Deforestation

Subtopics

Importance of Forest
Deforestation
Types of Forest
Effects of Deforestation in
Philippine Forestry
 Deforestation

Deforestation is the process of removing or

clearing forests or trees from a large area,
which can lead to various environmental
and social issues.
_GR_C__T__AL E _ _A N _ _O N
AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION
M_NI__
MINING
L_GG_N_
LOGGING
I_FR_S_R__T__E D_V_L__M_NT
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
What do you think is the
importance of forest?
Importance of Forest
Asian woman breathing fresh air in a forest
Types of Forest
 Types of Forest
The word forest broadly describes
an area that has a large number of
trees. There are three general types
of forest that exist: temperate,
tropical, and boreal. Experts
estimate that these forests cover
approximately one-third of Earth’s
surface. (National Geographic
Society, 2023)
Temperate forests - found across eastern North America
and Eurasia.
- Temperatures vary throughout the
year because of the four distinct
seasons at these latitudes.
- Precipitation is abundant and lends
to fertile soil that is able to support
diverse flora like maples, oak, and
birch. Deer, squirrels, and bears are
just a few examples of the fauna
that call temperate forests home.
- Temperate forests are home to
many endangered species.

- The red wolf, native to the

temperate forests of eastern
North Carolina, is listed as
Critically Endangered by the
IUCN.
 Types of Temperate Forest

• Deciduous Forest • Coniferous Forest • Temperate Rainforest

 Types of Temperate Forest

-lose their leaves during colder months and

enter a period of dormancy.

-found in three middle-latitude regions

with a temperate climate characterized by
a winter season and year-round
precipitation: eastern North America,
western Eurasia, and northeastern Asia.

• Deciduous Forest -also extends into more arid regions along

stream banks and around bodies of water
Aspens Beech Birches Chestnut

Oak Elms Maples Basswoods

 Types of Temperate Forest
This biome has a higher proportion of evergreen,
cone-producing trees.

Mosquitoes, flies, and other insects are common

inhabitants of the coniferous forest, but few cold-
blooded vertebrates, such as snakes and frogs, are
present because of the low temperatures.

Birds include woodpeckers, crossbills, warblers,

kinglets, nuthatches, waxwings, grouse, hawks,
and owls.
• Coniferous Forest Prominent mammals
include shrews, voles, squirrels, martens, moose,
reindeer, lynx, and wolves.
 Types of Temperate Forest
- dominated by a mix of broad-leaved or coniferous
trees that occurs in the middle latitudes, mostly
between approximately 40° and 60° in both
Northern and Southern hemisphere,
and characterized by abundant moisture present
throughout the year.

- The trees of temperate rainforests are among the

tallest in the world. As in other rainforests, most
of the animals are small and live close to
the forest floor beneath the shelter of the
• Temperate Rainforest canopy, but the habitat is also home to
several species of large mammals and birds of
prey.
Tropical forests - common to areas near the equator, such
as Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa,
and Central America.
- Temperatures have been reported to
range between 20 and 31°C (68 and
88°F).
- the epitome of biodiversity. Animals
include the endangered harpy eagle
(Harpia harpyja)—a large predatory
bird—which has become scarce
throughout Central and South America,
largely due to habitat loss.
 Types of Tropical Forest

• Evergreen Rainforest • Tropical Moist Forest • Tropical Dry Forest • Mangrove

 Types of Tropical Forest

Often thought of as “real” rainforest, these are

the wettest (~80 inches of rain per year)
and most biodiverse tropical forests.

- there is no complete, seasonal loss of leaves

(i.e., trees shed old leaves and produce new ones
throughout the year, rather than during particular
periods).
• Evergreen Rainforest
 Types of Tropical Forest

- Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known

as tropical moist forest, is a tropical and subtropical forest
habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

- Further from the equator than evergreen rainforests,

tropical moist forests experience less rainfall overall and
bigger differences between seasons.

- characterized by low variability in annual temperature and

high levels of rainfall (>200cm/yr). Forest composition is
dominated by evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous
Tropical Moist Forest
•
tree species. This biome contains the highest levels of
species diversity in any terrestrial major habitat type.
 Types of Tropical Forest

- Biome of any open woodland in tropical areas that

have a long dry season followed by a season of heavy
rainfall.

- Tropical dry forests are found between 10° and 25°

latitude and are often found north and south of the
world’s tropical rainforests. With a dry season that
lasts six or more months of the year, the climate is
significantly more seasonal than that of a rainforest.

