Forest area, is it decreasing or increasing? How is it actually?
For a long time there has been a discussion about the fact that we allow too much felling of trees. Last year, an interactive map of planned logging in Poland was published. At first glance, the view may be scary, but is there really anything to be afraid of?
Entire forest areas are highlighted in red on the map, regardless of whether the entire area or only a few nests are being cut. Unfortunately, this is a certain way of manipulation used on us, the recipients.. But have any of us actually wondered why trees are felled in the forests? There are several reasons…
The first is to protect healthy trees from pests and diseases. Due to climate change and the increase in air pollution, the health condition of tree stands has definitely deteriorated, making them more susceptible to diseases and pests. To protect a large part of the area from infection, you need to get rid of individual units.
The second issue concerns the amount of oxygen produced and the removal of carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, old trees perform this function to a lesser extent. Their „work” is not so effective anymore, so they are cut down, and about 13 young ones are planted in place of one old one. However, it is worth remembering that treated wood is still good for the environment because it remains a storehouse of carbon dioxide.
It is also natural to get rid of trees that threaten the environment or those that have been knocked down as a result of the elements and make it difficult to move around.
The last reason is the achievement by a large number of trees of the so-called age of felling. This is related to the introduction of the action to increase the country’s forest cover right after the war.
As you can see, there are many factors that influence logging, and yet society still negates these actions. But aren’t we the bigger threat?
We who throw garbage into the forests because we prefer to save.
We who get rid of old objects, leaving them in the forests.
We who pollute forests with chemicals, oils, paints.
Of course, it is right that excessive tree felling does not lead to anything good and adversely affects our environment, but this threshold has not been exceeded in our country.
As we can check ourselves, the area of forests in Poland increased by 566,000 hectares in the years 1991-2020. ha , i.e. by approx. 1.8%.
What does this mean in practice?
Every year, there are about 500 million new, young trees, which translates into an increase in afforestation of our area.
So maybe we should better think about our own actions and how to minimize the damage we create?
Bibliography:
1. https://www.money.pl/…/polskie-lasy-znikaja-w-oczach…
2. https://www.lasy.gov.pl/…/akt…/wielkie-sarzenie-w-lasach
