The Benefits of Cutting Down Trees
By Sadie Hobbs
Marketing Intern
Trees equal oxygen. We hear this from a young age, and grow up viewing them as one of our main life sources. You can’t live without oxygen, after all. So, it stands to reason that cutting down trees is bad because we want them to keep producing the air we breathe, right? Not quite.
Often, cutting down trees is a good thing because they can be replaced with younger and more productive ones. Fire & Flavor chooses sourcing partners in the lumber industry who ensure forests remain healthy by practicing safe, sustainable methods.
If you google the lumber industry, you will find approximately 126 million results. Filtering for credible sources cuts this total drastically and helps bridge the communication gap between the lumber industry and consumers, as public opinion is often rife with misconceptions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Forestry Service and any state’s Forestry Commission are good sources for credible facts. Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. has a great FAQ page with simple, easy-to-understand information.
Trees offer bountiful benefits to both ecosystems and our health. Obviously, they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen -- without them, the human race as we know it wouldn't exist. The root systems of the trees also help filter water and minimize erosion from rain.
While it's reasonable to think cutting down trees at all is bad, there are many positives to responsible, smart forestry practices. Let's dive in a little deeper.
Most lumber companies work hard to keep forests healthy and continuing to produce a steady supply of lumber. If they did not allow for ample regrowth, trees would go extinct and the lumber industry would cease to exist.
Trees need air, space, sunshine, water and food to grow. Older trees can grow huge, consuming more than their share of available resources and preventing the growth of younger trees. Removing one older tree often allows several smaller, younger ones to flourish. Younger trees also absorb more nitrogen than older trees, which helps clean an ecosystem's air and water.
Cutting down older trees also creates room for planting new saplings. A lumber company can plant between 500 and 600 seedlings per acre depending on the species and needs of that particular tree, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Fire & Flavor believes in creating products that help cook delicious meals for your friends and loved ones, but we are equally proud of minimizing our environmental footprint through responsible sourcing, manufacturing and packaging.
