Ok, here's the deal: If you cut down all the tress, everyone dies. But, if you pull a leaf off the top of one of the trees, the repercussions are negligible. So, there must be an optimal middle ground, yes? Yes.
The Canopy Clippers quietly hover above the rainforests, constantly foraging the lofty leafy heights for more organic material. Small portions of canopy are harvested and collected in a reservoir on the backside of the flying masterpiece as it moves onwards; leaving a fresh layer of canopy to regrow to fullness in a matter of days.
Not so much canopy can be clipped, and this is understood. If too much is clipped then you might hurt a monkey. Worse yet, you may allow damaging sunlight into the forest floor, kickstarting a cascade of destruction across the flora and fauna. But, as mentioned before, there must be a small amount of canopy that is expendable, and we will take this, gladly and kindly, and use it for various means including profit.-- daseva, Oct 17 2008 Diagram of a Rainforest http://www.mongabay.../canopy_profile.jpgThe flying behemoths would have to either weave, or cut, through the overstory. Probably weave, apparently sloths like to hang out up there. [daseva, Oct 17 2008] Rainforest Canopy Raft http://news.mongaba...terview_lowman.htmlBlimp suspended Canopy Rafts have been around for over a decade to study and take specimens from the tops of tree canopies without damaging the understory growth and biota. So, presumably the idea here is to commercialize the harvesting process with existing technology. [jurist, Oct 17 2008] Like Hullaballon thinning shears on an agrobusiness level (+) ?-- normzone, Oct 17 2008 In the off season, would you send your dirigibles around to my house? I've got a couple of trees requiring artistic trimming that the local land-based tree services find daunting.-- jurist, Oct 17 2008 + nice-- xandram, Oct 18 2008 What good is canopy? Maybe you could make pressboard out of the twigs.
A better approach is to harvest the center of the tree and graft the crown onto the roots. This will leave the rainforest intact, but shorter.-- bungston, Oct 18 2008 You could find new species of bugs or plants for medicinal use.-- Cuit_au_Four, Oct 23 2008 random, halfbakery