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Old Growth Forests. Why Should we Protect Them?

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Old Growth forests are basically forests dominated by massive old trees that are both alive and dead as well as most standing tall and mighty and some fallen. These types of forests can also contain many smaller tree species as part of the understory along with many different plant species. These types of forests play an essential role in providing a habitat for hundreds of animal and plant species. They also play a major role in carbon sequestration which in simple terms is storing carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere. Without these forests the effects of climate change would be much more intense than they are now. These forests also have spiritual meaning to many Indigenous communities. But due to human activity these forests are becoming endangered.

            Many of these forests get cut down yearly to provide space for new development, housing, and other things. They also go though more and more natural or man-made disasters such as fires which get worse and worse with every year. They also face the challenge of invasive species being introduced which is also causing a decline in the amount of old growth that we have on the planet. These are just some of the reasons why we must protect these forests. If we keep destroying the planet, pretty soon there won’t be any trees left in the world to recycle carbon dioxide leading to further climate change disasters which on the other hand leave the human population in trouble. Also, such forests are habitat for many animals and plants that just cannot exists without them. We all know that destroying of the ecosystem and biodiversity will lead a total disaster. We have to act now. It is our responsibility.

So then what are some ways in which we could help stop this from happening.             The main and most important thing we can do is simply protect old growth forests and participate in peaceful protests that help with protection of these beautiful and majestic forests. Another important this we can go is educate other and let them know how important it is for these forests to survive. Together we can save the planet.

Old growth forest

Maybe you do not know it but there are about 11.1 million hectares of old growth forest in B.C. Old growth forests make up about 20% of B.C.’s publicly managed forest areas. We need to remember that old growth forests are one of the British Columbia’s most iconic symbols. You may ask why. So, to answer that you need to know characteristics of the old growth forests. Definition of old growth forests vary in size and age, but if you could imagine a tree erupting from the earth and stretching 60 meters or more into the sky, you can assume that it is old growth tree. Referring to the age of the trees, our province defines most of B.C.’s coastal forests which contain trees that are more than 250 years old. Interior forests on the other hand are considered to be old growth when they are more then 140 years old.

As you can see such old growth forests are amazing nature monuments that should be protected by us and future generations not only because of their age, bot also because of the fact that they help to protect biodiversity, ecosystem and finally our lives.

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Written by KS and posted by admin