The map above illustrates the rate of deforestation from 1990-2000. Lighter pink/beige colors represent areas that have had little logging, whereas the darker red/maroon shaded areas embody terrains that have undergone heavy deforestation. This clearing of land is wiping Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land, as well as a contributor to habitat loss. Although forests cover 30% of the earth, large areas are being destroyed primarily in Brazil, as the map illustrates.
The United States, Canada, and eastern Europe are right behind Brazil in high rates of deforestation. Habitat loss is the #1 consequence from removing large forests, but other factors come into play as well. Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which
blocks the sun’s rays during the day and holds in heat at night. This
disruption leads to more extreme temperatures swings that can be harmful
to plants and animals.
"A more workable solution is to carefully manage forest resources by
eliminating clear-cutting to make sure that forest environments remain
intact. The cutting that does occur should be balanced by the planting
of enough young trees to replace the older ones felled in any given
forest. The number of new tree plantations is growing each year, but
their total still equals a tiny fraction of the Earth’s forested land" (www.enviornment.nationalgeographic.com).
Map from: http://www.theclimatehub.com/world-deforestation-map-1990-2000
Info from: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview/
