the demand for timber is expected to increase from 1.6 billion cubic meters a year in 1995 to 1.9 billion cubic meters in 2010, driven by rising standards in living. The pollution that comes with the enormous growth is also reason for acid rain, which is a combination of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that are produced by the burning of fossil fuels, mainly produced by the Industry. Sulfur dioxide, SO2, in combination with oxygen will create sulfate, SO4. The sulfate in turn can be transformed in the atmosphere with H2 (in this case in form of fog, rain, or snow) into sulfuric acid, H2SO4, also known as acid rain. This rain is slightly acidic and passes through the canopy where it either can be diluted by deciduous trees (like the big leaf maple, for instance), or just ignored by others. When it is not diluted, it can work its way through the soil where it takes the minerals out of the topmost layer of soil, carrying them with it deeper into the ground. The mineral enriched water travels on, leaving a matrix of silica particles (sand) in its path. This will make the soil start looking grayish. A well-developed layer of silica is usually white and some of these layers in the forests of Brazil were seen that were up to 10 meters deep. Understandably, the Agriculture suffers from such drastic influences as well. The same slash and burn methods that were used for generations in the past to gain new fertile fields are now presenting a growing threat as well. The “controlled fires” tend to be going out of control and burning huge amounts of forest every year. Brazil’s National Space Research Institute had sighted 1,700 wildfires over the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul during the last week in August 2000, up from 270 wildfires in the same region in July. According to IBAMA, almost all the fires are human caused. 51% of the farm properties are made up of usually small family operated farms with...
