The math doesn't add up

[Primalclaws1974]

The United States was covered with 85% tree growth when the pilgrims arrived in North America. In places that had appropriate climates, the tree population was probably the same. The world population was only about 500 million then. Today, America is only covered by trees in 15% of the land. Again, I would imagine the world kept up. How are we still breathing enough air with 15% of the trees and 14 times as many people? Does this make sense to you?

 

[Cereus]

Well, we have other plants that contribute with making potable air for humans. The atmosphere that we breath is pretty much 80% Nitrogen and 20% Oxygen. Besides most of our oxygen comes from phytoplankton which live out in the ocean. Even if our trees are depleted, we still have entire oceans of little critters and plants that photosynthesize and create oxygen.

 

[AbundantBlooms]

Algae!

 

[marlingardener]

How do we know that the area now occupied by the USA had 85% tree growth when the Pilgrims arrived? It seems that more tree planting is going on now than ever before. Nurseries are stocking more trees, homeowners are planting trees for shade and beauty, and lumber companies are planting two for every tree cut. The biggest disaster for forests was the Mt. Shasta eruption, and that was entirely due to nature (man would have prevented it if he could have!).
Texas in it's "natural" state had pockets of forests--small and scattered pockets. Now there are trees all over, planted by man or by birds. We actually have problems with over-population of mesquite and ashe junipers.

 

[claudine]

One of very few things that I love about my country is that we still have many trees here. You can see them wherever you look. I spent half of my childhood playing in parks and woods.
Peope who cut down trees make a big mistake

 

[Pat]

It saddens me when trees are cut down to build houses or apartments. Soil erosion is also a big concern by cutting down two many trees.

 

[marlingardener]

There is a big difference between "clear cutting" which Pat has referred to, and selective removal of dead/dying/dangerous trees. We had a large mesquite removed before it fell over on our workshop. The trunk and larger branches went to a cabinet shop that specializes in unusual woods. The smaller branches went to friends for smoking meats in their barbecue grills. Nothing was wasted, and the tree didn't do any damage.
Clear cutting for development often results in smaller trees being planted in yards. Homeowners want shade and beauty, and plant trees. Some of these trees are appropriate to the site and conditions, and others aren't. Educating the public about trees that will fit their needs and be healthy and grow for years is most important.
Right now California and Oregon are experiencing mud slides, a terrible type of erosion, because of the wildfires last fall. Trees and other vegetation burned off, leaving bare earth. This was a natural phenomena, not caused by man, except by building houses at the foot of a cliff or large hill.

 

[headfullofbees]

Our atmosphere has changed many times over the aeons, from far higher in oxygen, so that fires were a risk all the time, to much higher CO2 levels.

 

[Mockingbird]

This area of NY had several wonderful old trees devastated by a storm called the October surprise back in 2006, the leaves had not fallen and we received heavy lake effect snow that broke so many trees it was unbelievable. the region had several beautiful maples that were lost. Arborist's came in to try and save the ones that could be. It took till this year for things to return for the maples. http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbc...ategory=photogalleries&artno=101309999&ref=ph

My point is mother nature has a way of working the planet to keep things in balance. we have no way to know what the territory was like in pilgrim times, but I can bet they still had wildfires that ate far more trees then we do now. Sure we as a society use lumber, you have to understand some companies grow that wood, some companies pull the lumber out of swamps.