WHAT IS THE GENUINE PRICE OF A TREE?

A lady working in a tree nursery. Photo credit: Mercy Musuya

Human beings especially the loggers believe that the value of a tree is only determined by the revenue it generates in our economy.

They ignore to consider what that specific tree does before entering the economy.

The forest floor is usually covered by living organisms thus you will be able to come across lichens or mosses coating rocks. The decaying woods, fallen logs as well as snags are dependent upon by countless organisms for nutrition and protection. With this complexity and a link of this kind that is beyond our comprehension since all are held together, by not only the air but also water and sunlight suffusing them, makes this community recognized as a forest.

“Second-growth forest” is a term used majorly by foresters. They consider it a forest but it is usually a tree plantation. This is like a “managed forest” while others call it “fibre farm” and it is an important practice in our environment, however, for a maximum potential to be achieved, geneticists are required. They will work on resilience, regenerative capacity as well as devices of self-protective which are all predominant in a natural forest. Breeding of fast-growing qualities or pedigrees of commercially valuable species of trees and tree planters, and also firefighters.

Protection of soil, flora and fauna from being exposed to direct sunlight, wind and air should be considered. Streams and rivers are always the lifeblood of a forest and altering water retention could transform radically the species mix that remained, as a result of large clear-cuts and from using heavy machinery. 

These practices are being rationalized by foresters and christened “proper silvicultural management,” without considering the knowledge of the factors that were present in the creation of the initial forest having been cut down. Some have the idea while others who makes up the majority often ignore to have a look thus not carrying out a proper inventory concerning all of the constituent species making up the forest. They may also fail to consider the blueprint which explains the interconnection of all the components.

When selective logging will be done at or below trees’ growth rate in a rainforest, it will enhance profit harvesting indefinitely rather than after every hundred years, for example. This will enable the diversity which is a key component in resilience and regeneration not sacrificed by the selective logging of the trees.