Logging involves the cutting down of trees and is a historical phenomenon that dates back to the emergence of human kind on earth. The practice has evolved over time with technological advancement. This paper discusses the advantages. The following are some of the advantages of logging.
Trees like any other plant compete for nutrients and sunlight. Therefore cutting down some of the trees minimizes the competition of the finite nutrients. The mature trees take nutrients and compete unhealthily with the young ones and hence the need to remove them. Such spacing also ensures that the undergrowth gets sunlight for better growth (Costa, F.; Magnusson, W. 2002, Pg. 807–819).
When trees are crowded, there is a higher chance of inviting diseases. In the event that the trees are infected while not thinned, it is very difficult to control the diseases. This is because it would be difficult to penetrate through the forests and establish which sections are affected and spray them. Therefore logging to space the trees is very important.
Logging provides essential raw materials used in wood related industries. It is therefore absolutely necessary to cut trees for purposes of manufacturing paper, furniture, carvings among other wood products. These products from wood form part of the basic requirements of human life.
Logging also reduces the risks of fires in the forests. This is mainly because when the trees are well spaced; fire does not spread at a faster rate as when they are in close contact. Therefore it is necessary to remove some of the trees to create space among them.
During the process of logging, jobs are created directly and indirectly, i.e. the loggers are directly employed while the people working in the transportation of the logs and in the wood industry are indirectly employed. This helps in the reduction of unemployment in the area where logging takes place.
In conclusion, logging is very important to both human life and the environment. However, caution has to be taken to ensure that logging does not lead to deforestation, excessive exposure of the soil to soil erosion agents (Putz, F. Sist, P.; Frederickson, T.; Dykstra, D. 2008, pg. 1427–1433). This also ensures that endangered tree species and animals do not become extinct due to destruction of their habitat.
Work cited
Costa, F.; Magnusson, W "Selective logging effects on abundance, diversity, and composition of tropical understory herbs". Ecological Applications 12 (3): 807–819. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2002)012[0807:SLEOAD]2.0.CO;2. . (2002).
Putz, F.; Sist, P.; Frederickson, T.; Dykstra, D. "Reduced-impact logging: challenges and opportunities". Forest Ecology & Management 256 (7): 1427–1433. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.03.036. (2008).
