Surprise!!! Rain-Forest Damage Much Worse Than Thought [View All]

[NVMojo]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Loss of trees in the Brazilian rain forest is much worse than had been thought, according to a new study. Losses in clear-cut areas where all trees are removed have been monitored by satellite observations, but those were not able to detect the cutting of individual trees in areas where others are left behind.

Now, a more detailed satellite observation system is able to detect selective logging, and the findings show much more widespread timber harvests than had been thought, according to a report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Annually, selective logging disturbs an area totaling about the size of Connecticut, according to lead author Gregory Asner of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Stanford University.

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2005/oct/20/102005843.html