March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Rain forest awareness

I am appalled and scared about the rapid loss of one of the most beautiful and important natural resources in the world — the tropical rain forests. Its destruction damages rare plant and animal life. If we don’t stop this needless deforestation we will soon see the effects of the damage here in Maine.

The timber demand is the main reason for the loss of rain forests. One-third of the world’s population depends on wood for much of its energy but there are other sources and we should use them. To make things worse, only one tree is planted for evey 10 trees cut down (Raven 80). We need to write to politicians and insist they put more pressure on lumber companies to replace what they take down. At the current rate of deforestation, all the tropical rain forests will be gone within the next 40 years. …

Do something to help:

1. Don’t buy wood from the tropics. Use of mahogany, teak, rosewood, ebony, and iroko just encourages lumber companies to destroy more forests.

2. Don’t buy animals from the rain forests; macaws, cockatoos, monkeys, iguanas, boa constrictors, and pythons are endangered.

3. Buy things that encourage the preservation of the rain forest, such as Rainforest Crunch, which gives the natives a way to make money without harming the environment.

4. For more information, write: Rainforest Alliance, 270 Layafette St., Room 512, New York, N.Y. 10012. Sarah Emerson Age 12, Stillwater


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