Producing FoodThe rich soils, high rainfall and other factors, make the land that temperate forests sit on, attractive for farming. In theory. The truth is, despite having these desirable qualities, the only way to exploit these in large scale and commercial operations is to clear fell the forest, which is devastating to the biodiversity and environment of the forest. Once deforested, there is a high likelihood of heavy erosion and nutrient drain, thanks to the sought after heavy rainfall and the removal of tree roots, leaving the valuable, rich and nutritious topsoil to be washed away, leaving nutrient depleted soil that is difficult to grow in and for the forest to recover. The trees, plants and animals that are removed during deforestation are often permanent, resulting in areas of land that will never regenerate or recover to their prior state.
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Sustainable UsesThere are still sustainable, low scale ways to produce food in temperate forests. One such way is the hunting of large game, such as deer. In Australia, deer are pests and are an invasive species, who destroy native vegetation, cause erosion and cause incalculable damage to the environment. These deer are currently being culled by professional shooters, and the carcasses are usually just left to rot or only select parts of the animal utilised. However, deer meat, venison is highly sought after and is a specialty meat, usually fetching high prices, especially to the Asian and European market. The hunting of wild deer, who are an invasive species in Australia will never feed the world, but utilising their meat and selling to a lucrative specialty market, ensures that the carcass of the animal is not wasted. Other small scale ways of producing sustainable food in temperate forests include, fishing and cray potting, harvesting forest fruit and herbs and foraging for root vegetables and mushrooms. Temperate forests will never be able to sustainably mass produce food without extensive deforestation. However, through clever, sustainable use of the forest, food can be produced, which can supplement our food supply.
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