ADVERTISEMENTS:
After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. History of Forest 2. Meaning of Forest 3. Types of Forests 4. Importance of Forests 5. Functions of Forest 6. Deforestation and Afforestation.
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the History of Forest
- Essay on the Meaning of Forest
- Essay on the Types of Forests
- Essay on the Importance of Forests
- Essay on the Functions of Forest
- Essay on Deforestation and Afforestation
Essay # 1. History of Forest:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Palaeobotanical studies have shown that there were dense forests in India in the Permian period, 250 million years ago. Man was evolved in the beginning of the Pleistocene Age, only a million years ago.
At this time India had thick forests except in Rajasthan and parts of Punjab which lay buried under a swamp. Archaeological evidence shows that the Rajasthan swamps existed till as late as 4000 B.C., when Mohenjodaro culture flourished.
During Ramayana era there were dense forests in Naimisharanya, Chitrakoot, Dandakaranya and Panchwati which abounded in wild life. The chronicles of Chinese pilgrims mention dense Indian forests in the birth place of Lord Krishna.
Records relating to the invasion of Alexander in 327 B.C. mention the existence of almost dark and deep forests along the Indus. Later in Kautilya’s time, protection of forests, planting of new species of trees and preservation of wild life were considered desirable.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
By the time of Samrat Ashoka, the inroads were into the forests. Ashoka also encouraged the cultivation of exotic, medicinal plants. Emperor Jahangir introduced the famous chinar tree in Kashmir valley. Over-population and unplanned felling of trees have drastically reduced the forest area and the quality of forests in India today.
The area under forests in India is about 75 million ha and consists of about 23 per cent of the total land area. The National Forest Policy lays down that India should maintain one-third of its land under forests.
The forests of India may be classified into three classes:
(i) Reserved forests,
(ii) Protected forests, and
(iii) Unclassed forests, forming 47.1, 30.3 and 22.6 per cent respectively of the total forest area. The forests in India are largely owned (about 96 per cent) or managed by the states.
The forest is ‘a plant community predominantly of trees and other woody vegetation, usually with a closed canopy’. The word forest has been derived from the Latin ‘foris’ meaning outside, the reference being to a village boundary or fence, and it must have included all uncultivated and uninhabited land.
Today a forest is any land managed for the diverse purpose of forestry, whether covered with trees, shrubs, climbers, lianes, etc., or not.
The Indian word ‘jungle’ has been adopted in the English language to describe a collection of trees, shrubs, etc., that are not grown in a regular manner. Forests are a very striking feature of the land surface. They vary greatly in composition and density, and stand in marked contrast with meadows and pastures.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Certain forests are evergreen, like the Deodar forests of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, while others are deciduous, becoming leafless either before the advent of winter when vegetative activity almost ceases, such as the oak forests of the Himalayas, or else just before the onset of intense dry summer, to reduce transpiration to the minimum, like the teak forests of Madhya Pradesh.
Essay # 2. Meaning of Forests:
The forest is ‘a plant community predominantly of trees and other woody vegetation, usually with a closed canopy’. The word forest has been derived from the Latin ‘foris’ meaning outside, the reference being to a village boundary or fence, and it must have included all uncultivated and uninhabited land.
Today a forest is any land managed for the diverse purpose of forestry, whether covered with trees, shrubs, climbers, lianes, etc., or not.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The Indian word ‘jungle’ has been adopted in the English language to describe a collection of trees, shrubs, etc., that are not grown in a regular manner. Forests are a very striking feature of the land surface. They vary greatly in composition and density, and stand in marked contrast with meadows and pastures.
Certain forests are evergreen, like the Deodar forests of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, while others are deciduous, becoming leafless either before the advent of winter when vegetative activity almost ceases, such as the oak forests of the Himalayas, or else just before the onset of intense dry summer, to reduce transpiration to the minimum, like the teak forests of Madhya Pradesh.
