Tree farms, in theory, have the potential to reduce the pressure placed on biodiverse and endangered forests because paper manufacturers would be able to derive pulpwood from these tree farms and forests would be protected.

In fact, the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development suggested that it would be possible to meet the world’s demand for pulpwood in 2050 with 100 million hectares of fast-growing plantations. Presently, however, pulpwood plantations only represent 15 to 20 million hectares worldwide. According to these figures and this argument, the conversion of 80 million hectares of biodiverse forests into plantations is a viable solution.

Unfortunately, what is missing from this perspective are the problems associated with tree farms including:

• Converting endangered forests into tree farms equates to a net loss of habitat and biodiversity
• Tree farms are intensively managed with herbicides and pesticides in order to increase crop yields. These toxic chemicals pollute the land, and water and pose serious health risks to surrounding communities
• Tree farms support 90% fewer species than the naturally occurring forests that preceded them.
• Tree farms are typically planted with singe species and as such are extremely susceptible to pest infestations