190 Forests
• Collecting and selling non-timber forest products rather than selling wood
is a way to care for the forest while also earning money.
• Paying ranchers to keep grazing animals out of the forest, and paying
farmers not to cut trees on part of their land, can support healthy
forests and prevent conflicts.
• Preserving wildlife corridors (areas of connected forest or wild land) lets
wildlife live in and travel through an area.
• Planting green spaces, smaller areas of trees in places where most trees
have been cut down, or where the forest is completely gone, is a way to
improve the soil, water, and air even in populated cities and towns.
• Supporting natural regrowth of forests by limiting the use of areas where
too many trees have been cut helps forests recover.
• Using animals to haul logs causes less damage than bulldozers or other
heavy machinery.
Animals
compact
forest soil
less than
machines.
• Trimming bark and branches from fallen trees before taking them out of
the forest causes less damage to other plants when the tree is hauled out.
The bark and branches rot and make good soil.
• Ecotourism earns money by showing visitors the natural beauty of a
forest, without having to cut trees or damage the environment.
There are many ways to use forests that keep them healthy for the future.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012