One of the main topics of our time is the problem of disruption of the natural functioning of the ecological system of our planet and, as a result, an ecological disaster that we cannot stop. The problems that put humanity on this slippery path are many. And one of the main ones is deforestation. In Russia, this phenomenon has become rampant in recent decades. After all, the territory has enormous resources. And if before we were worried about the loss of the rainforest, today the massive deforestation in Russia has brought our country to a leading position in the world.
Why do we need forests
From school we all remembered - only green plants, thanks to the unique process of photosynthesis, replenish our atmosphere with oxygen. Not many people remember that as a result of this process, carbon dioxide is taken from the atmosphere of the plant - a product of our breathing and burning of fuel. It is the presence of an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that we owe to the greenhouse effect and climate change on the planet. According to some estimates, it is the deforestation in Russia and around the world that we owe about 20% of all greenhouse gases in the planet’s atmosphere.
Forests are part of the drainage system of our planet. Just as in the human body, disturbances in blood circulation lead to stagnation and various kinds of tissue damage, so in the ecosystem of the planet’s forest they filter groundwater and ensure the hydrological regime of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. Forests prevent their drainage, the onset of sand, erosion and leaching of soils, floods and landslides. Global floods that previously occurred on the planet on average once every 50 years, today in some areas people are "pleased" every 4 years.
And that is not all
And far from the last argument of the vital necessity of forests is the conservation of biodiversity on our planet. In ecology, the sustainability of an ecosystem is determined by the number of species of living organisms living in it. According to some reports, our planet has already entered the era of the fifth world extinction. Red books of regions are constantly replenished with species that are threatened with extinction from the face of the Earth. The famous “butterfly effect”, when the disappearance of one species of moths over the course of 100 years led to changes in the relief of the Amazon floodplain, is not a fairy tale or a topic for a blockbuster. This is our harsh reality.
Forest is considered a renewable natural resource. This may indicate that, no matter how much we take it, nature will restore its quantity. But the current rate of cutting does not allow forest ecosystems to regenerate themselves. And humanity is losing forests, introducing the planet into a phase of environmental crisis.
Ecological problem
Deforestation in Russia and in the world leads to such negative consequences for the ecology of the entire planet:
- The disappearance and reduction of the number of representatives of flora and fauna.
- Depletion of species biodiversity.
- An increase in the proportion of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
- Lithospheric changes - soil erosion, desertification, waterlogging.
This is not a complete, but significant, list of problems that are directly related to deforestation of our planet.
Global problem
Deforestation in Russia is only part of the planetary process, as a result of which the planet loses up to 200 thousand hectares of forest annually.
The latest data from the World Resources Institute and the Maryland Institute, together with Google, based on satellite imagery analysis, have shown that Russia has a leading position in deforestation. We are followed by Canada, with which we are responsible for 34% of all forest losses on the planet.
Statistics show the loss of 20 hectares of forest on the planet in 1 minute. At the same time, 13 million hectares of world forest annually disappear irretrievably. Rate the scale.
Why do we chop wood
Of course, the reason is obvious - it is ensuring our livelihoods and technological progress.
Wood is a valuable resource in many sectors of the economy, an essential component of progress.
But, the main reason is generally our existence on the planet. Our species, which, due to certain evolutionary advantages, has been successful on this planet, as evidenced by the growth in the number of individuals and the general expansion of the territories. There is not a single biological species whose habitat is absolutely the entire territory of the planet. Our number has already exceeded 7 billion and continues to grow.
With the advent of agriculture, we have destroyed half of the world's forests. One has only to look at the distribution maps of natural zones on our continent and this becomes obvious. There is a coniferous forest zone in Europe, but where did you see a forest similar to the Siberian one? And we continue to increase the area of agricultural land.
In nature, everything is interconnected. Climate changes, which were also caused by deforestation of the planet, led to more frequent wildfires. Even without our help, they reduce the area of forests and replenish the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.
And yet we need to cut the forest, another thing is how.
The forest is different
Forest in Russia and in the world is cut for the extraction of minerals, timber, and clearing of agricultural land. All forests on the planet are divided into three categories:
- Forests where logging is prohibited. These are protected areas with a special environmental regime.
- Limited Use Forests. These are various nature reserves, national parks, where control over the restoration of forest stands is being carried out.
- Production forests. This is part of the array. Which is cut down completely, and then planted again.
You can chop in different ways
In this regard, there are several types of cutting down:
- Main felling (selective, continuous, gradual). Their goal is timber harvesting.
- Cuttings for plant care. This is thinning of the forest with the destruction of plants of poor quality. As a result, they also receive wood of technological production.
