Clearcutting is the removal of all large trees in a specific area, often for logging or land development. It is considered environmentally damaging, but some logging companies argue it is necessary for safety and profit. Clearcutting can have devastating impacts on the environment, including soil erosion and water contamination. While replanting is often required, environmentalists argue that permanent damage still occurs, including the displacement of wildlife.
Clearcutting is the practice of removing all large trees in a specific geographic region. This can be done for logging purposes, or it can simply be a way to remove unwanted vegetative growth for land development purposes. Of all the methods of harvesting and cutting trees, clear cutting is considered by many to be one of the most environmentally damaging.
Some logging companies believe that clearcutting is the best practice when clearing trees from a forest for safety and financial reasons. If logging companies are able to simply go in and clear out entire tracts of forested areas, there’s no need to worry about exactly where the roads will be built and how to choose which trees will be taken. Thus, the entire logging process can be speeded up, leading to more profits for the business and making it easier for the loggers as well.
Despite these benefits, logging has the potential to have a devastating impact on the local environment. There are very few natural disasters that can level an entire forest to the ground. The only thing that comes close is volcanic activity. Therefore, natural processes generally do not have a way to cope with such large-scale devastation. Also, there are many other problems that arise due to a deforested forest.
Of all the obvious effects, the removal of a natural tampon poses perhaps the most potential danger to humans. When this logging is done, the soil’s natural ability to hold topsoil and control erosion is diminished. Therefore, anything downhill from the site could be put at greater risk. Additionally, forests often help filter water runoff and remove hazardous substances that could contaminate the general water supply.
Responding to some of those concerns, logging companies and others who advocate the practice say they’re doing the responsible thing by replanting even more trees than are being taken. Therefore, they argue that clear cutting does, in fact, work to actually put more trees in an area rather than fewer. In most cases, some type of replanting is required when taking trees from public lands.
Environmentalists argue that there is still permanent damage even with replanting. Some understory species that thrive in mature forests, such as those that are shade tolerant, die off naturally as a result of logging. Additionally, some animals also need certain species of trees to thrive. Even if the area is replanted with the same species, which is often not practical, there will be a displacement of wildlife in the process.
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