Chapter 13: Forests
Returning Trees to Haiti: Repairing a Forest Ecosystem One Tree at a Time
Story Abstract and Additional Information
This chapter examines how forests have great economic value and emphasizes that we must balance
this value with the value of their ecosystem services and sociocultural benefits. Sustainable
management practices allow us to harvest forest products without destroying the forest or its ability to
provide ecosystem services and future products.
Here are some of the key points in the story for this chapter:
What are the characteristics of a forest biome?

Forests are biomes dominated by trees. They cover about 30% of the planet’s landmass, but
thanks to their sheer concentration of biodiversity, are home to more than 50% of Earth’s
terrestrial life and more than 60% of its green, photosynthesizing leaves. There are many types
of forest biomes around the globe, each determined by the temperature and amount of
precipitation the area receives. Read more about forest biodiversity from the Convention on
Biological Diversity: http://www.cbd.int/forest/about.shtml.

Tropical forests like those in Haiti are found in tropical latitudes where temperatures do not vary
much during the year. Dry tropical forests have distinct wet and dry seasons, whereas tropical
rain forests receive rain year-round. The soils are thin, acidic, and low in nutrients. Rapid
decomposition by fungi and bacteria supports the dense vegetation found in these soil-poor
areas. Read more about tropical forests and NASA's role in monitoring them:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/.
What ecosystem services do forests provide?

The ecosystem services that forests provide include: being the biggest contributor of oxygen to
the atmosphere; a major sink for CO2; water purification and provision; soil production and
recycling of nutrients; reduction of soil erosion; protection from storm damage, especially in
coastal areas; food and habitat for biodiversity; and a rich storehouse of genes that might prove
useful to improve our crops or provide as yet undiscovered medicines. Read more from the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the role that forests play in protecting
surface drinking water:
http://www.fs.fed.us/ecosystemservices/FS_Efforts/forests2faucets.shtml.

In addition to all these ecosystem services, forests also provide a range of economic benefits. In
fact, humans have relied on forests for millennia for a litany of consumer goods. Wood
products, including lumber, firewood, charcoal, paper pulp, and some medicines, account for
some $100 billion in global trade every year. On top of that, the wildlife supported by forests
provides humans with food and recreational hunting opportunities, both of which have
economic value. Read about an agreement between environmental groups and timber
companies to protect boreal forests in Canada:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0518/Timber-companies-agree-on-conservationplan-for-Canadian-forests.
How can forests be protected from deforestation?

Haitian ecologist Timote Georges is working with the American nonprofit group Trees for the
Future to reforest the mountains around Gonaives. Trees for the Future (http://www.planttrees.org/) has so far planted more than fifty million trees in Central America, Africa, and Asia.
Watch this video to learn more about this group's efforts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdoe_gI_fSs&feature=relmfu.

Today, global deforestation has slowed considerably, from 9 million hectares (ha) per year (22
million acres [ac]) in the 1990s down to 5.2 million ha (13 million ac) in the year 2000, but the
planet still has a net loss of forested land every year. There are three main culprits behind this
trend: the harvesting of forests for wood and wood products, the conversion of forests into
agricultural land, and urbanization. Read about the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, which
allows some developing countries to relieve debt owed to the United States while at the same
time generating funds to support tropical forest conservation:
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/forestry/tfca.html.
Additional information about other topics from this chapter:
Jatropha Tree in Haiti

In Haiti, charcoal produced from wood is currently the only means people have to heat their
homes, prepare their food, and—in the cities—fuel their businesses. One potential alternative
to charcoal that could be used in Haiti and elsewhere is jatropha, a fast-growing plant whose oilrich seeds have been hailed as a promising biofuel source. Even the material left after the oil is
pressed out can be digested by bacteria to produce biogas, a fuel similar to natural gas. Watch
this video to get a close-up look at this potential fuel source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSiWc5gYT_g.