- Complex reforestation felling. The goal is the reconstruction of forests to restore the beneficial properties of the forest.
- Sanitary - this is the cabin for creating landscapes and fire strips.
From what has been said, it is clear that the problems of deforestation in Russia are associated with main-use logging, especially solid ones. Here the concepts of "undercut" and "cut" appear, which are equally bad for the forest. But that’s all if logging is legal.
Forest certificate - solution to the problem
Since the mid-1990s, the world community has adopted the concept of sustainable development. Part of which was the concept of sustainable forest management. In accordance with it, deforestation must meet certain requirements, which should ensure a reasonable and controlled consumption of this resource - the forest. The introduction of special technologies will create a balance between the need for wood and the ecological functions of the forest. It will also take into account the interests of future generations of people.
Today, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certificates are received by legal logging companies that are given quotas for deforestation. Our country is the second in the world, after Canada, in the number of certified forests (38 million hectares). Certificates were issued to 189 forest management entities, and about 565 thousand of forest management entities in our country. And it is they who receive state quotas for deforestation in Russia and are obliged to label rare wood for export (for now).
So, something like this looks like legitimate logging activities. But this is the tip of the iceberg, and the main turnover of the forest is there, under water.
Note. In the Irkutsk region, which, according to some estimates, provides 50% of all illegal logging in Russia, in the summer of 2017 a pilot project "Lesregistr" was launched, providing for the marking of all harvested wood in order to track its turnover.
Black Lumberjacks
The statistics of illegal deforestation in Russia is striking in its scope. According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 1 billion dollars the country is losing due to illegal deforestation. In 2017, only in the Arkhangelsk region 359 illegal logging was recorded, losses from which amounted to $ 12 million. The facts of deforestation in Russia are recorded in the northwestern part of the country and the Far East. This causes concern for ecologists and ordinary people.
The statistics of deforestation in Russia from the International Agency for Ecological Research (Environmental Investigation Agency) suggests that 80% of valuable species of forests (linden, oak, cedar, ash) in the Far East are logged illegally.
The public is concerned
A wave of indignation swept through the media about the Chinese illegally deforestation in Russia. Over the past 20 years, when restrictions on timber harvesting were introduced in China, many loggers from the Middle Kingdom appeared in the border areas (Lake Baikal and the Far East). According to estimates by the International Non-Governmental Organization Environmental Investigation Agency, 50-80% of the timber exported from Russia to China was obtained bypassing official quotas through illegal logging on leased land.
The public and environmentalists, foresters and officials are making certain attempts to stop the uncontrolled destruction of the forest.
But legal logging sometimes lead to completely opposite results. For example, in Ust-Ilimsk a criminal case was opened against the head of the forestry department, who, under the guise of sanitary cutting, destroyed healthy trees on a total area of 83 hectares. Damage - 170 million rubles.
Large-scale fight against deforestation
The solution of the problem of deforestation in Russia should be carried out at all levels: international, state, regional and personal.
The main measures should be:
- Formation of a balanced legislative framework for forest management at the federal and international levels.
- Implementation of a strict system of accounting and control over felling. Improving wood labeling systems.
- Tighter penalties for illegal logging and the use of uncertified wood.
- Measures to increase the area of forests and the creation of zones with special environmental status.
- Improving fire fighting activities.
- Increased secondary processing of wood and reduced use of this resource in the industrial sector.
- Expansion of social programs and public awareness of the respect for this natural resource. Environmental education and education of all segments of the population, starting with preschoolers.
Certain steps have already been taken at many levels. Recent appeals by the public of the Irkutsk region to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin have led to a revision of quotas for deforestation, which include valuable species of trees (in particular, cedars). Marking of wood and its turnover within the country is finding more and more supporters.
And then what?
It’s time for us to think about the state of the ecosystem of our beautiful home. Otherwise, we risk being left without him. And everyone needs to start - from himself. Respect for nature, separate collection of garbage, economical use of natural resources, planting trees, buying products from recycled materials (it is marked "recycled") - this is a very small list of what everyone can do to preserve the unique forests of Russia.
Do not forget about the spiritual component of the forest. For millennia, he shaped the culture and customs of many ethnic groups.We cannot exist without nature. But on the other hand, civilization is impossible without the resources of the forest.
Environmentalists say that for the full restoration of the forest of our country, which is 20% of the world's forest, we need 100 years. And this despite the fact that deforestation will stop. Of course, these are utopian dreams. But we can still do something so that our children and grandchildren do not recognize the smell of coniferous forest from air fresheners in hygienic rooms.