Question

The demand for farming is increasing, which is destroying native forests and affecting their biodiversity.

1. what is the issue?

2. background information?

3. restoration method? two examples?

4. why is this the best method?

5. end goal for the project?

6. subgoals?

7. time frame?

PLEASE be descriptive and in depth with these responses so I can fully understand the content, at least more than 20-30 word responses

Answer 1

Deforestation is the large-scale clearing of land, generally for agriculture, industry, or transportation. Cattle ranching, animal agriculture, and logging are the leading causes of deforestation in our forests. Land is cut or burned to make room for cattle grazing, feed crop production, and timber to build houses and create specialty wood products. The constant destruction of our forests threatens biodiversity, decreases carbon absorption, magnifies natural disaster damage, and disrupts water cycles.

As the global demand for meat rises, so does the number of cattle needed to produce beef. Those animals require space and nourishment, so millions of acres of untouched land are cleared every year to make room for feed crops and grazing pastures. But additionally, forests are cleared to produce feed for other animals, too, like pigs and chickens.

Trees have been cut for human use for thousands of years, but the industrial boom of the 1800s increased the demand for timber and also introduced technologies that made clearing land a much faster and easier process. Though it is difficult to pinpoint an exact number of how many trees are cut down each year, the estimate is between 3.5 to 7 billion.Natural forms of deforestation do exist, like forest fires and invasive species, but they are often exacerbated by human involvement.

The extreme removal of trees for beef, paper, and palm oil disrupts the carbon cycle, meaning that fewer trees are available to absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Additionally, when trees are cut, especially in large amounts, excess carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.

Forest restoration and forest rehabilitation are challenging long-term endeavours that require thoughtful planning, implementation and monitoring. While they are closely related, a conceptual distinction may be made between them. The purpose of forest restoration is to restore a degraded forest to its original state – that is, to re-establish the presumed structure, productivity and species diversity of the forest originally present at a site.Both forest restoration and forest rehabilitation are implemented on sites or in landscapes where forest loss has caused a decline in the quality of environmental services. They aim to strengthen the resilience of forest sites and landscapes and thereby to keep future land-use and management options open.

The restoration management plan

a. Prepare a topographic land-use map.

Various biophysical and silvicultural characteristics should be identified and mapped to help determine the feasibility and suitability of different restoration and rehabilitation approaches. Characteristics that should be mapped include: the area of residual forest (e.g. primary, secondary and degraded); forest functions; the area and quality of agricultural land; the area of unused and degraded land; environmental priority areas; areas of biological and cultural significance; and road accessibility.

b.Define restoration/rehabilitation objectives.

Forests can be restored and rehabilitated for multiple combined objectives, such as to enhance land productivity, produce wood and non-wood products, support livelihoods, contribute to poverty alleviation (e.g. by supplying a variety of forest products to local communities), provide environmental services (e.g. water and soil protection), and create landscapes that sequester large quantities of carbon and are diverse, productive and resilient to adverse change.

c. Select restoration/rehabilitation method(s).

In degraded logged-over forests that still have populations of desirable tree species, natural regeneration methods are likely to be most effective. Such methods are particularly promising if tree seedlings (or other forms of natural regrowth) are already present at the site, indicating that site conditions are suitable for natural regeneration (and possibly that fertile seeds are being shed by parent trees). The success of a natural regeneration approach will be determined by, among other things, the adequate production of regenerative materials (such as seeds) by the parent vegetation at suitable times, good weed control, and the receptiveness of the site to seedling establishment at the time of seed fall. Insight into assisted natural regeneration (see box) and the conditions under which natural regeneration is most likely to succeed is provided here.

In open, largely deforested areas that have been subject to, for example, intensive animal husbandry or mining, the natural regeneration of trees or shrubs may be difficult due to a lack of seed sources and the loss of topsoil. In such cases it may be necessary to plant trees, shrubs and grass species for successful forest restoration and rehabilitation. Tree-planting is one of the most common activities in forest restoration and rehabilitation projects, but it is not as simple and easy as it may appear and by no means is it the end of the restoration or rehabilitation process – the long-term commitment of all stakeholders to manage and maintain a forest is essential for success. Planting may also be applied in degraded secondary or logged-over forests by planting or sowing the seeds of native tree species in natural gaps or along planting lines in existing stands, a practice known as enrichment planting. The selection of the restoration method should also include an assessment of the possible positive and negative social and environmental impacts of the various options.

d. Choose species and establish nursery.

The choice of species (e.g. tree, shrub or grass, and which particular species of these) depends on the goals of the forest restoration or rehabilitation project, the prevailing site conditions (e.g. terrain, climate and soil) and the availability of parent trees or planting stock. Ideally, the selected species will yield products such as lumber, fibre, woodfuel and non-wood products such as foods and medicines. Non-wood species that colonize restored sites, such as bamboo, honeybees, fungi and wildlife, can provide early financial returns for forest restoration and rehabilitation projects. In general, native species should be used in preference to exotic ones because they are likely to pose a lower environmental risk (especially in terms of invasiveness) and have biodiversity benefits. If, however, there is a lack of native species suitable for colonizing barren land, grassland or forest clearings, the establishment of a “nurse crop” of sturdy pioneer or introduced species may be beneficial.

e. Assess possible negative environmental and social impacts.

