| Well, in a sense. The vast majority of projects that require trees (paper products, base lumber, etc.), require vast quantities of trees that are roughly uniform. Tree farms actually allow for a much higher quality product for most applications because the age, and general health, of the trees are fairly uniform. Practically all paper products are created from farm raised soft-pulp pine trees, which can mature commercially in as few as 3-4 years.
Tree farms are a plus for wildlife, because tree farms are only farmed every 4-5 years. In the meantime, deer, birds, and other wildlife enjoy a protected forest. Most tree farms are also very large, providing plenty of room for multiple habitats to be established, and most farms are "rotated", to provide a steady supply of trees. The rate is such that most wildlife can rotate with the trees. As a bonus, most companies that own tree farms allow hunting on them.
The downside is that the trees are all of the same species - so if a blight occurs, the entire "forest" (tree farm) can be wiped out quickly. There is also the fact that the tree farms aren't forests. Beyond the lack of biodiversity, the uniform age of the trees often creates problems for predatory birds like owls - and a young tree farm is so open that many prey species can't effectively hide from predators.
That said, tree farms have greatly slowed the destruction of old growth forest in the US and Canada, although logging of these forests still goes on for luxury materials, utility poles, etc.
There *can* be a balance between profit and environment, and most modern tree farming companies demonstrate that. |
