Economic Benefits of Preserving Public Land

Immediate Issue 

Deforestation is one of the critical factors that have contributed to climate change and global warming, elements that are detrimental to the survival of man. In most parts of the world, clearing national forests have become the norm despite the numerous benefits that they present to both the local and global environments ( Ryan, Knapp & Varner, 2013) . According to Gradwohl and Greenberg (2013), forests still cover approximately 30% of the total world land area; however, each year, swathes of almost half the overall size of England are lost. The authors further estimate that given the current deforestation rate, the world's rainforests are likely to disappear in the next 100 years. Ryan, Knapp, and Varner (2013) n ote that America was once home to over a billion acres of primeval forests, where plants and animals resided. Some of the trees at the time reached the height of approximately 30 skyscrapers, and they were over 15 feet wide. However, these forests have extensively declined following the aggressive development and logging that has taken place over the last 500 years, destroying over 95% of America’s native forests 

Interrelated Issues 

Destruction of natural forests contributes to other undesirable changes in the environment, including climate change and the extinction of animal and plant species among others. Humphreys (2014) postulates that natural forests play the role of regulating water flow into rivers and streams since they act as giant sponges that absorb water. Hence, in clearcut areas, since there is no forest cover to absorb water, the water rapidly runs off causing erosion and flooding during the rainy seasons. In areas where the earth cannot resist the pull of gravity that emanates from rapid and massive water flow, the ground often pulls away in the form of landslides. Events such as landslides and flooding have great adverse financial effects on both the population and the government. Individuals have to incur massive costs in rebuilding homes or in search of medical services in case they encounter injuries. The government, on the other hand, spends millions in subsidies as it has to help individuals and communities to repair damage as it was the case in the recent landslides and floods in Oregon, California, and Washington, where several people were killed and others injured. 

Further, natural forests are home to native animals and plants that are interconnected in a delicate web of life, where each of the species in the woods is crucial for the survival of other species. According to Armenteras, Cabrera, Rodríguez, and Retana (2013), approximately 80% of the earth’s plants and animals reside in forests, and the majority is not capable of surviving the deforestation that extensively damages their homes. As a result, more animal and plant species are facing extinction with the increasing deforestation. Moreover, destruction of natural forests is closely linked with driving climate change. First, trees play a crucial role in perpetuating the water cycle through returning water vapor into the atmosphere, hence, in the absence of trees, deserts develop quickly since little water is capable of returning to the atmosphere in the lack of trees. Secondly, deforestation deprives the forest of its canopy, which is essential in holding heat during the night and blocking sun rays during the day. The disruption, therefore, leads to extreme temperatures, which are detrimental to both animals and plants. Additionally, trees play a critical role in the absorption of greenhouse gases, which are primarily responsible for causing global warming. In this context, fewer forests contribute to more greenhouse gases getting into the atmosphere, thus increasing the severity and speed of global warming. 

Issue Analysis 

Presently, the remains of America's natural and virgin forests are mostly found in the country's national forests. Most states in America possess at least one national forest since the forests cover a significant proportion of the nation. Although there is a general policy that protects national forests from destruction, deforestation still occurs on a large scale in the woods. According to Ryan, Knapp, and Varner (2013) , clearcutting, which refers to logging practices that cut down all or the majority of the trees in a given forested area, is rampant in such regions as the Olympic National Forest found in the Washington state. The level of deforestation in the forest is estimated to go beyond that experienced in the Brazilian rainforests. Harris (2013) p ostulates that if appropriate action is not taken immediately, America’s original forests will be lost in a few decades. 

The destruction of national forests is closely associated with such economic activities as agriculture, logging, and the growth of urban centers. Farmers often clear forests to create more room for food and animal production. Increasing food and animal production has become essential in the recent years, particularly given the growing global population. On the other hand, logging operations, which are crucial in providing the world’s paper and wood products, also contribute to the massive cutting down of trees ( Humphreys, 2014) . In some cases, loggers act illegally and sometimes build more roads to access the more remote forests causing further forest destruction. Besides, the cutting down of forests is as a result of growing urbanization as people develop more dwelling places. However, the removal of national forests is undesirable since is not only detrimental in the sense that it leads to the loss of native trees, but it also affects diverse aspects of the environment and human life. For instance, destruction of the forest has contributed to flooding, landslides, and increased extinction of wild animal species. 

