It is a temperate forest and is in threat by habitat collapse.

Main Causes:

• -Slash and Burn cultivation
• -flooding

Mexico :

• - Land disputes, competition for cutting timber,
• -incoherent development policies
• -fires
• -wood cutting programs
• -lack of environment and cultural awareness
• -slash and burn
• -land clearing
• -change in land use
• -fires
• -pests and diseases
• -illegal cutting

Canada :

• -drainage
• -logging
• -transforming of soil hydrology
• -changes in water quality and quantity
• -clear cutting
• -carbon storage

Dominica :

• -slash and burn agriculture
• -soil erosion
• -forest clearance for agricultural land
• -soil degradation

Costa Rica :

• -land tenure issues
• -conflicting policies affecting forests
• -unsustainable extraction of forest products
• -replacing the forests by other production systems such as pulpwood, cattle-raising, and farming

Honduras :

• -collection of fuel wood
• -mining activities
• -timber harvesting
• -poverty
• -forest fires

United States :

• -insufficient means to provide assistance to small private forest landowners
• -lack of investment research
• -the forests and their services are taken advantage of
• -Pressure by trade and globalization
• -Certain aspects of human behavior, such as egotism and greed
• -Policies to allow ranchers to have their cattle graze in national parks.

SOME STATISTICS

There are over 25 countries in both North and Central America. Each one has its own reason for deforestation in their place. Some of such countries are Mexico, Canada, Dominica, Costa Rica, Honduras, and the United States which are examples of the ones considering deforestation in their areas. In all of North and Central America there is 549,304 hectares of forest area in 2,136,966 hectares of total land area. Of all 17,533 hectares is plantation area. Seven of the forests existing in these continents are are in danger of being deforested. Mostly they are threatened by logging, mining, and pollution. There are many cultures that are being vanished along with the forests. Along with all of that could be a plant that could give a cure for cancer or even help end world hunger.