Essay # 3. Types of Forests:
The distribution of natural forests in India is governed principally by rainfall which may vary from 12 cm to 125 cm annually in different parts of the country resulting in a wide variety of vegetation, from xerophytic scrub forests in the arid zones in Rajasthan to evergreen rain forests in the tropics as in the Western Ghats, Assam, North Bengal, Andamans and conifers in the temperate region.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
In between the extremes, there are many intermediate types and sub-types.
The major forest types are:
(i) Moist tropical forests,
(ii) Dry tropical forests,
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(iii) Montane sub-tropical forests,
(iv) Montane temperate forests,
(v) Sub-alpine forests, and
(vi) Alpine scrub forests.
Moist tropical forests occur in Western Ghats, Andamans and Assam. They consist of many evergreen species, such as dipterocarps, hopea, irul, toon, terminalias and several others.
Dry tropical forests occur in areas with rainfall 75 cm to 125 cm containing thorn forests. Tropical thorn forests are found in the desert and arid zones of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Western U.P. and Madhya Pradesh. They consist mainly of acacias.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Montane sub-tropical forests occur at elevations of 750 to 1800 m in the Himalayas and also at the similar elevations in the Nilgiris in South India. The forest flora is represented by pines.
Montane temperate forests occur at elevation of 1800 to 2700 m and with a rainfall of about 125 cm to 200 cm. Deodar, blue pine, spruce and fir and the important conifers in the Western Himalayas mixed with oaks, maples, walnut and Ulmus.
Sub-alpine forests occur between 2900 to 3500 m a.s.1. The vegetation consists of a dense growth of small crooked trees or large shrubs with patches of conifers like Abies and blue pine. Birch and Rhododendron are the common broadleaved trees.
Alpine scrub forests occur above 3500 m along the entire length of the Himalayas. The vegetation consists of low evergreen forests mostly of Rhododendron with birch and other deciduous trees forming a dense growth with short branchy stems.
Essay # 4. Importance of Forests:
The forests of a country make a natural asset of immense value. Unlike its mineral resources, including fossil fuels, which in course of time will either get exhausted or their utilisation will become uneconomic due to increased costs for obtaining and processing them, the forests, if of adequate extent ideally dispersed, scientifically managed, and judiciously utilized can be kept perpetually productive and useful, conferring many benefits, direct and indirect, on the people.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Directly, forests meet the needs of timber wood, fuel, bamboos and a variety of other products, including fodder which is indispensable requirements of the people living in close proximity of the forests.
The forests provide facility for the grazing of livestock, a yield and variety of products, of commercial and industrial value such as structural timber, charcoal, raw materials for making paper, newsprint, panel products, bidi leaves, gums, resin, tanstuff and a number of other economic products including medicinal drugs.
Indirectly, forests preserve the physical features, check soil runoff, mitigate floods and make the stream flow perennially and thus help agriculture. Forests make the climate equable and have a considerable hygienic and strategic value. They also provide shelter to the wildlife.
In developing countries the heaviest demand on forests is for fuel wood. More than 1500 million people depend on wood for cooking and other purposes. The world consumption of wood for fuel is estimated to be more than 1,000 million m3. This is well over 80 per cent of the total use. About 58 per cent of the total energy used in Africa and 42 per cent in South East Asia is obtained from fuel wood.
Bamboos are tall, perennial, arborescent grasses. More than 100 species of them are found in the Indian forests. Bamboos are characterised by woody stems, called culms.
The strength of culms, their straightness, hardness, and the facility with which they can be split make them suitable for a variety of purposes. Indeed bamboos are the poor man’s timber, used as rafters, scaffolding, roofing, walling, flooring, matting, basketry, carthoods, cordage, etc.
Tender shoots are eaten and pickled. Bamboos are the only indigenous plant of wide occurrence in the Indian forests which has a comparatively long fibre suitable for making paper and rayon.
Canes, that come from family Palmaceae, and occur in the forests of Andamans, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh, are used as plaiting material, as ropes and cables of suspension bridges in the forests, for furniture, walking sticks, umbrella handles, and sports goods.
