Redwood national Park environmental issues
ENCROACHMENT OF DEVELOPMENT, DEFORESTATION, AND GOLBAL WARMING
During the 19th century, due to the gold rush many people moved into California to mine for gold which meant that more towns had to be established. Thousands of Redwoods were cut down to provide space for the new development and for the materials to build the towns. In 1769, Redwood trees most likely covered 2 million acres or more, but by 1965 the population of the trees was decreased by 85%. In 1968 an area in northern coastal California was declared Redwood National Park where no one could log. In 1978 congress increased the size of the park and told National Park Services to mend and recover the land that had been over logged. All this deforestation doesn't help slow down global warming. There is too much CO2 (carbon dioxide) and other gasses that contribute to the greenhouse effect. When there is too much CO2 in the atmosphere, some effects could be: temperatures getting warmer in some regions, more rainfall, and in others, more dry climates, warm oceans which will melt glaciers and increase sea levels, and last, plants will grow more vigorously , but as the climate changes, the crops and plants will change the area in which they grow. This will affect the economy of the community that depends on the plant or crop. We need trees more than ever because they are a big part of the carbon cycle. They convert the air we breath out as well as all the byproducts of industry (CO2) and turn it into clean oxygen through photosynthesis. Half of the Earth's forest's have already been cut down. So what we can do with the trees we have left is watch out for them as best as we can, as well as reforesting the areas we have deforested. By enacting laws that preserve forests like Redwood National Park, we will help control greenhouse gases and will aid in global warming. |