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Since timber is such a valuable commodity, forests are being exploited all over the world. Companies that are often based in foreign countries get licences to log. The forests are cut down, the company takes the profits, and moves on to another forest. An alternative to this process is to harvest relatively "minor" products such as fruits, oils, and fibers. There is a much smaller market for these crops than for wood, but they can be harvested every year, whereas once a forest is cut for timber, it can't be used again for another 80 or more years. It does not destroy the forest to extract these minor products. |
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However, it
isn't clear how profitable these "extractive reserves" could actually be. There have to be enough different "minor" products available on
a tract of land to make up for the fact that each one is worth relatively little. The area of land also has to be large enough, and have low
enough species diversity, that there are enough plants producing each product. One palm tree is not going to grow a fruit crop large
enough to sell. If prices drop too much, the managers of the extractive reserves often turn to logging as a fast way to make money.
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wood & forest products -- page 4 of 4
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related topics
[deforestation & overcutting] [food & medicine] [biodiversity]
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