2. What is a Forest? A large piece of land covered with trees and many forms of underbrush (Dictionary.com) An ecosystem or multiple ecosystems dominated by trees and other plants There are more than 200 different definitions of a forest all serving different purposes, a legal definition is going to be different than a ecological definition
3. Forests versus Woodlands There are a few different ways to determine if a group of trees is a forest or a woodland A forest (according to the National Vegetation Classification system) is a cluster of trees that have peaks or crowns that overlap covering 60%-100% of the ground (from above) or the sky (from within the forest) A woodland (according to the NVC system) is an area that has trees that cover 25%-60%
5. What is happening to the forest? Deforestation is happening worldwide and it has many adverse affects on the land, animals, and people around the world Deforestation is the destruction of naturally occurring forests Deforestation happens for many reasons Open land is very valuable Charcoal and lumber can be sold for a profit Open land is used for settlement or used to pasture animals
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7. Detrimental effects of deforestation There are infinite numbers of effects deforestation has on earth, here are a few of the major ones Loss of biodiversity Change in climate worldwide Soil erosion And many more
8. Chain Reaction Deforestation starts a destructive chain reaction of events First is the immediate lack of trees which causes loss of animal species, climate change, and soil erosion Next the climate change melts ice caps which raises water levels Those high water levels increase the soil erosion, and threaten coastal areas with more powerful hurricanes The loss of trees in the Amazon and many other rain forests can cause extreme droughts in other areas The loss of animal species causes lack of biodiversity and can cause the overpopulation of other species All of these events effect our everyday life
