Friday, August 6, 2010

Bialowieza forest under threat?

The Bialowieza (no, I don't know how that's properly pronounced) forest is Europe's last big tract of old-growth forest. According to the article, it's considered under threat from logging; but the locals insist they're just clearing out trees that are diseased. See, listen to the woman from the forestry board:

"Any lumber we get is from trees felled for ecological and protective reasons," Anna Malinowska, spokeswoman for Poland's state forestry board, said adding that without selective logging, infestations had spread on the Belarussian side of the woodland.


Logging a threat to Europe's last primeval forest: activists

Now, this wouldn't be the first time that some environmental activists went a little overboard about some necessary clearing; at the same time, it wouldn't be the first time (by a long shot) that selective clearing was used as a cover story for more extensive commercial logging to raise a little revenue.

Here's another story:

Polish ecologists say too many trees being felled in Poland's primeval forest

Who to believe?

I tried to find a picture that captures a sense of this place: the one below isn't too bad.

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