How Deforestation is Affecting our Planet

You only have to watch this time-lapse of google earth to see how drastically deforestation is destroying our planet. This video shows the changes to some of the world’s largest forests over the last 30 years. It clearly highlights how many of our forests have been cleared and degraded.

Thankfully, forests still cover about 30% of the land, but the rates they are disappearing at are alarming. Between 1990 and 2016, the world lost 1.3 million square kilometres of trees. To put that into perspective, that’s an area larger than South Africa. As stated in the video every minute an area of forest the size of 40 football fields is lost.

The Effects on the Amazon Rainforest

In April this year, deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil, hit a record high. In just one month, 225 square miles of forest were destroyed. That is a rise of 42.5% from last year. As we approach the dry season where the most felling is predicted to happen, these numbers are set to keep rising.

The Amazon is the world's biggest rainforest and plays a vital role in the slowing down of climate change due to the volume of carbon dioxide it absorbs from the atmosphere. If things don’t change, we are likely to lose 50% of the Amazon by 2050, with severe consequences to its ability to halt global warming.

What can we do?

Trees and forests are essential for the survival of many species, including us humans, and we are already taking clear steps to save our forests and protect our planet. Some people believe the best approach to preventing deforestation is to stop using forest-based products. This isn’t practical as we use these products in all sorts of projects in our everyday lives. 

Here at Ecochoice, we source our timber from FSC certified sustainable sources. What that means is the wood we use comes from a source that doesn’t damage its source forests. FSC stewards manage forests and the cutting of trees to ensure the forests are there for future generations, and protect the wildlife. 

Isn’t all Timber Sustainably Sourced?

Sadly the majority of timber supplied from the rain forests that is sold around the world is not harvested sustainably. Instead of felling trees respectfully and making sure the forests survive, large amounts of the rainforests are cut down and burnt to make space for cattle, palm oil and soy farms. This leaves the native areas bare and unable to grow back for future generations. Timber is a fantastic and versatile material, but to ensure the future of our planet we all need to be aware that buying it from uncertified sources is damaging our environment.

Shop Sustainably

When you buy FSC® Certified timber you keep these sustainable forests viable and help protect the environment now and for future generations. We are committed to fighting deforestation.The timber we supply can be traced back to the source where management plans have to be respected. We are proud to support these sustainable forests which have been set up to protect the forests for future generations to enjoy. Next time you need timber for any project make sure you choose an FSC supplier like Ecochoice to do your part in preventing deforestation.