Destructive logging
Logging makes rainforest regions susceptible to destruction, proves a study. Researchers from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany, studied the recently-logged regions on the south-east Asian island of Borneo. According to them, rainforests are normally wet and fireproof. But deforested areas burnt more frequently and severely than virgin forests. When selective logging takes place, flammable wood is left on the ground. This, and road construction, punch large holes in the forest's canopy which let in the sun and dry out the scrub beneath. Ground fires then "become more destructive,' says Seigert (www.nature.com, November 26, 2001).
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