“The New Amazon of the North: Canadian Deforestation” Deforestation is an ongoing issue throughout the world. To this date, we have lost more than 75 percent of the forests on Earth. Deforestation is the clearing of forests to make way for new, non-forest land uses, such as urban development or agriculture, transforming a forest into cleared land (“Deforestation and Afforestation”). When thinking about deforestation, the first place that comes in anyone’s mind is Brazil, because that is where the Amazon rainforest is located and it was once known to have the highest deforestation rate in the world.
However, Canada, which accounts for “10 percent of the world’s forests… now accounts for 21 percent of all deforestation in the world” (Okolo). Due to the lack of coverage and importance, news such as the deforestation in Canada do not come forward to the public until the damage is non-reversible. The Canadian Government and news reporters have to stop the misrepresentation of facts when it comes to the actual rate of deforestation taking place in Canada. We, the people, deserve to know the hidden truth about the amount of deforestation occurring in a country to further preserve these ecosystems for the future.
Knowing the amount of deforestation and where, when, and why it occurs is important for several reasons. Forests around the world are coming under increasing pressure as human populations grow and the footprint of human civilization expands. This pressure is relatively modest in Canada but nevertheless must be taken into consideration. According to Stephen Leahy, “despite all the media attention on deforestation in the Amazon rainforests and the forests of Indonesia, it is Canada that has been leading the world in forest loss since 2000… [it accounts] for 21 percent of global forest loss.
By contrast, the much-better known deforestation in Indonesia has accounted for only four percent. ” Deforestation is a huge problem that seems to be only getting bigger by the day. Deforestation in the United States is a major problem. It is one of the seven leaders in this field to be exact. For example, “The global deforestation reveals that seven countries of the world amount to around 60 percent of the total deforestation on the planet. These seven countries include Brazil, Canada, USA, Indonesia, China, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo” (“Global Deforestation”).
Therefore, it is more widespread in the United States compared to other smaller countries, however it is less than countries like Brazil and even Indonesia. And according to, “Global Deforestation,” since 1600 in the United States, 90 percent of the virgin forests that once covered much of the lower 48 states have been cleared away. The clearing, destroying, or otherwise removal of trees through deliberate, natural or accidental means has many negative effects that not only affect us as humans but also affect many species and their environments.
According to the article, “Effects of Deforestation,” “seventy percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes. ” Species are very important for the survival of these specific ecosystems. However many species such as, the Siberian tiger, orangutans and woodland caribou require large areas of forest wilderness and if these key species are lost it can take a forest much longer to fully grow back into the ecosystem it once was- if ever, according to Stephen Leahy.
Not only is deforestation harming the animals but in the long run it is also putting in more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than all the world’s cars, trucks, ships and planes put together says, Stephen Leahy. Cars and trucks account for 14% of global carbon emissions, while most analysts attribute 15% to deforestation. And in Canada’s northern oil sands region, more than 12. 5 million hectares of forest have been degraded or destroyed by roads, pipelines, power transmission lines and other infrastructure.
The short-term effects of deforestation are increased soil erosion and the disruption of water cycles. Trees play a very important role in the local water cycle, so when forests are cut down or destroyed they disrupt the water cycle. While the long term effects include reduced biodiversity and climate change. Deforestation represents 15 percent of the carbon dioxide that is put into the environment. Which causes rising temperatures and changed patterns of weather that play a huge role in the increase of extreme weather events.
However, the government of Canada provides a much different story which explains that deforestation in Canada is actually among the lowest in the world with just 4 percent of it contributing to the global deforestation, however many myths exist about how deforestation is actually increasing in Canada which is not true. It goes on to say that the reality of Canada is that it is a world leader in sustainable forest management and that deforestation is on its downfall (“Deforestation in Canada: Key Myths and Facts”).
Around the world, deforestation is a major issue because it reduces biodiversity, affects water and soil quality, and is an important contributor to climate change. Although the rate of deforestation in Canada is quite low, it still makes sense to try and reduce it where possible. According to Canada’s Public Health Association, the effect of deforestation is affecting our environment, which in return affect human health in many different forms. Not only does cutting and destroying trees add carbon dioxide to our environment, it is also polluting the air in which they breathe in.
In addition to air pollution, deforestation plays a major role in water pollution as well. Cutting down trees increases the flow of surface water and transports sediment to streams, silting them up and affecting water quality downstream, which leads to soil erosion (“Environment and Health: Linked for Life”). Another perspective on the problem of deforestation is by the views of David Lindsay, who is the president and CEO for Forest Products Association of Canada, ccording to him Canada can hold its head high when it comes to its environment record and a Yale University study has also concluded that Canada’s forestry regulations and laws are among the most stringent in the world. However, he believes we tend to hear negative noise about the forest industry for example, the recent reports about forest destruction and forest deforestation in Canada, but that is not true when you look at the facts that Canada has only 2 percent deforestation rate per year (“Ahead of the Pack”).
