Why is bamboo getting cut down?

Why is bamboo getting cut down?

The rapid growth in demand for bamboo resources over the last two decades has caused excessive exploitation of forest resources in the province. This has resulted in serious disturbance and destruction of the biodiversity in natural bamboo forests.

What is happening to bamboo?

Bamboo naturally dies off every 40-120 years, depending on the type. In the past, pandas could migrate to new areas in search of food, but nowadays that they are no longer able to ‘follow’ the bamboo. Grazing cattle within a giant panda reserve.

Is bamboo becoming scarce?

Yet as the world clamors for more, bamboo is in short supply. A plant that generally flowers only every 60 to 120 years and then dies is hard to propagate from seed. And growing it by dividing existing plants is notoriously difficult.

Will bamboo roots regrow?

Even if you think you remove all of the bamboo roots and rhizomes, it will return. If you opt to get rid of bamboo with chemical controls, as soon as you see new bamboo shoots emerge, spray them with the strongest herbicide you can buy. Eliminating bamboo plants with this method requires that you be very diligent.

Can you cut down bamboo with a chainsaw?

Mature bamboo culms may be cut using a pruning saw or in the case of timber species, a chainsaw. Chainsaw loppers and electric or gas chainsaws can also be used to cut bamboo culms. The electric lopper clamps and cuts culms up to 4 inches in diameter, while a chainsaw can be used to cut down the entire thicket.

How do pandas survive off bamboo?

Pandas, whose ancestors were carnivores, possess a digestive system that evolved to handle a meat diet even though bamboo now makes up about 99 percent of their food. Bamboo is tough to digest and the pandas must devour lots of it to survive.

What happens to the bamboo when it fires?

The bamboo seems to recover well from a forest fire because the underground rhizome rather easily survives the fire. In fact, forest fires may benefit the bamboo, at least in the short run.

How is the use of bamboo bad for the environment?

Meanwhile, the high-demand for bamboo, within China and globally, can negatively impact ecosystems. Farmers may cut down natural forests to make way for bamboo plantations. This destroys the natural habitat of already vulnerable wildlife such as pandas.

Is there a ban on bamboo felling in China?

The bamboo forests of Zhuhai, which literally translates as ‘Bamboo Sea.’ This is one of the few areas of bamboo forest in the south that have a moderate amount of protection. Felling still occurs, as the forests do not fall within the 1998 logging ban. Image by Sean Gallagher.

How did bamboo survive the atomic bomb in Japan?

An extraordinary example of bamboo’s resilience is the fact that it was the only plant to survive the radiation of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. The incinerating heat destroyed all trees and other plant life, except for one bamboo grove.

How long will it take for bamboo to die off?

Using reliable data and robust modeling techniques, scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Michigan State University have found that most of the current bamboo habitat will soon become unsuitable for survival, with bamboo estimated to entirely die off within 50 to 100 years, depending on the model.