Rick whats your opinion on this article please . WOOD buying Timber from outside damages the rain forest in a way exspecially if there supplier does not have the same concept as WOOD to reharvest I hope WOOD looks into this and buys from suppliers that play the game fair if not they are just as guilty of killing the rainforest. AGAIN THIS IS JUST OPIONION MY OPIONION ONLY.
Amazon has been suffering many environmental impacts during its
occupation.
In similar way to what happens with other Latin-American countries, Amazon
forest resources have being destroyed in a large scale and exploited with
great wastes.
The expansion of agricultural border has been characterized for fast
productivity falls due to precarious unproductive soils handling of most
lands that have being incorporated to productive process, through itinerant
agriculture, that uses deforestation and burning practices in opening new
areas, or through the transfer of extensive forest areas to great proprietors'
hands, that transform them into pasture.
The combination of those factors imply in extensive deforestation. Until the
end of the eighties, almost 400,000 km2 had been deforested, what means
about 8% of total forest area. However, mean deforestation rate dropped in
the nineties, to 14,000 km2 per year, after having reached 21,000 km2 per year
from 1978 to 1989.
Actually, the contribution of regional agricultural production to national
production is small (7% in 1980) as well as the area occupied by
establishments in Legal Amazon, including soy producers. Great part of
production, however, comes from great properties that participate on
agricultural production opening pastures. Raising cattle was the chose
activity because it is self-productive, demanding a minimum of capital and
labor for its maintenance, what allows capitalization in short periods and, at
the same time, justifies the appropriation of great amount of land, using State
subsidies. The exploitation of wood complements land use.
Deforestation, however, is not the unique agricultural environmental impact.
The removal of nutrients from low fertility soils is another great impact.
Wood exploitation, one of the main activities of Amazon has being developed
in a very harmful way, without concern with forest handling or with the use
of less aggressive extraction methods. The companies just use the log noble
part and the scraps, that could have several uses, are burned or not used. At
the same time, the farmers have in wood an alternative of income that works
as saving money, but they generally sell it to very low prices for wood
middlemen or change it for services.
Wood extraction in holms is made on plant populations located at rivers
borders, in easy access areas where exploitation can be done by traditional
methods. In firm ground forests, the extraction is accomplished by log men,
that have minimum infrastructure. Another exploitation form is made by
vertically integrated wood companies, that act in wood extraction as though
as in its industrialization. Most of these industries extract (or buy) wood,
exclusively, in farmer lands, while a very low number use their own lands.
The operations are, in general, highly automated, and they alter the forest
covering significantly, being potentially more destructive to the environment.
The most common wood extractive system is simple wood extraction in
colonization or agricultural projects areas. Minimum investment is made and
no concern with sustainability of forest production is shown. Cultivated
forests are hardly seen in Amazon. These areas are limited to exotic fast
growth species, and the production is sold directly to industries.
Reforestation with native species are incipient and its productivity is still
uncertain.
Hydroelectric power-station constructed in Amazon produced great impacts
too. The artificial ecosystem created affect not only the environment but also
the social and economic activities.
The reservoir changes the landscape and the flooded area alters the original
ecosystem characteristics in many ways. One example occurs with animals
that are moved: they go to areas where other populations exist in balance.
When they arrive the balance is broken, and problems like food competion
begins.
From economic point of view, it is necessary to estimate the costs of the loss
of agricultural production in the space of the river and in the area flooded by
the reservoir, as well as the value of the wood and minerals in the submerged
forest. The main social problem is family realocation.
From eighties the use of Amazon electric potential begins to change for three
main reasons: strong popular reaction in impacted areas, national and
international pressures and new laws.
Another great impact is made by gold mining. Two basic processes of gold
extraction can be found: gold recovery from soils and rocks and extraction
from sediments using dredging systems, used in many Amazonian rivers.
Besides extraction impacts, in both cases, mercury is used to separate thin
gold particles through a gold-mercury mixture. To recover gold, the mixture is
burned, frequently outdoors, liberating mercury vapor to the air. During the
gold-mercury mixing process, a variable amount of metallic mercury also gets
lost in rivers and soil.
Looks like me and you and sometimes John Hardee do the DD here you can knock me all you want but you must admit the DD got better on these threads for WOOD past few days.
David |