- The trees usually shed their leaves during the dry

• Tropical Dry Forest season and come into leaf at the start of the rainy
season. Tropical dry forests around the world have
been extensively devastated by deforestation for
agriculture and human development
 Types of Tropical Forest

• Coastal tropical forests with trees adapted to

live in brackish water with changing levels.
Mangroves protect the coast from storms and
act as nurseries for aquatic species.
• Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline,
reducing erosion from storm surges, currents,
waves, and tides. The intricate root system of
mangroves also makes these forests attractive
to fish and other organisms seeking food and
Mangrove
•
shelter from predators.
 - also known as taiga.
- one of the world’s largest land biomes, are
Boreal forests found across Siberia, Scandinavia, and
North America (Alaska and Canada).
- It has a significant role in removing carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Temperatures are, on average, below
freezing.
- Conifers, spruce, fir, and pine trees are the
predominant needle-leaf plant species
- Moose and deer - a couple of examples of
large herbivorous mammals can be found.
Most birds native to the taiga migrate to
find warmer conditions during the forest’s
harsh winters.
 Types of Boreal Forest

• Open Canopy Boreal • Closed Canopy Boreal

 Types of Temperate Forest

- Open canopies are a collection of tall trees that have

not grown together to shield the sun away from the
vegetation below.

- occur at the higher (more north) latitudes and so are

very cold with fewer species.

Pros/Cons of Open Canopy

- Open canopies allow sunlight to shine through,

therefore promoting the growth through photosynthesis
• Open Canopy Boreal
of plants below. However, wildlife is less plentiful as it
takes refuge under the cover of closed canopy areas.
 Types of Temperate Forest

- Often seen in rain forests, closed canopies are a set

of mature trees whose leaves and branches come
together as if to enclose, or crown, the ecosystem.

- are in the lower latitudes, so the climate is slightly

warmer, meaning there is a higher species diversity.

Pros/Cons of Closed Canopy

- can hamper the development of vegetation beneath it

because the crown prevents much needed sunlight
• Closed Canopy Boreal
from getting through. However, in high winds and
other disastrous weather, the canopy also protects the
environment below.
Effects of Deforestation
in the
Philippine Forestry
Introduction
to Deforestation
When the soil is exposed to the sun Soil Erosion
upon deforestation, it becomes very dry
and infertile due to the loss of
nutrients. When there is rainfall, it
washes away the rest of the nutrients,
which flow with the rainwater into
waterways.

Replanting trees may not help in

solving the problems caused by
deforestation. By the time the trees
mature, the soil will be totally devoid of
essential nutrients. As a result, the land
will not be suitable for cultivation and
will become useless. Large tracts of
land will be rendered permanently
impoverished due to soil erosion.
 Disruption of the Water Cycle
Trees help maintain the water cycle in various
ways. They absorb water through their roots,
which is then released into the atmosphere.
A large part of the water that circulates in the
ecosystem of rainforests, for instance,
remains inside the plants.
When these trees are cut down, the climate
will get drier in that particular area. The
groundwater tables are affected and will soon
get depleted. The trees help in prevention of
running off of water and help the soil absorb
the flowing water. When there are no trees,
water just runs off, leaving no chance for the
groundwater tables to absorb more water
which will eventually lead to reduction in
water resources.
Loss of Biodiversity
Tropical rainforests only take up to 6
percent of the surface area of the
Earth, where about 80-90 percent of
the entire species of the world exist.
Due to massive deforestation, about
50 to 100 species of animals are being
lost each day. This leads to the
extinction of animals and plants on a
massive scale. The animals not only
lose their habitat and protective cover,
but they are also pushed to extinction.
Flooding and Drought
Forests can function to absorb and
store great amounts of water
quickly when there are heavy rains. Anadolu Ajansi
When forests and trees are cut
down, this regulation of the flow of
water is disrupted, which leads to
alternating periods of flood and
then drought in the affected area,
leading to increased risks for
people living nearby.
Philippine Star
 Climate Change
Trees act as a storage place for carbon,
since they absorb carbon dioxide from the
Rappler
atmosphere, which is then used to produce
carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that make
up trees. When deforestation occurs, many
of the trees are burnt or they are allowed to
rot, which results in releasing the carbon
that is stored in them as carbon dioxide.
This, in turn, leads to greater concentrations
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Displacement of indigenous
communities
LiCAS.news Philippines

Indigenous peoples who rely on forests

for their livelihoods and cultural
practices are adversely affected by
deforestation, leading to displacement
and loss of traditional knowledge.

LiCAS.news Philippines
 Loss of ecosystem services
Forests provide essential ecosystem
services such as water purification,
carbon sequestration, and soil fertility.
Deforestation diminishes these
services, impacting human well-being.

ResearchGate
Addressing deforestation in the Philippines requires a multi-
faceted approach involving conservation efforts, sustainable
land management practices, and community engagement to
ensure the long-term health and resilience of the country's
forests.
 CARMELA R. LAGSIT
TRISHA MARIELLE BOLLER