Deforestation of The Pacific Northwest Essay -- Environmental Endanger

disforestation of the Pacific Northwest One of the most disputable areas associated with the global problemof deforestation is the Pacific Northwest of the US. The problem can be broken down into several issues that all tie in together. These embarrass the nearextinction of the Northern Spotted Owl, the business aspect of enter versusthe environmental aspect, and the role of the political relation in this problem. In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed. This enabled theDept. of vocation and Dept. of the Interior to place species, either land ormarine, as either threatened or endangered. under these terms species could nolonger be hunted, collected, injure or killed. The northern spotted owl fallsunder the more serious condition of beingness endangered. Also, the bill forbidsfederal maturatencies to fund or lift out any activity that would threaten thespecies or its habitat. It is the latter part of the bill that causes thecontroversy. Under the ESA, l oggers should non be allowed to cut down the grizzly- issue of the forest. The old growth of a forest includes the largest andoldest trees, living or dead. In the case of the North Coast forests, thisincludes or so thousand-year-old stands with heights above three-hundred feet anddiameters of more than ten feet. In 1990, the number of spotted owls dropped to 2000 breeding pairs. Thepreservation of any species contributes to the biodiversity of an area. In anecosystem, the absence of one species creates unfavorable conditions for theothers. The absence of the spotted owl could have a crucial effect on theNorth Coast forest ecosystem. In order to send the owl race in the rightdirection, the major problem for their dip would have to be remedied lossof habitat. This fact combined with the owls short life expectancy and late ageof breeding only exacerbates the problem. When loggers remove old growth theowl overlooks habitat for its food, housing, as well as protection from p redators.Approximately ninety percent of the forests in the Pacific Northwest havealready been harvested. In order to protect the current owl population, theremaining forests would have to be preserved, but this would have a seriousnegative economical effect. Such a decision would effect jobs, regional economy,as well as the lifestyle of loggers. With such a... ...siness. In some(a) cases, the money subsidizes the largecompanies for things such as logging roads in order to keep the cost of paperand other tree products down. These same companies send out their lumber to Japanfor milling onwards they are sold back to the United States at a higher price.Not only does the public lose money in this process but it cost Americans anumber of jobs. On the other hand, agencies have made efforts to preventdeforestation. Members of the Forest Service amend not only the largecompanies, but the mystic landowners as well. It is the private owners who ownsixty percent if the forests being harv ested. By helping to show how hidebound forestry techniques can be made efficient as well as moreprofitable, they are helping to diminish the rate of deforestation. If moremoney was spent on research and the spread of new and separate techniques, thenthe taxpayers money would be better spent. In conclusion, there are severalaspects of deforestation in the Pacific Northwest that need to be evaluatedbefore the situation becomes irreversible. If the current harvesting techniquescontinue, our children will be missing more than the spotted owl. Deforestation of The Pacific Northwest Essay -- Environmental Endanger Deforestation of the Pacific Northwest One of the most controversial areas associated with the global problemof deforestation is the Pacific Northwest of the US. The problem can be brokendown into several issues that all tie in together. These include the nearextinction of the Northern Spotted Owl, the business aspect of logging versusthe environmental as pect, and the role of the government in this problem. In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed. This enabled theDept. of Commerce and Dept. of the Interior to place species, either land ormarine, as either threatened or endangered. Under these terms species could nolonger be hunted, collected, injured or killed. The northern spotted owl fallsunder the more serious condition of being endangered. Also, the bill forbidsfederal agencies to fund or carry out any activity that would threaten thespecies or its habitat. It is the latter part of the bill that causes thecontroversy. Under the ESA, loggers should not be allowed to cut down the old-growth of the forest. The old growth of a forest includes the largest andoldest trees, living or dead. In the case of the North Coast forests, thisincludes some thousand-year-old stands with heights above three-hundred feet anddiameters of more than ten feet. In 1990, the number of spotted owls dropped to 2000 breeding pairs. Thep reservation of any species contributes to the biodiversity of an area. In anecosystem, the absence of one species creates unfavorable conditions for theothers. The absence of the spotted owl could have a significant effect on theNorth Coast forest ecosystem. In order to send the owl population in the rightdirection, the major problem for their decline would have to be remedied lossof habitat. This fact combined with the owls short life expectancy and late ageof breeding only exacerbates the problem. When loggers remove old growth theowl loses habitat for its food, housing, as well as protection from predators.Approximately ninety percent of the forests in the Pacific Northwest havealready been harvested. In order to protect the current owl population, theremaining forests would have to be preserved, but this would have a seriousnegative economical effect. Such a decision would effect jobs, regional economy,as well as the lifestyle of loggers. With such a... ...siness. In some case s, the money subsidizes the largecompanies for things such as logging roads in order to keep the cost of paperand other tree products down. These same companies ship their lumber to Japanfor milling before they are sold back to the United States at a higher price.Not only does the public lose money in this process but it costs Americans anumber of jobs. On the other hand, agencies have made efforts to preventdeforestation. Members of the Forest Service educate not only the largecompanies, but the private landowners as well. It is the private owners who ownsixty percent if the forests being harvested. By helping to show howconservative forestry techniques can be made efficient as well as moreprofitable, they are helping to diminish the rate of deforestation. If moremoney was spent on research and the spread of new and better techniques, thenthe taxpayers money would be better spent. In conclusion, there are severalaspects of deforestation in the Pacific Northwest that need to be eval uatedbefore the situation becomes irreversible. If the current harvesting techniquescontinue, our children will be missing more than the spotted owl.