Logging and Deforestation

Stacked wood near a sawmill in the town of Machadinho, which survives from (mostly) illegal logging in Brazil's western state of Rondonia, Mar. 19, 2006. About one-fifth of the state, which borders Bolivia, has been deforested since intensive settlement began in the 1970s. The main highway was paved in the 1960s, and as any satellite map can show, there is a direct link of road construction and forest destruction. As roads improve, migration increases and forest is cleared to make way got ranches and towns. A majority of its citizens now live in urban areas. It is a main exporter of wood, as well as a significant producer of both coffee and and as a result of deforestation, cattle is important.(Australfoto/Douglas Engle)

5 / 55

Stacked wood near a sawmill in the town of Machadinho, which survives from (mostly) illegal logging in Brazil's western state of Rondonia, Mar. 19, 2006. About one-fifth of the state, which borders Bolivia, has been deforested since intensive settlement began in the 1970s. The main highway was paved in the 1960s, and as any satellite map can show, there is a direct link of road construction and forest destruction. As roads improve, migration increases and forest is cleared to make way got ranches and towns. A majority of its citizens now live in urban areas. It is a main exporter of wood, as well as a significant producer of both coffee and and as a result of deforestation, cattle is important.(Australfoto/Douglas Engle)

amazon brazil environment forest police trees wood deforestation logging