What Is The Meaning Of Chile's Temperate Forests
Temperate forests of Chile are in danger of losing native forest cover due to human alterations. When one mentions deforestation, the primary cause one will most probably think of will be conversion to agricultural land. While that is partly the reason for why native temperate forests are losing ground in Chile, the authors of this paper offers another underlying cause- native forests are being overrun by exotic tree species introduced by humans to supply raw resources for paper.
Large areas of Chile’s forested areas are now being utilized for planting exotic tree species so much that it is changing the dominant type of landscape in the region. What is worse is that once native forests are colonized by exotic tree species, then there is little
hope that the native tree species can compete against the introduced ones. Thus, exotic tree plantations are more or less permanent in areas where exotic trees have been introduced, and native species are slowly being driven out of their natural habitats. Since exotic tree plantations have colonized the area, great uniformity within land cover has been observed throughout the region. An unvaried landscape can have disadvantageous effects environmentally. The authors list several of them in this paper. First, forest fires are more likely to happen, which can burn young native trees before they reach maturity. Second, a change in the dominant type of vegetation also affects local species diversity, since native species rely on native trees for their habitats. Introduced exotic trees may not be suitable for the needs of local species. Third, ecosystem services are disrupted, because each species play a unique role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Exotic species may not be able to fill the role formerly held by native species.
This paper addresses environmental concerns of both consumption and production. Native forests are slowly being removed to make room for exotic tree species for paper production. However, large-scale production does not happen if there is no consumer demand. Because of these two factors, formerly extensive native forests are slowly disappearing, and ecosystems dependent on their existence are thrown out of balance.
Large areas of Chile’s forested areas are now being utilized for planting exotic tree species so much that it is changing the dominant type of landscape in the region. What is worse is that once native forests are colonized by exotic tree species, then there is little
hope that the native tree species can compete against the introduced ones. Thus, exotic tree plantations are more or less permanent in areas where exotic trees have been introduced, and native species are slowly being driven out of their natural habitats. Since exotic tree plantations have colonized the area, great uniformity within land cover has been observed throughout the region. An unvaried landscape can have disadvantageous effects environmentally. The authors list several of them in this paper. First, forest fires are more likely to happen, which can burn young native trees before they reach maturity. Second, a change in the dominant type of vegetation also affects local species diversity, since native species rely on native trees for their habitats. Introduced exotic trees may not be suitable for the needs of local species. Third, ecosystem services are disrupted, because each species play a unique role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Exotic species may not be able to fill the role formerly held by native species.
This paper addresses environmental concerns of both consumption and production. Native forests are slowly being removed to make room for exotic tree species for paper production. However, large-scale production does not happen if there is no consumer demand. Because of these two factors, formerly extensive native forests are slowly disappearing, and ecosystems dependent on their existence are thrown out of balance.