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7/9/2014 NRDC:What Is Clearcutting? <br /> NRDC NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL ----- <br /> THE EARTH'S HEST DFFENSF Search the Site <br /> What Is Clearcutting? <br /> This method of logging can destroy an area's ecological integrity. <br /> Clearcutting means the felling and removal of all trees from a given tract of forest.One forestry expert refers to the practice as"an ecological <br /> trauma that has no precedent in nature except for a major volcanic eruption."Clearcutting can destroy an area's ecological integrity in a number of <br /> ways,including: <br /> • the destruction of buffer zones which reduce the severity of flooding by absorbing and holding water, <br /> • the immediate removal of forest canopy,which destroys the habitat for many rainforest-dependent insects and bacteria; <br /> • the removal of forest carbon sinks,leading to global warming through the increased human-induced and natural carbon dioxide build-up in the <br /> atmosphere, <br /> • the elimination of fish and wildlife species due to soil erosion and habitat loss; <br /> • the removal of underground worms,fungi and bacteria that condition soil and protect plants growing in it from disease; <br /> • the loss of samall-scale economic opportunities,such as fruit-picking,sap extraction,and rubber tapping;and <br /> • the destruction of aesthetic values and recreational opportunities. <br /> Intact,healthy forests play a large role in supporting all forms of life on Earth.To environmentalists,the finality of clearcutting is viewed as an <br /> ecological tragedy. <br /> last revised 51312000 <br /> POPULAR ISSUES TELL YOUR FRIENDS YOU'RE MAKING A <br /> DIFFERENCE: <br /> "Protect our natural resources for our health and <br /> future generations.Join me and take action." <br /> ��...r, Tweet 1,43C <br /> ©Natural Resources Defense Council <br /> hftp:/AmmAt.nrdc.orgAand/forests/fcut.asp 1H <br />