Tyler Higbee

English 2010
Lisa Bickmore
Report
Quick question with a quick response
Have you ever just sat down for a moment and wondered what it would be like to not
breathe? I feel like I could rapid fire some statistics at you right now, but honestly after the first
third or fourth you would get bored and stop reading this paper unless it was a topic that
interested you a lot. There are a few things that I would like for you to consider while reading
this paper. The first think about the question that was asked at the beginning. Then I want you to
try and fathom the possibility of not being allowed to breathe as if you got the wind knocked out
of you since Im sure everyone has had that happen to them at least once in their life. Now I want
you to think about what deforestation could possibly have to do with all of these questions.
Forestry experts agree that the 1980s have seen a rapid acceleration in the pace
of deforestation throughout the 7 percent of the Earth's land surface that is still forest-covered. In
1987 alone, some 17 million hectares (a hectare is the metric equivalent of 2.47 acres) of socalled closed, or dense, tropical forest were destroyed, up from 7.5 million hectares in 1981.(1)
Look at the atmosphere for just a moment, cutting downs trees can add up to 25% more
carbon dioxide to be added to the atmosphere every year.(2) If you have time to watch the video
I suggest you do, it provides so a good deal of information and allows you to see what is

happening in the world around you. The things we do, not only affect us but they also affect the
planet and the wildlife that surrounds us.
Right now I want to talk about a very fascinating Island; Easter Island,
it already has a fascinating name and the story behind the island its self is
remarkable to learn about. Easter Island was once populated; its population
consisted of about 700 people. With that population however they needed a
resource the resource they decided to use was the trees that occupied the
land. Scholars have argued that Rapanui culture and society rose and fell
with the fortunes of the island's trees.(3) It always comes down to the trees
because of the destruction of an entire Island we have lost one of the worlds
palm trees. Among its species was the world's largest palm tree. It outsized
even the giant Chilean wine palm, todays biggest, which grows to 65 feet
tall and a yard in diameter.(3) The name of that palm tree which has long
since been forgotten is Paschalococos disperta What does this have to do
with deforestation now that is one example of what will happen if it
continues, one island lost its primary resource and the extinction of a palm
tree. Who is to say the rest of the world is not next?
There are tons of foundations that are working towards a better world
order, WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) The IS Foundation (Ian Somerhalder
Foundation) and a ton more. These two I specifically brought up because
they dont just care about the wildlife and protecting the animals they care
about the planet and they care about human life.

Have you thought about the question? What if I told you that all we had to do to solve the
problem is to stop cutting down trees? I know you would say well it is an important part in life
yes we get more land space with trees gone. Yes we can plant different types of trees in the place
of the old trees. Everything that I just mentioned takes time, how much time do we have left
before we are out of time?
Work Cited
1. Cooper, Mary H. "Saving the Forests." CQ Researcher. Sept. 20 1991: 683-698. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
2. Earth Report: State of the Planet. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2008. Web. 11
Oct. 2015. http://digital.films.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/PortalViewVideo.aspx?
xtid=40752&loid=77250&psid=0&sid=0&State=&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID
3. Tyson, Peter. "The Fate of Easter Island." PBS. PBS, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/fate-of-easter-island.html