Deforestation in Haiti is a grave environmental problem. In 1923, over 60% of Haiti's land was forested and by 2006, less than 2% of the land in Haiti was forested. After Hurricane Hazel wiped out a mass amount of trees in 1954, the rate of deforestation accelerated severely. Logging operations were also increased during this time to keep up with Port au Princes high demand for charcoal. Because of environmentally unsound agricultural practices, rapid population growth, and increased competition over land, the rate of deforestation was dangerously increasing. Techniques that could make forestry more productive for fuel, like coppicing and pollarding, were not used at all. The most dire effect of deforestation in Haiti is soil erosion. An estimated 15,000 acres of topsoil are washed away each year, with erosion also damaging other important infrastructure such as dams, irrigation systems, roads, and coastal marine ecosystems. Soil erosion also lowers the productivity of the land, worsens droughts, and eventually leads to desertification, all of which increase the pressure on the remaining land and trees, as well as quality of life for Haitians and overall trading that occurs in the country. USAID's Agroforestry Outreach Program, was the country's major reforestation program in the 1980s which set forth the efforts toward reviving Haiti's forests as peasants planted 25 million trees however seven trees were cut for each new tree planted. Later efforts to save Haiti's trees focused on intensifying reforestation programs, reducing waste in charcoal production, introducing more wood-efficient stoves, and importing wood under USAID's Food for Peace program. Haitians still depend on wood and charcoal as their primary fuel source therefore energy alternatives are needed to save the forests. The 15-year Environment Action Plan authorized in 1999 suggested to stop deforestation by developing alternative fuel sources however political instability and lack of funding have limited the productivity and effectiveness of this reform effort.
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| Deforestation in Haiti |
Based on the information given in the "Deforestation in Canada" folder I have come to the belief that deforestation is treacherously worse in Haiti than in Canada. I hold this understanding based on the evidence that "Canada’s deforestation rate accounts for only 0.4% of global deforestation" which is quite minimal. In addition "Deforestation affected less than 0.02% of Canada’s forests in 2005" compared to Haiti in which by 2006 only 2% of its land was forested. These are extreme differences which expresses viable and obvious proof that Haiti's level of deforestation is immensely more severe than Canada's.
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| Deforestation in Canada |
Deforestation in Haiti is a grave environmental problem. In 1923, over 60% of Haiti's land was forested and by 2006, less than 2% of the land in Haiti was forested. After Hurricane Hazel wiped out a mass amount of trees in 1954, the rate of deforestation accelerated severely. Logging operations were also increased during this time to keep up with Port au Princes high demand for charcoal. Because of environmentally unsound agricultural practices, rapid population growth, and increased competition over land, the rate of deforestation was dangerously increasing. Techniques that could make forestry more productive for fuel, like coppicing and pollarding, were not used at all. The most dire effect of deforestation in Haiti is soil erosion. An estimated 15,000 acres of topsoil are washed away each year, with erosion also damaging other important infrastructure such as dams, irrigation systems, roads, and coastal marine ecosystems. Soil erosion also lowers the productivity of the land, worsens droughts, and eventually leads to desertification, all of which increase the pressure on the remaining land and trees, as well as quality of life for Haitians and overall trading that occurs in the country. USAID's Agroforestry Outreach Program, was the country's major reforestation program in the 1980s which set forth the efforts toward reviving Haiti's forests as peasants planted 25 million trees however seven trees were cut for each new tree planted. Later efforts to save Haiti's trees focused on intensifying reforestation programs, reducing waste in charcoal production, introducing more wood-efficient stoves, and importing wood under USAID's Food for Peace program. Haitians still depend on wood and charcoal as their primary fuel source therefore energy alternatives are needed to save the forests. The 15-year Environment Action Plan authorized in 1999 suggested to stop deforestation by developing alternative fuel sources however political instability and lack of funding have limited the productivity and effectiveness of this reform effort.
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