And the public misconception is from the word deforestation, which means the permanent conversion of forestland into other land uses, however in Canada tree lost is almost entirely temporary and will grow back. Therefore, the effect of this misconception is that the forest product industry is aiming to further more reduce its environmental footprint and planning on going greener by using wood fiber in new innovative ways in everything from car parts to clothing that can help replace products with more intense carbon footprints.
According to an article in the National Resources Canada, the single biggest cause of deforestation is the conversion to cropland and pasture, which is for agriculture use such as, growing crops or raising livestock, which makes up 53 percent of the causes of deforestation in Canada. Another cause of deforestation in Canada is urban development, as population increases more land is needed to provide homes for families, which makes up 19 percent.
The other important causes of deforestation are forest roads and hydroelectricity which make up 10 percent each (“Deforestation in Canada, What Are the Facts? “). Many countries build roads into remote areas to improve the transportation of goods and provide entry into lands that were not accessible beforehand. According to Stephen Leahy, “Massive increases in oil sands and shale gas developments, as well as logging and road building, are the major cause of Canada’s forest loss, said Peter Lee of Global Forest Watch Canada, an independent Canadian NGO. Not only that but Canada’s oil sands and shale gas developments are expected to double and possibly triple in the next decade, and there seems to be little to no interest from the federal and political parties in conserving these forest areas. Another cause of deforestation is the result from an increase in forest fires. According to the Government of Canada, deforestation in Canada is driven by demand for resource development, economic growth, and the need to build infrastructure.
The biggest causes of deforestation in Canada are forest fires, g, and insect infestations, however they believe these do not count as deforestation, since the affected areas will grow back. Logging is defined as cutting down trees selectively or clear-cutting in order to sell as timber, which can be used to build homes, furniture, and etc. (“Deforestation in Canada: Key Myths and Facts”). They believe that deforestation only occurs when forests are permanently removed so the land could be used for something else.
So therefore, the conversion of forest to agricultural use is the largest contributor to cutting down tress in Canada. The article by Stephen Leahy, provides statics on what is causing this huge percent of deforestation in Canada whereas, the Government of Canada says that by law deforestation is only counted if the forests are permanently removed which is not the case for forest fires and logging that is causing these forests to be degraded but since they will grow back they are not counting it as deforestation and went on to say that deforestation rates in Canada are declining.
I believe more people would trust what the Government has to say rather than Stephan Leahy, but it is hard to believe that the government isn’t just trying to twist its own laws and words to get by on saying that deforestation is not a problem in Canada. The Natural Resources of Canada still believe they can reduce deforestation by expanding the economy, diversifying economic activities, and supporting community employment. However finding solution to reduce forest loss is challenging. “There is a range of government policies and regulations that affect development, and these vary by sector and jurisdiction.
Policies and regulations generally deal with other environmental, safety, or economic issues—not deforestation” (“Deforestation in Canada–What Are the Facts? “). And since public awareness about deforestation is very low it makes it that much harder to focus on this issue. However public awareness is increasing which is causing governments and industries to get more involved in reducing deforestation. In this particular view, the natural resources of Canada do not provide convincing evidence that these solutions will help this problem.
It is very unclear in how these solutions will help deforestation in any way, shape, or form. None of the possible provided solutions conflict with any important values. Nevertheless, I do think expanding the economy seems like a very costly solution since you have to either raise taxes or increase spending levels to expand the economy which is much easier said than done. According to Canada’s Public Health Association, the solution towards slowing down deforestation must be addressed from the perspective of people’s health.
For a better tomorrow we have to lead by example, which means giving priority to programs that will protect human and ecosystem health. Rather than the al solutions to deforestation such as planting trees, going paperless, or even recycling more. We have to educate professionals and the public about the issues of deforestation and what can be done in order to slow it down. One solution | do recommend after doing all this research on this issue is more media coverage regarding this problem which will help raise awareness of this particular issue.
After my research I can confidently say that media coverage of Canada’s increasing deforestation has been lacking and that there is very little information on the Internet that admits to Canada being the number one country in deforestation. But when the story was covered in the Canadian press, the significance of the subject is often reduced. For example, the Vancouver Province reported “Campaign Splits Ken from Barbie”, humorously addressing issues related to the problem of deforestation in ways that divert readers from completely understanding its impact on the world.
However, having more media coverage on a particular issue can also have major drawbacks. For example, I had read a book last year on GMO’s called Altered Genes, Twisted Truth, written by Steven M. Druker, and the main point of the book was how many people today seem to believe whatever they see or read on the internet, when in fact we should question what we see on the internet or television. In this book, during 1997 a fox owned TV station became so intimidated by Monsanto that it deceitfully altered a report on one of Monsanto’s GE products: rBGH, or called recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone.
Not only was Monsanto able to alter the report in favor for itself, it was successful in getting the reporters that were in charge of this report fired and the story was never shown. Just as the example above, the Canadian Government is powerful enough to misrepresent important information and take attention away from the real issues from the public. This is why I believe we need more genuine media coverage on this issue that will not feed us junk news, but rather inform the public on what is really going on.