Solutions 

National forests are an essential resource in any country since they are not only sources of income but also crucial habitats of the wildlife as well as crucial factors in influencing an ideal climate. Hence, their preservation remains vital; measures such as establishing stricter laws concerning logging and tree planting are critical for ensuring that national forests do not face extinction. In a bid to mitigate the growing trend of national forests destruction, different measures have been implemented to control the vice. In the United States, for instance, the Act to Save America's Forests has been deployed to reverse the deforestation trend. Other approaches that have been utilized to stop deforestation include lawsuits, participating in national forest planning, and the timber sale appeals processes ( Cabrera, Rodríguez & Retana, 2013) . 

However, these measures have demonstrated little success in reversing the deforestation trend, and more animal and plant species are at an increased risk of extinction as more of the land that was previously covered by forests is becoming bare. Although the current measures have shown little success in restoring the natural forests, several steps can be successfully implemented to overcome the deforestation problem. Some of the measures include ensuring efficiency in the management of forest resources through the elimination of clear-cutting, ensuring that all the trees cut are immediately replaced with younger trees, and establishing new tree plantations every year to return the number of trees cut each year. Eliminating clearcutting practices would play a crucial role in preventing the extinction of plant and animal species, as well as preventing such incidences as flooding and extreme temperatures since there would be sufficient forest cover even after cutting trees for agricultural and wood purposes. On the other hand, implementing policies to plant trees in areas where they have been reduced as well as creating new tree plantations is one of the most efficient measures in restoring the world’s forest cover. Embracing the practice of regular tree planting is not only crucial in restoring habitats for plants and animals, but also essential in ensuring sustainable wood supply, and reversing the effects of global warming. 

Recommendation and Implementation 

Although the deforestation for such purposes as agriculture and logging presents some economic benefits to the economy, the profit gained from such operations is enjoyed by a few people despite the destruction of a public resource. However, the preservation of such funds would be of great benefit to the entire population, since forests influence crucial factors that affect both the local and global environments, including climate change, preservation of native animal and plant species, and prevention of such calamities as landslides and flooding among others. Further, preservation of the forests would play a crucial role in saving on costs that are associated with the lack of adequate forest cover, including global warming among others. 

Given the extensive deforestation that has been recorded in the recent years, the most viable approach for preserving national forests would comprise of a combination of several measures, including eliminating clearcutting through the implementation of appropriate laws and policies, replacing all the felled trees by ensuring that each time trees are cut others are immediately planted, and establishing new tree plantations each year in an effort to replace the number of trees that have been lost over the years. These measures can be achieved through the passing of a bill that prohibits the building of roads in forest areas that have no roads as well as logging, and one that clearly states that loggers should plant new trees every time they fell one. Moreover, a law should be passed that ensures that new tree plantations are created every year. 

Assessment 

Implementing measures to preserve natural forests presents numerous economic benefits both locally and globally. The first benefit pertains to a generation of revenue from such forests since they act as a tourist attraction and recreation sites. The second benefit is that forests play a crucial role in mitigating such events as flooding and landslides, which indicates that a lot of resources that are presently utilized to help communities and persons that have suffered from such calamities would be saved and reinvested in other income-generating projects. Thirdly, the preservation of the forests would ensure sustainability in the production of wood and paper products as well as food ( Cabrera, Rodríguez & Retana, 2013) . Forests are a vital source of wood and paper, and if they are left to destruction, future generations will not have access to such resources, and they may be forced to produce synthetic products that may be harmful to the environment. On the other hand, natural forests are essential in regulating temperatures as well as the water cycle, thus creating an ideal environment for agricultural practices. Hence, with proper climatic conditions, the economy benefits from sufficient food supply, thus saving on costs that would be incurred in importing food or looking for alternative food sources. 

References 

Armenteras, D., Cabrera, E., Rodríguez, N., & Retana, J. (2013). National and regional determinants of tropical deforestation in Colombia.  Regional Environmental Change ,  13 (6), 1181-1193. 

Gradwohl, J., & Greenberg, R. (2013).  Saving the tropical forests . Routledge. 

Harris, L. D. (2013).  The fragmented forest: island biogeography theory and the preservation of biotic diversity . University of Chicago Press. 

Humphreys, D. (2014).  Forest politics: the evolution of international cooperation . Routledge. 

Ryan, K. C., Knapp, E. E., & Varner, J. M. (2013). Prescribed fire in North American forests and woodlands: history, current practice, and challenges.  Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment ,  11 (s1), e15-e24.