We have become very much aware and concerned about the environment. The world’s natural forests cannot sustainably meet the soaring global demand for timber products under current forest management practices. According to the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), approximately 24.7 million acres of fast-wood plantations or commercially planted forests exist worldwide. Each year around…
In this 2014 file photo, rangers work to dismantle an illicit charcoal operation in Congo’s Virunga National Park, home to mountain gorillas. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) Ann M. SimmonsContact Reporter They cover a third of the world’s landmass, help to regulate the atmosphere, and offer shelter, sustenance and survival to millions of…