Essential oils are obtained from a variety of forest plants. These are used in the manufacture of soaps, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, confectionery, tobacco flavouring and incense. Important from the commercial point of view are the oils of Eucalyptus, used in medicine, rusa grass, khus and sandalwood.
Tannins, dyes, gums, resins and oleoresins are other important forest products. Babul bark (Acacia nilotica) is an important tanning material used in northern India, the main centre being Kanpur. Gums and resins are exuded by plants. The gum is used in the textile trade, cosmetics, dentrifices, cigar and food industry.
The chief producing centres of gum are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The most important resin is that obtained by tapping the chir pine (Pinus roxburghii). It is a flourishing forest industry. Natural camphor is also a forest product. Drugs, spices, poisons and insecticides are other important forest products.
They are derived from trees, shrubs, climbers, herbs, ferns, mosses, lichens and consist of fruits, flowers. leaves, bark, stem or root. Sarpagandha, a famous drug is obtained from the roots of Rauwolfia serpentina, whereas quinine, a drug used against malaria fever, is obtained from the bark of Cinchona.
Kala zira is the seed of Carum carvi, a much valued spice. Several forest fruits, flowers and even leaves and tuberous roots are eatem, such as bel, ber, phalsa, jamun, khirni and tendu.
The parts of many plants are used as pickles or vegetables. Such important trees and shrubs are— amla, anar, imli, karaunda, kokam, kachnar and kaith. Mushrooms and morels are found in wild state in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. They are edible and used as delicacy.
Palmyra palm yields a fermented drink nira. Mahua corollas are fermented to get a liquor. Phulwara butter is obtained from the seeds of Indian butter tree (Diploknema butyracea). Shahtoot fruit is eaten or made into a sherbet. Bhilama fruits are salted and pickled.
The leaves of tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) are used as wrappers of tobacco to make bidis. Leaves of the woody climber Bauhinia vahlii found in deciduous forests are collected in large quantities and made into plates and leaf cups used for feasts and other festive occasions.
Miscellaneous forest products include leaves of certain species used for various purposes, soap substitutes, such as ritha (seeds of Sapindus emarginatus), pods of Acacia concinna called shikakai, sola pith, ornamental seeds, such as gumchl and rudraksha (the drupes of Elaeocarpus ganitrus).
Lac is the most important animal product obtained from forests. It is a resinous secretion, formed as a protective covering on the bodies of larvae of a minute insect Laccifer lacca. The lac insects live on the hosts, such as palas (Butea monosperma) and ber. India produces about 85 per cent of the world production. Lac has been mentioned in Vedas, and known from ancient times in India.
Other animal products from forests are honey and wax. Tussar or kosa silk moths, horns and hides of dead animals are also the products of forests. Antlers of deer and ivory are also animal forest products.
The forests play an important role in the life of tribal people living in forests. The forests provide them food, fruits, meat, medicines, hides, skins and other products of commercial use.
Forests make large biotic communities, and they give shelter to diverse species of plants, animals and micro-organisms.
Forests protect the environment. A forest and its environment are always interacting. The most important environmental factors are micro-climate soil characteristics, moisture availability and action of animals and insects. Micro-climate is governed by solar radiation, rainfall, wind, humidity and temperature of the air and the soil.
In a dense forest temperature range is narrow, and although the air temperature in and outside a forest is more or less the same, the humidity is greater inside. Soil temperature is also influenced by the forests, which in turn affects the biological activity in the top layer of the soil.
Heavy winds may cause a serious erosion if the soil is dry and not covered with vegetation. Extensive forests condense low clouds and thus to some extent increase precipitation.
When the tree canopy is open there is little humus on the forest floor and, therefore, rain strikes the bare soil with full fury and brings about soil erosion, which leads to denudation. In rocky tracts, roots of trees penetrate deep into the soil and thus bind it together.
The need for adopting soil conservation measures is the practice of forestry. A well-managed and properly stocked forest reduces soil runoff. Rain water is absorbed by the humus and then it seeps into the sub-soil and finally moves underground, thus keeping the streams flowing perennially.
