Tree Planting Images

Rainforest

A Rainforest can be described as a tall, dense jungle.  The reason it is called a "rain" forest is because of the high amount of rainfall it gets per year.  The climate of a rain forest is very hot and humid so the animals and plants that exist there must learn to adapt to this climate.

Despite what some government groups are trying to promote, human greed is the main cause of rainforest deforestation. Incredibly, between May 2000 and August 2005, Brazil lost more than 132,000 square kilometers of forest — an area larger than Greece — and since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed.

Earths Crown of Glory, the Trees

Autumn Beauty

Mountain - Lake Beauty

Ealy Morning Backlit Tree

Reducing Greenhouse Gases May Not Be Enough To Slow Climate Change

Georgia Tech City and Regional Planning Professor Brian Stone is publishing a paper in the December edition of Environmental Science and Technology that suggests policymakers need to address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Stone's paper, as the international community meets in Copenhagen in December to develop a new framework for responding to climate change, policymakers need to give serious consideration to broadening the range of management strategies beyond greenhouse gas reductions alone.

"Across the U.S. as a whole, approximately 50 percent of the warming that has occurred since 1950 is due to land use changes (usually in the form of clearing forest for crops or cities) rather than to the emission of greenhouse gases," said Stone. "Most large U.S. cities, including Atlanta, are warming at more than twice the rate of the planet as a whole -- a rate that is mostly attributable to land use change. As a result, emissions reduction programs -- like the cap and trade program under consideration by the U.S. Congress -- may not sufficiently slow climate change in large cities where most people live and where land use change is the dominant driver of warming."
Article source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111083055.htm

Philippine Forest Near Extinction

The Philippines is an example of a country that has lost its original forest. Once, ninety-four percent of its land area was forested; today that's down to 2.7% (2005: 2.8%) as reported by Rhett Butler of Mongabay.com (Philippines).

Image source: 
http://bioval.jrc.ec.europa.eu/products/veget_map_insulare-sea/insularSEasia.php

Willie Smits: How we re-grew a rainforest

Climate Change Impact on Trees and Crops

The possible impact climate change will have on the world’s ability to provide food for its expanding population, and that affects on Tree and Crop production will vary considerably. Where crops are at their maximum heat tolerance, for example in the tropics, heat stress and drier soils may reduce  yields on Tree and Crop products by up to a third. This is where the majority of the world’s poorest people live.
Although elevated CO₂ may benefit valuable crops in certain regions it will also increase the growth rate of weeds and nuisance species. The weeds will also be able to expand their range to higher latitude habitats. The changes in climate will also lead to a pole ward migration of insects and plant diseases, adding to the risk of tree products and crop losses. The biggest problem is that the world’s poorest populations face the biggest risks. These are the people who are highly dependent on isolated agricultural systems, which are the most likely to be affected by the changing climate.