While it may seem obvious what a forest is, the U.S. definition of forest land is an area one acre or larger with at least 10% tree cover, or formerly had at least 10% tree cover and is capable of re-growing those trees. In the year 2000, U.S. forest area was around 750 million acres--that’s almost twice the size of Alaska. Russia, Brazil, and Canada are the only countries in the world with more forest land than the U.S. (1, 2)

Forest health is defined by the Society of American Forests as “the perceived condition of a forest derived from concerns about such factors as its age, structure, composition, function, vigor, presence of unusual levels of insects or disease, and resilience to disturbance.” A healthy forest is an intricate system balanced by all of its interacting parts: climate, environment, plants and animals, and humans. When one of these parts overpowers the system, then the forest health is affected. An example of this would be humans urbanizing the land or using timber for construction. (3)

Forests today face many threats, one of those being deforestation. The World Bank reported that between 1990 and 2016, the world lost 502,000 square miles of forest. Deforestation can be caused by farming, grazing of livestock, mining, drilling, logging, wildfires, and urbanization. This negatively affects natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and the climate. Eighty percent of the world’s land animals make forests their home--a home that disappears with deforestation. (4)

Another significant threat to forests includes invasive species, which are non-native organisms that negatively affect their new ecosystems, causing environmental and economic harm. Of the different invasive species, invasive plants, like medusahead and cheatgrass, can be the most damaging to forests. This is because they are destructive to native species’ habitats and can increase the risk of wildfires. Invasive plants also diminish land values, decrease forest productivity, and reduce groundwater levels. (5)

It’s important we protect forests against these threats because they are an integral part of our world and our survival. First and foremost, trees provide the air we breathe by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. This carbon dioxide absorption also helps limit climate change. In addition to air, forests supply us with clean, fresh water by acting as nature’s reservoirs and water treatment plants. Over half of all domestic water supplies originate in forests.

There are social and recreational benefits of forests as well. From hiking to camping, and hunting to fishing, forests provide a plethora of activities for people looking to relax in a natural setting. Not to mention that lumber is a popular building material that’s used to make structures and furniture, among many other items. Additionally, forests provide jobs for almost one million people across the country. (6, 7)

One strategy for improving the health of our forests is reforestation, which is planting trees in deforested areas to restore the environment to its original state. The benefits of reforestation include the restoration of lost biodiversity, reduction in carbon dioxide levels, reversal of soil erosion, and restoration of water basins. There are many organizations dedicated to planting trees and reforestation. At Reboot Reforestation, we currently specialize in reforestation of the longleaf pine in the Southeast United States in order to help repopulate the region’s depleted forests and ecosystems. With all of these nation-wide restoration efforts, we can enrich the health of the ecosystems that provide us with so much. (8)

Citations

(1) United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Forest atlas of the United States. https://forest-atlas.fs.fed.us/index.html

(2) North American Forest Commission. (n.d.). State forestry in the United States of America. https://www.fao.org/3/x4995e/x4995e.htm

(3) University of Florida. (n.d.). Teacher intro. School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences. https://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/ee/foresthealth/whatisahealthyforest/files/FH_teacher_intro.pdf

(4) Nunez, C. (2019, February 7). Deforestation and its effect on the planet. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/deforestation

(5) United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Invasive species. US Forest Service. https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/protecting-forest/invasive-species/

(6) United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Forest atlas of the United States. https://forest-atlas.fs.fed.us/benefits-introduction.html

(7) Shahbandeh, M. (2018, August 1). Employment in the U.S. forest products industry 2018. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/252838/employment-of-the-us-forest-products-industry-2012/

(8) Iberdrola. (2021, January 31). Reforestation as an option for reversing deforestation. https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/what-is-reforestation

Why We Need Healthy Forests

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