Forest restoration and rehabilitation initiatives should be assessed for possible negative environmental impacts. Species should be selected in consultation with local communities, taking into account ecological, social, economic and cultural factors. Depending on the scale of the operation, a formal environmental and social impact assessment may be required.

f. Seed collection and seedling production

In forest restoration and rehabilitation projects where the aim is to restore or re-establish a natural forest, efforts should be made to collect seeds and other propagative material from a diverse range of native plants in the local area. In some cases, this might mean that characteristics such as high growth rates or good stem form are only secondary considerations. Commercial and public nurseries may grow some local forest species, but possibly not on a large scale. It may be necessary, therefore, for the restoration or rehabilitation project to produce its own forest seedlings, possibly in community nurseries. Containerized seedlings are preferred because digging up seedlings from a soil bed and transporting them to a planting site in a bare-rooted state increases the risk of dehydration and transplantation shock and reduces the likelihood that they will establish successfully

g. Planting trees

For planting to succeed, the following points should be considered:

• A combined density of planted plus naturally regenerated seedlings or trees in the range of 400–1000 stems per ha is usually sufficient to restore or rehabilitate a forest stand.
• The optimal height of seedlings for planting is generally considered to be in the range of 25 to 50 cm. When planting into existing vegetation, however, a seedling height of 50–75 cm may be required because taller plants are more likely to compete successfully with other plants (e.g. weeds). The higher cost of producing larger plants in the nursery is likely to be offset by lower mortality rates and reduced weeding costs.
• Planting on deforested or degraded sites requires sturdy plants that have been hardened off in the nursery and watered prior to planting. In bare areas it may be necessary to establish nurse crops of fast-growing species prior to planting or to maintain secondary vegetation for site protection.
• The best time to plant trees is early in the rainy season to ensure that newly planted seedlings receive adequate moisture in their first months as they develop their root systems. Locally appropriate planting dates can be determined from local meteorological data

h. Capacity-building and training

Ongoing capacity development through professional education and training, extension support services and the strengthening of national research capabilities is essential for improving planning, management and technical decision-making on forest restoration and rehabilitation and to enable organizations to understand and respond to the priority needs and aspirations of stakeholders. In particular, nursery managers and staff should be trained and supported to produce high-quality seedlings with the best possible chance of establishing in the field and growing rapidly when planted out in the often difficult environment of a deforested or degraded site.

i. Establish realistic time schedules and plan for financial requirements

Forest restoration and rehabilitation are long-term investments preparing the way for sustainable forest and land management. They require awareness and diligence in policy and planning to mitigate the ecological and socioeconomic risks associated with them. Some indicative costs, which will vary depending on local conditions, are given below.

Nursery costs include nursery construction and equipment, consumable materials, and labour (salaries and wages). A simple community tree nursery with a capacity to produce 10 000–20 000 seedlings per year can be established for US$500–1 000. The cost of seedlings (including material and labour) is likely to average US$0.1–0.5 per seedling.

The total work required for site preparation, planting, weeding, fertilizer application, replanting and monitoring from the first to the third year after planting can be estimated at 50–150 person-days per ha excluding fire prevention, which is usually necessary for 3–6 months per year, depending on the duration of the dry season.

j. Monitoring and maintenance

Maintenance activities also include the following silvicultural treatments:

Weed control- Dense weed growth will retard the growth of both naturally regenerating and planted seedlings – and can cause their death – as a result of competition for moisture, nutrients and light. Weed control helps newly established trees to survive and grow by minimizing the damaging effect of other plants on the desirable trees. Chemical weeding in forest restoration and rehabilitation projects is risky and, for ecological reasons, should be avoided as far as possible.

Tending and thinning- Tending and thinning in naturally regenerated and planted stands are silvicultural operations to improve stand quality by eliminating or suppressing undesirable vegetation, including climbers and vines, and removing poorly formed, damaged or diseased trees. The objective is to increase the crown development and diameter growth of desirable trees, concentrate future increment on the best-formed trees, and increase the stability of the stand by giving more growing space to the roots and crowns of the potential final crop trees. Tending and thinning operations are decisive factors in the achievement of production goals

Stakeholder engagement

Forest restoration and rehabilitation efforts will only be sustainable if they are socially acceptable. The principal stakeholders (e.g. forest owners, local communities, concessionaires, and forest and other authorities in charge of land use) should be engaged from the start to, for example, agree on long-term goals, on roles and responsibilities and the equitable distribution of incentives, costs and benefits; establish a consensus on the trade-offs involved in addressing the drivers of forest degradation; and discuss a preliminary forest restoration or rehabilitation plan.

primary goal of forest restoration

Protect existing undeveloped forests and greenspaces from further development. Enhance the health, condition and function of existing tree and forest fragments to provide such things as air quality and temperature regulation, hydrologic function and habitat.

subgoals of forest restoration

Successful restoration generates a wide range of benefits–not only forest quantity and quality, but enhanced food security, improved air and water quality, climate change resilience, job creation, and more.

Nevertheless, challenges remain. Different scales of deforestation drivers means that interventions must also operate across various scales. Solutions will also need to overcome poor governance and underdeveloped institutions in some countries, as well as historical lack of transparency around land use and powerful interests keen to maintain business-as-usual approaches to forest management.

The upside however is substantial. Cutting deforestation and degradation could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by hundreds of millions of tons per year, while safeguarding biodiversity and maintaining critical ecosystem services. Efforts to improve forest management could have other beneficial impacts, like improving governance, boosting productivity, strengthening land rights, and reducing corruption.