LOGGING: ACTIVITIES, TYPES, CONSEQUENCES - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The e forestry xplotación encompasses all economic activities that exploit natural resources of forests. Within the classic sectoral division of the economy, forestry is included within the primary activities, along with fishing or agriculture, among others.

Part of this exploitation is also called forestry. These are defined as the techniques used in forests so that the production of resources is continuous. The forestry economy is based, precisely, on getting to take advantage of the products offered by these wooded or jungle masses.

Among the most common types of exploitation are the use of wood, either directly or more indirectly. In the latter case is the use of the raw material to obtain cellulose, resin, rubber or other elements that require processing.

The consequences of intensive forestry are enormously negative ecologically. Deforestation brings with it fires, the disappearance of animal species or the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. For this reason, various international plans have been developed to try to impose a sustainable exploitation of these resources.

Primary logging activities

The primary activities in the economic field are those that depend on natural resources. From what the planet offers (water, crops, land, minerals…) products intended to serve as food or as raw materials are obtained.

The name "primary" comes from the fact that these economic activities are the basis of the others. Without the raw materials obtained through the exploitation of natural resources, the rest of the economic sectors could not develop.

Logging is one of these primary activities. It is one of the oldest, since humans have always taken advantage of what forests and jungles offered.

From the wood of the trees to materials such as resin, the forest stands have been the source of many products used to, for example, generate energy or make paper.

Forestry

The human being has created a series of techniques to be able to develop forestry as a primary activity. The name given to this discipline in forestry, a term that comes from the Latin “silva” (forest, jungle) and “cultura” (cultivation).

Forestry, in its theoretical aspect, is responsible for finding the best way to manage forest masses in order to obtain economic benefit. In recent years, it has incorporated several aspects so that the exploitation is not destructive, but is carried out in a sustainable way.

Since the production obtained from forestry is very diverse, you sometimes have to deal with some compatibility problems between types of production. This, in general, is usually divided into two, the direct and the indirect.

The first is the one in charge of obtaining immediate products, as well as raw materials. This type includes firewood, cork or resin. Also, for example, the hunting that takes place in these areas.

For its part, indirect production is one in which benefits are generated by the simple existence of forests. Carbon fixation or erosion reduction are two clear signs.

Forestry economics

Logging has been so important that, in some countries, the so-called forest economy has been established. This is based on the wood obtained from trees and is quite common in underdeveloped nations and with climates conducive to forest masses.

Wood, apart from its direct use, is used to obtain a large number of products. Among them, cellulose for paper, viscose or celluloid for photographic films. Likewise, it has been used as a means of producing energy.

Types

There are several ways of dividing logging by type. The first is according to the objectives that are sought with the activity. The first of these types is intended to achieve as much production as possible.

On the other hand, if the most important thing is quality, the production will be adjusted to the available resources. In this case, too, the forest mass affected by the activity is measured in a more sustainable way in order to make it lasting.

Studies carried out by forestry, for example, are based on an expected long-term production, 10, 50 or 100 years. That is why it is essential that the forest area does not decrease until it reaches a point of no return.

Forestry activity for agricultural purposes

The benefits of this type of activity are only profitable in the short term. In addition, it needs to be very well planned so as not to generate irreparable damage to the forest mass.

In some areas, rubber and oil palm have been cultivated which have achieved environmental benefits, such as maintaining the forest structure and improving water conservation.

Tree plantations

One of the most traditional types of logging has been the clearing of natural forests to replace trees with more profitable ones. This was especially the case in logging areas, where the most profitable species were planted.

In recent years, this type of performance is decreasing. The negative environmental consequences have made them counterproductive.

Use of Forest Resources

Besides wood, forests provide many other highly demanded and economically profitable products. A short summary includes camphor, rubber, cork, cellulose, or resin.

This variety has caused specialized forestry operations to appear in each of them.

Consequences

Logging and indiscriminate exploitation has had a series of negative consequences for nature. Discounting the, already persecuted, illegal deforestation, the lack of long-term vision has led to the disappearance or impoverishment of many forest areas.

Flora and fauna

The first consequence of the aforementioned is the loss of forest resources. In some cases, indiscriminate logging has led to the total disappearance of forests.

In others, homogeneous areas have been created to take advantage of some specific resources. Although forests continue to exist, diversity has disappeared, something negative for the environment.

The consequences do not only affect the flora. Forest masses are the habitat of many animal species. Their disappearance means, in many cases, the extinction of the fauna that lives in them.

Soil and pollution

The lack of tree mass is also very negative in other aspects. The roots are essential to strengthen the soil so that it is not degraded by erosion. In the long term, the effects can render the land unproductive.

Finally, it is worth noting the importance of forests to control CO2 in the atmosphere.

One solution: sustainable exploitation

Although environmentalists demand the complete stoppage of this economic activity, the truth is that experts do not see this solution as viable. Instead, various agencies have developed protocols so that the damage is as minor as possible.

In fact, it is considered that an exploitation with sustainability criteria can even be positive for the forests.

To achieve this, Sustainable Forest Management was born. The criteria that govern it were established at a conference for the purpose of the United Nations in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The pillars that must be respected are three: ecological, economic and sociocultural.

The objective is to reduce the disappearance of jungles and forests, while recognizing the need for certain populations to take advantage of their resources. The different approved regulations try to make both facts compatible.

References

1. Venemedia. Definition of Forest Exploitation. Obtained from conceptdefinition.de
2. Tíscar Oliver, Pedro Antonio. Forest exploitation and biodiversity. Obtained from ecologistasenaccion.org
3. Definition ABC. Definition of Forest Exploitation. Obtained from definicionabc.com
4. Elsevier. Forest exploitation. Retrieved from sciencedirect.com
5. PEFC International. Sustainable Forest Management. Retrieved from pefc.org
6. Maness, Thomas. Sustainable Forestry. Retrieved from themostnaturalresource.com
7. Fomou, Ghislain. Industrial Forest Exploitation: The Main Cause of Deforestation. Retrieved from well-grounded.org