Category: Legal

While forests serve as the lungs for our planet, our inability to manage them properly has caused many harms to them. Insect-ridden trees, overstocked forests, and dead timber are some reasons that can cause catastrophic wildfires. Here, science-based approaches like logging and thinning let us control the fires and prevent forests.

Why More Forest Fires are Emerging Now?

Improper forest management combined with aggressive wildfire suppression has caused an increase in the natural density of forests. And when these overgrown forests are unable to meet the demands for timber and other products, they are burning up. This unnatural growth has exposed trees to weaknesses, diseases, insects, and wildfires.

With the decline in timber harvesting, their annual growth has also plummeted. And the vulnerabilities mentioned above (insect infestations, draughts, and wildfires) are the reasons. And with millions of acres of forests under threat, current management techniques are only covering a fraction. Besides, climatic changes have also fuelled the already worsening situations.

How Active Forest Management Helps?

Forest management aims at achieving certain targets and objectives through techniques like controlled burning, logging, and thinning. Various tools are available for different purposes like wildlife habitat enhancement, wildfire mitigation, and forest reforestation in addition to timber production. While logging doesn’t directly tackle the wildfire problem, it targets the fuels that cause those mishaps. In addition to control, active forest management also offers tools for containing fires before they cause major harm.

In short, active forest management approaches like logging and thinning ensure better health for forests and the planet. And a proper forest assessment can help evaluate the right tools for its growth and protection.