'Community groups are sweating to planting trees while government bulldozers are clearing them away' (3)

The rate of forest destruction to planting in Queensland is 10:1. The ACF (Australian Conservation Foundation) Executive Director Don Henry says '... $76 million has been spent on fencing off and planting about 130 000 hectares while more than ten times that amount has been cleared. With $105 million dollars the Government could save 4.7 million hectares with the stroke of a pen' (3)

Forest destruction leads to several problems. The ecosystem, in the long run, is always affected. Forest logging causes erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, etc, etc...

Regrowth (of a forest) is a long process - it takes 'up to 600 years for a rainforest to reach a climax community' (5)

The problem is further complicated by the fact that forest destruction seems to be necessary for the survival of mankind.

Australia has strict laws on the use of its forests. Often, companies are required to 'replant' trees in areas that are logged. This is known as 'reforestation'.

There was an International Climate

Logging contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. 'Land clearing in Queensland releases almost as much greenhouse gas as the entire Australian Transport System.' (2) This is because trees absorb greenhouse gas like CO2 and stores it as 'fixed-carbon'. When the trees are chopped, burnt and starts decomposing, the gas is released back into the atmosphere as pure CO2. This is the reason why 'reforestation' is bad - because 'old, large trees contain much more CO2 than young small trees.' (4) Destroying old trees releases 'lots' of CO2 and planting new young trees absorb only 'a little bit' of CO2. Therefore, there is a 'net loss' of carbon stocks in the forests.

The conservationists would argue that forests are important - far more important than money. Trees protect the land from erosion by holding the soil in place with its roots - this prevents flooding. On mountains, it prevents landslides or mudslides that were seen at Thredbo.

With the growth of medical science, the average man now lives for 72 years. Because of this, there is a population increase. People need a place to live, so land must be cleared to make way for houses. People need to eat, so land must be cleared to make way for farmland. People need to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Australia Nuclear, Japan Australia, Don Henry, Transport System', AIDS Cancer, Queensland Government, Thredbo Forests, Media Alert, Media Release, greenhouse gas, Queensland Farmers', nuclear power, forest destruction, planting trees, land cleared, etc etc, trees absorb, power plants, gas emissions, greenhouse gas emissions,
Approximate Word count = 839
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)