http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/03/tongass-national-forest-receives-needed-protection.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29
summary:
Last Friday night the news came that a district judge in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, overruled an exemption made by the Bush administration. He made it against the law for people to log in roadless areas of the Tongass National Forest. this is big news for everyone in the area and one more step in halting deforestation. Despite being so far north Tongass is actually a rain forest, says native Elizabeth Wagner. Tongass is vast, over 17 million acres. That's around 29% of the world's remaining unlogged coastal temperate rainforests. It provides a home for many grizzlies and spawning salmon. Many locals depend on the forest and it's animals for survival.
opinion:
I am glad that we are perserving forests like Tongass. People are taking the right steps in environmental protestion. Giant rainforests like this are huge contributers to the fight against global warming, because they suck in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Sometimes resources that are found in the rainforest are needed by the people living in the area, like the people living near Tongass. I feel like this connects to what we are learning in class about wetlands. Both wetlands and rainforests are very easy to overlook but are actuall very crucial to the area around it.
questions:
1. How much important forests remain unprotected?
2. What else can we do to protect rainforests like Tongass?
3. Should America push other countries to protect rainforests?
sorry the photo didnt post. it is in the link.
ReplyDeletereaction- I too am happy to find that America is taking some very big steps in the war agianst global warming. I was also very inteasted to find that there are rainforests in Alsaka as well. Mainly becaouse when you think rain forests you think tropical places and high humidties.
ReplyDeleteTo answer question number one-Only about 6% of the Earths surface is covered in rainforests and some of the worlds biggest ones are being destroyed. And though about half of the worlds wildlife can be found here only about 1 in every ten is being proteced.
I agree that we should protect the trees from logging. If we do not help them, we will be taking away animals habitats. The animals will then die. We should save the rain forests from logging.
ReplyDeleteI can relate this to the wetlands in class. When you destroy one of the wetlands, problems happen. The area will flood and animals lose their habitat. When the forest gets cut down, animals lose their habitat.
What organisms are effected in Tongass?
What are they using the trees for?
Why was the Bush administration trying to destroy the Tongass forest?
It's great that the trees are being protected be protected because it's a huge part of our environment! We need to preserve the trees, if we keep cutting down them there will be no forests left. These trees provide us with oxygen and are the homes to a variety of animals. Without the trees these animals would be forced to find another home, most likely one that they will have to adapt to immensely. It's great that the Tongass National Forest is being preserved because it’s so vast and is 29% of the worlds remaining unlogged coastal temperate rain forests. It's a great thing that they are doing and it should continue to be done throughout the world so we do not loose these precious areas.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to question 2:http://kids.mongabay.com/elementary/601.html.This website says we should Teach, Restore, Encourage, Establish, and Support. We need to teach adults and children about the benefits of rainforest and how to protect it. Restore the ecosystem by planting many trees. Encourage people to live in environmentally safe ways. Establish rules and regulations against cutting down the rainforests. Support people and companies that support environmentally safe ways and preserving the rainforest.
I think its great to see people who care about their environment make a difference and try to protect it. To be honest, I've never even knew Alaska was a location for rain forests, but (according to the article) the Tongass National Forest is the largest intact forest in the nation. I hope that the community continues to succeed in their efforts to completely protect the Tongass Forest from destruction.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of all the wetlands we are researching in class, because both the wetlands and forests are similar. They both help and sustain life, and it would be a shame if we had to lose any more wetlands or forests.
Here are a couple more questions :
1. What other species directly depend on Tongass Forests?
2. What can we (everyday citizens) do to help the Tongass Forests and other Forests?
3. Should our representatives try to make laws that prevent destruction of all forests, and why?