What are the advantages and disadvantages of selective logging?

Selective logging is more sustainable than clear-cutting because other trees and plants do survive in the logging process and over time can allow the forest to recover. However, it does have major drawbacks. Although single trees are felled because they are valuable, other trees can be damaged in the process.

What are advantages of selective logging?

While selective logging is invasive, it does leave wildlife habitats intact, helping maintain the diversity of the forest. Also, leaving trees standing keeps the forest looking natural while contributing to reduced runoff of delicate topsoil and the minimizing of silting of nearby streams and rivers.

What are the pros and cons to selective cutting?

What are the advantages of logging?

Improves health – When logging is performed, the dead and diseased trees are harvested, thus preventing the spread of the fungi or bacteria which may damage other parts of the tree. In addition, the branches become over-crowded and weak if a tree has overgrown.

Is selective logging good or bad?

“Selective logging, unless it is practiced at very low harvest intensities, can significantly reduce the biomass of a tropical forest for many decades, seriously diminishing aboveground carbon storage capacity, and create opportunities for weeds and vines to spread and slow down the ecological succession.”

What is Sustainable Logging? The Benefits of Well-Managed Forestry to the Green Economy

What is selective logging?

Selective logging—the practice of removing one or two trees and leaving the rest intact—is often considered a sustainable alternative to clear-cutting, in which a large swath of forest is cut down, leaving little behind except wood debris and a denuded landscape.

How does selective logging help the environment?

Logging and replanting - selective logging of mature trees ensures that the rainforest canopy is preserved. This method allows the forest to recover because the younger trees gain more space and sunlight to grow. Planned and controlled logging ensures that for every tree logged another is planted.

What are the disadvantages of logging?

Negative Effects. If managed improperly, logging can have serious environmental impacts. Logging potentially removes habitat for birds and other wildlife that use trees for cover, nesting habitat, or food. Owls, for example, prefer older trees with a larger diameter for nest cavities.

What are the negative effects of logging?

The environmental effects of illegal logging include forest degradation, the loss of biodiversity and the emission of greenhouse gases, which leads to global climate change.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of deforestation?

It creates usable land for human expansion.

Deforestation may be an unfortunate practice, but it does quickly create needed usable space for agricultural purposes. It can also create more living space, allow for more transportation networks, and provide an economic stimulus.

What are the advantages of selective exploitation of forest tree?

Is selective logging expensive?

(Cons) Disadvantages of selective-cutting: • Expensive and time-consuming • Some species will not regenerate (regrow) as fast • More exposure to weather damage such as ice, storms, and fires • Lots of stumps and other tree debris left behind • Removes genetically superior trees, whose seed is needed to keep forest ...

What are the advantages and disadvantages of shelterwood cutting?

Shelterwood cutting is a more sustainable way of harvesting trees and preserving the environment. However, clear cutting is faster and can create more resources. Though, when clear cutting, the chosen forest is decimated and anything that's in the way is chopped down (including animals).

What are disadvantages of selective breeding?

Risks of selective breeding: reduced genetic variation can lead to attack by specific insects or disease, which could be extremely destructive. rare disease genes can be unknowingly selected as part of a positive trait, leading to problems with specific organisms, eg a high percentage of Dalmatian dogs are deaf.

What are the disadvantages of shelterwood cutting?

Tree damage can result from shelterwood logging equipment—like skidders that haul the logs out of the woods—scuffing trees, while falling trees can also break limbs or scuff remaining trees. This kind of damage can degrade the value of those remaining trees in future harvests.

Is selective logging better than clear-cutting?

According to NASA, clear cutting is much more damaging to a tropical rain forest because when all of the trees are removed, the soil loses its nutrients and becomes barren (NASA, 1998). However, according to Ashton, in some cases, it is better to clear-cut a forest than to selectively log it.

What are the disadvantages of illegal logging?

The environmental effects of illegal logging include deforestation, the loss of biodiversity and the emission of greenhouse gases. Illegal logging has contributed to conflicts with indigenous and local populations, violence, human rights abuses, corruption, funding of armed conflicts and the worsening of poverty.

What are the disadvantages of deforestation?

The disadvantages to deforestation are an increased amount of carbon dioxide emissions and soil erosion as well as the destruction of forest habitat and the loss of biological diversity of both plants and animals.

How does logging affect wildlife?

It causes habitat destruction, increased risk of predation, reduced food availability, and much more. As a result, some animals lose their homes, others lose food sources – and finally, many lose their lives. In fact, deforestation is one of the main causes of extinction. Let's find out how exactly this happens.

What are the disadvantages of cutting trees?

There are many disadvantages, it will affect the water cycle, it will destroy the flora and fauna, it will lead to an increase in carbon dioxide, thereby increasing global warming. Cutting trees destroys the habitat of animals and birds, causes floods and fires, limits the supply of wood or timber.

What are the 10 Disadvantages of forest?

What are the disadvantages of trees?

1)Trees can intercept debris which may otherwise become a flying missile. 2)Poorly chosen trees or a tree in the wrong place as up against a building give other trees a bad name. 3)Fallen trees may affect power lines etc, so check the height of the trees being planted. 4)Fallen trees incur clean-up costs.

How does selective logging improve biodiversity?

Sparing unlogged forests avoids the rapid initial loss of species that occurs with selective logging and could help maintain higher levels of biodiversity, overall, by protecting vital ecosystem functions like decomposition and seed dispersal.

What is the effect of selective logging on the composition of a forest community?

The researchers found that selective logging drastically changed the composition of the forest. In logged areas, there were far fewer species that depended on animals, such as birds, for dispersal; whereas there were more species dispersed by abiotic forces (non-living actors) such as wind.

Why is selective cutting the most sustainable?

Selective Cutting as a Tool of Sustainable Forestry

Removes some of the profitable mature growth. Allows more light to penetrate the upper story of growth. The remaining tree growth will increase dramatically. Allows trees that are shade intolerant to receive more light.