Scientists are concerned about fire and logging destroying the
Siberian taiga, also known as the "lungs of Europe."
The Siberian taigi contains half of the planet's
evergreen trees and 1/5 of the world's forested area. National
Geographic has a description and photograph of the Siberian taiga here. The
Independentreports that large swathes are the forest are being
destroyed by logging and fires caused by global warming.
Twenty years ago forest fires destroyed about two million hectares
of Siberian forests - the loss of an area the size of Wales. Last
year 22 million hectares - about half the size of France - were
lost to fire. Russian forestry scientists said they were bracing
themselves for this year's fire season, which starts in late June.
Siberia's largest forest, the taiga, accounts for one fifth of
the world's total forested land and contains half of the planet's
evergreen forest. Yet in the space of a couple of decades this
seemingly unlimited expanse of trees has suffered an unprecedented
tenfold increase in the rate of deforestation caused by fire.
