5. Why do people cut down trees?
► Toclear land for
farming
6. Why do people cut down trees?
► Small farms to feed
families
Often formed by “slash
and burn”
► Slash -Cut down the
trees
► Burn the trees to clear
the land for farming
Generally cut down only
small areas at a time
7. Why do people cut down trees?
► Plantations
Clear large areas to
plant crops
Banana Plantation
8. Why do people cut down trees?
► Toclear land for
grazing
9. Why do people cut down trees?
► Toclear land for
building
11. Amount of Deforestation Has
Increased Over Time
► Why?
► Better tools
From stone axes to
chainsaws
12. Amount of Deforestation Has
Increased Over Time
► Why?
► More People
More people to feed
means we need more
and larger farms
So people cut down
more trees
14. Where is Most Deforestation
Occurring?
Which country has the highest rate of deforestation?
15. Where is Most Deforestation
Occurring?
► Today, most deforestation is occurring in tropical
regions.
► Tropical rainforests are found in tropical
rainforests
Most deforestation in tropical rainforests
17. Clear Cutting
► Loss of all habitat for wildlife
If animals have no place to live then it is
possible that they will all die
► Habitat
loss is the leading cause of species
becoming extinct.
18. The number of birds in Brazil is
predicted to decrease in the future as
the amount of deforestation increases.
19. Habitat Loss and Extinction
► Many species on the earth are at risk of
extinction caused by deforestation
20. Clear Cutting
► Soil erosion
Without plant roots to
hold the soil in place
soil particles are easily
eroded away by water
when it rains.
When soil is lost the
soil is not as good for
farming.
21. Clear Cutting
► Soil erosion causes
siltation
Eroded soil particles
end up in rivers
► Rivers become muddy
Harms the animals
and plants that live in
the river
Rivers carry eroded
particles into the
ocean
► Siltcan damage coral
reefs
25. Logs are transported by floating
them in the river
► These logs can
sometimes escape to
the sea and damage
coral reefs when they
are washed ashore by
storms.
26. Reasons for Deforestation in
Malaysia
► Trees are cut in Malaysia for
Lumber
Fuel
To clear land for agriculture
29. Oil Palm
► Thefruits of oil palm
are used to produce oil
Used in cooking
Used as fuel
► Palm oil can be added to
gasoline and used to
drive your car
biofuel
30. Oil Palm Plantations in Malaysia
► Deforestation to clear
land for oil palm
plantations
Habitat loss
Erosion
31. The amount of undisturbed forest
has been decreasing rapidly in the
last sixty years in Borneo
The part of the
map shaded in
green contains
undamaged
forest
32. Habitat Loss and Extinction in
Malaysia
► The Four Most
Endagered Terrestrial
Species in Malaysia
Tiger
Asian rhinoceros
Asian elephant
Orangutan
► Allare at risk because
of habitat loss caused
by deforestation
33. Deforestation in West Texas?
► Today we think of deforestation as being a
problem that is occurring in the tropical
regions.
► Do you think that deforestation has
occurred in West Texas?
34. Deforestation in West Texas
► Sand shinnery oak
Quercus havardii
Short (1 – 1.5 meters
tall)
Spread by underground
branches
► Individuals plants can be
100m x 70m in size
(that’s one of the largest
individual plants in the
world!!)
35. Deforestation in West Texas
► Before the white settlers
reached the high plains, 5
– 7 million acres of sand
shinnery oak was spread
across the high plains of
New Mexico, Texas, and
Oklahoma
► It was the largest oak
forest in area in the United
States
► (About the size of the
state of Maryland)
36. Deforestation in West Texas
► Todaymost of the sand shinnery oak has
been destroyed
Removed by
►chopping down the trees and digging up the roots
►Poisoning with herbicide
poisons that kill plants
37. Deforestation in West Texas
► Sand
shinnery oak was
removed
To grow pasture
► Cattle don’t like to eat
the oak leaves so they
cut down the trees and
plant grass instead
To grow cotton
38. Deforestation in West Texas
► Deforestation
has caused the loss of what
once was the largest oak forest in the US!!
► Who knew that deforestation was important
on the prairie in West Texas!!
39. Habitat loss has harmed some of the
species that lived in the shin oak
habitat
Lesser Prairie Chicken
40. Deforestation
► Do you
Live in a house built with wood?
Burn wood in your fireplace?
Eat food grown on farms?
Eat food or drink milk that comes from
pastures?
Ride in a car powered by gasoline?
41. Deforestation
► If you answered yes to any of these
questions then you have probably benefited
from the results of deforestation
42. Deforestation
► Are you sad when
Trees are cut?
When species go extinct?
The soil washes away?
When rivers become full of silt?
When fish die in silty rivers?
When coral reefs are destroyed by silt
44. Is deforestation good or bad?
► This is a complex question
Deforestation both helps and harms us
Different people have different opinions about
this
►Who might favor deforestation?
►Who might be against deforestation?
45. How do you think deforestation in
Malaysia affects bats?