■ Cutting trees for timber and pulp (used for manufacturing paper) and
clearing land for agriculture.
■ Introduction of nonnative organisms that compete for food and nutrients
with native wildlife and flora.
■ Wildfires.
■ Using slash-and-burn techniques to clear the land for raising cattle and for
cropland.
■ Mining operations that clear forests to build roads and dig mines.
■ Governments and industries that clear-cut forests to make way for roads.
■ Hydroelectric projects that flood acres of rainforests.SOLUTIONS
– Create sustainable-logging regimes that selectively cull trees rather than
using clear-cut or slash-and-burn methods.
– Start campaigns that educate people about the destruction caused by
rainforest timber and encourage the purchasing of sustainable rainforest
products.
– Encourage people who live near rainforests to harvest products (e.g.,
nuts, fruits, medicines) rather than clear-cutting the area for farmland.
– Administer government moratoriums on road building and large
infrastructure projects in the rainforest.Temperate Deciduous Forests
Temperate deciduous forests occur in eastern North America, northeastern Asia,
and western and central Europe. They have well-defined seasons with a distinct
winter, a moderate climate, and a growing season of 140–200 days during four to
six frost-free months.