Are we running out of trees?

No. And "sustainability" is the reason. The idea of sustainability means trying to do what nature does on her own: keep things in balance.

Humans have been part of this balance for thousands of years. It wasn’t until this century, however, that humans had the machines and the population numbers to begin to throw things out of balance. In other words, we started taking away more than nature could grow back. Now we are trying to keep things in balance again by sustainable use; that is, giving back to nature in order to replace what we remove. We must manage land and resources like trees wisely so they won’t be “used up “ or depleted.

There’s more to this balance than just trees and forests; we must consider the economic issues as well.

If it makes sense for landowners to grow and use forests, that’s what they will do. They will keep growing, harvesting, and replanting the forests. However, if it costs too much for them to grow and maintain the forests, then they might sell the forests for things like houses and shopping centers. When this happens, animals and plants lose valuable habitat, and we all lose valuable green land

If the habitat could be preserved as a wilderness area, the forest would be saved. But creating wilderness areas costs money, too. Government agencies (and that means taxpayers) have to buy and maintain the land. So the idea of private companies and individuals using the land for managed forests is a good one. The land makes money for the owners and at the same time keeps green forests growing.