Forests thus mitigate floods which can otherwise do immense damage to agricultural land in the lower region. The forest soil absorbs water during rains, and does not allow it to evaporate or run off swiftly.
This ensures a perennial supply of water in springs and wells. The hill slopes with forest cover conserve water and gradually release it into streams, rivers and sub-soil springs. Forests help to increase the humidity of the atmosphere by drawing subsoil water and sending it out in the air by means of transpiration.
The increased humidity of the forest helps plants and animals for their survival in a warm season by making it cool and pleasant. Forests reduce atmospheric pollution by collecting the suspended particulate matter and by absorbing carbon dioxide from atmosphere.
Forests have a great aesthetic value. All people appreciate the beauty and tranquility of forests. In ancient times, to arrest devastation of forests, which was adversely affecting the life of people, some wise ancestors and rishis declared cutting of trees a sin and planting and protecting them an act of piety. Several useful species were thus saved from extinction, such as the banyan, the pipal and bel. Forests are of great educative value.
The forests are supposed to be nature’s laboratories which have contributed to the study and research in various branches of natural sciences. Indian culture was born in ashramas situated in deep forests, where the rishis sang— “May the gods, the water, the plants and the forest trees, accept our prayers, and may their blessings protect us for-ever, and ever”.
The forests are storehouse of biodiversity and provide important environmental services to mankind.
Essay # 5. Functions of Forest:
These services originate from the under-mentioned key functions of forests:
(i) Productive Functions:
They include production of wood, fruits and a wide variety of compounds, such as resins, alkaloids, essential oils, latex, pharmaceuticals, etc.
(ii) Protective Functions:
They include conservation of soil and water; prevention of drought, shelter against wind cold, radiation, noise, sights and smells, etc.
(iii) Regulative Functions:
They include absorption, storage and release of gases (CO2, O2), water, mineral elements and radiant energy.
Forests effectively regulate floods and drought and the global biogeochemical cycles, particularly carbon cycle.
The regulative functions also improve atmospheric and temperature conditions. They enhance the economic and environmental value of the landscape.
Essay # 6. Deforestation and Afforestation:
Deforestation is a serious threat to the economy, quality of life and future of the environment of this country. The forests in India have declined from about 7,000 million hectares in 1900 to 2890 million hectares in 1975. It is estimated that by the year 2000 only 2370 million hectares will be left. Tropical rain forests have been reduced from 1,600 million hectares to 938 million hectares.
In India, the main causes of deforestation are: explosion of human and livestock population, increased requirement of timber and fuel wood, expansion of croplands for farming and enhanced grazing by cattle. Construction of roads in the hilly terrain is another important factor for deforestation.
The total length of such roads is about 30,000 km in ecologically fragile areas. Development of industries, extension work for mining, quarrying, irrigation and agriculture are other causes of deforestation. Increased demand for fuel wood, timber, wooden crates, paper, news-print and paper board led to felling of trees on large scale.
Deforestation is the main cause of soil erosion. The floods, drought and loss of precious wild life are also due to deforestation. Thus the economy of the country and quality of life of weaker sections have been much deteriorated. In this country, particularly in the Himalayan region, shortage of fire wood and water has been causing great misery to the womenfolk.
They have to spend the whole day in the collection of fuel wood for cooking the meals of the day. It is thought that time is not far when the cost of food would be lesser than the cost of fuel to cook it.
As there is a general shortage of forests and as wood is a bulky commodity which cannot be transported to a long distance, it would be desirable to develop forests on all the wastelands. Afforestation is also needed for minimising soil runoff and for aesthetic and hygienic reasons.
The technique to be adopted for this purpose varies according to local conditions. Choice of the plants is generally made from species that are hardy and grew on these areas formerly or they are growing in the adjacent similar areas.
On grassland fast growing species are grown, which can quickly form a canopy and kill the grass of that area. In dry tracts of Rajasthan and Punjab, with irrigation facilities, the land is afforested with khair, shisham, jamun, shahtoot and safed siris, and where irrigation facilities are not available. Acacia, Prosopis and Dodonea are grown.
