Why Is It Important To Conserve The Forest?

Why is it important to conserve our forests?
Forests maintain chemical compounds from the Earth’s atmosphere. Plants from our forests eventually changed our atmosphere in the past to an atmosphere that can support animal and human life. Forests and plants enable the production of oxygen which we need to survive.
In the state of Virginia, forests cover approximately 15.8 million acres of land. In 2006 the economic impact the forestry industry made in Virginia alone was an estimation of 29 billion dollars. The forest industry in Virginia was ranked first in the nation in manufacturing employment. Sadly, Virginia is losing its forest lands at a rate of 26,000 acres per year, and it’s only getting worse. The forests are being converted into residential dwellings as well as business complexes. Loss of forest land obviously affects more than just our atmosphere and habitat. It affects the economic standing of any state or country.
What happens in forests around the world will have a big effect on us.
Avoiding the destruction of the global forest should be a critical strategy to fight global warming and is one of the most cost-effective and needed ways.
Forests have a critical role to play in promoting the well-being of both our environment and our economy
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it. They also provide habitat for endangered species, clean drinking water and offer economic opportunities. But the importance of forests has been overlooked in the ongoing discussions about dealing with climate change, the panellists said.
Forests are disappearing at an alarming rate around the world. One acre of forest is destroyed every second — or 37 million acres a year, an area larger than Ohio.
The loss of the rain forest in Indonesia and Brazil today accounts for 20 percent of emissions of carbon dioxide, a key global-warming gas. That is more carbon going into the atmosphere than all the automobiles, trucks, planes and trains in the world.
Indonesia is No. 3 and Brazil is No. 4 for carbon dioxide emissions, largely because of deforestation, behind the United States and China, data show.

Because of poor air quality in a few cities in the world there are more cases of asthma, allergies and much worse diseases. If we don't keep enough trees our air will never be clean because trees filter out the pollutants in the air. They provide shade from the sun and food for animals. If we don't protect one species of animals or mammals then the whole chain of events is unleashed. Wildlife is an important species in this world. It helps in maintaining the ecological balance, economical value and aesthetic or recreational value. This could be damaged if humans had more rights than animals to use forests and humans logged the forests.

The forest is the source of the worlds oxygen and home to millions of animals

Deforestation is on the rampage and not enough is done against this wanton destruction. The problem of deforestation emanates primarily due to legal and illegal felling of trees. When development began nobody gave a thought to ecology. The effect of our ecological ravages is mind-boggling.

Trees are natural air conditioners and oxygen cylinders. Trees stabilize the soil. Trees retain moisture in the soil. Deforestation results in severe soil erosion and affects agriculture. The fertile top soil is washed away by rainwater making cultivation impractical. Without trees to conserve rainwater in the soil, the entire rainwater flows away as surface 'run-off' and then is not available as ground water. Thus even a low rainfall becomes a disastrous flash-flood and this will be followed by a severe drought. While the surface of the land is being devastated by floods and drought, underneath, the sub-soil water level is fast sinking. With the sinking sub-soil level, sea water seeps in to restore the level. This causes salinity of water which cannot support agriculture. Food scarcity causing famines and massive death toll is expected as food production diminishes due to loss of soil moisture. There will be violent riots and conflicts for water because of the scarcity caused by droughts and pollution of rivers and lakes.

Denudation of forests is a major cause of landslips, droughts and floods. Plant more trees. Before you chop down a tree, think about the consequences. Preserve nature.

The Greenhouse Effect:The burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and methane) increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, raising the temperature. A global warming can have bewildering feedback effects. Global warming will cause sea level to rise and submerge coastal plains and delta regions of the Nile, the Ganges, the Mekong and the Mississippi. The Maldives and some oceanic atoll nations will disappear under water.Global warming will lead to higher temperature, more destructive thunderstorms and cataclysms (sudden weather changes).

Almost three quarter of the globe is water. If the polar ice caps thaw (melt) due to global warming, about half the remaining land would vanish.About 25 km above the earth's surface there is an Ozone layer. This layer shields the earth and protects life from the Sun's lethal ultraviolet radiation. Pollutants in the atmosphere are depleting this crucial layer of Ozone. The protective gauge around the earth is being eaten away... Leaving holes in it. Exposure to these rays damages our immune system and increases incidence of skin cancer.

The chain of disaster is endless. Misuse of forests, population explosion, pollution of air and water and economic development where ecology has been side-tracked are responsible for the grim scenario. We do not have much time to change our policies on ecological degradation.

Because of poor air quality in a few cities in the world there are more cases of asthma, allergies and much worse diseases. If we don't keep enough trees our air will never be clean because trees filter out the pollutants in the air. They provide shade from the sun and food for animals. If we don't protect one species of animals or mammals then the whole chain of events is unleashed. Wildlife is an important species in this world. It helps in maintaining the ecological balance, economical value and aesthetic or recreational value. This could be damaged if humans had more rights than animals to use forests and humans logged the forests.