Forests And Their Resources

Over the course of history, forests have provided enormous resources to both mankind and animals, to aid a healthy living. It has provided us with everything from food to shelter. Even the oxygen that we breathe in, is owing to forests. We are highly dependent on forests, yet forests are decreasing at an alarming rate today. In this article we will review the resources of forests, reasons why forests are being reduced as well as what steps can we take to conserve them.

Layers of Forest Structure

Forests are distributed in various layers as per their location and age. In this section, we will highlight upon the different layers of a forest structure, which are listed as following:

Emergent layer: This is the topmost layer of a forest. In this layer, trees can grow till 16 in height. Pollination in these trees take place with the help of bats and wind. They grow over the general canopy and are able to protect the environment from high temperatures and strong winds. The leaves of these trees have a wax-like texture. This texture enables the trees to retain more water. This characteristic is extremely beneficial when the weather is dry.

Canopy: The canopy layer lies below the emergent layer. The dense leaves and branches of this layer acts like a forest cover. Trees in this layer can grow up to 20 to 35 metres in height, in the rainforests. This layer blocks winds, rain and sunlight. Pollination in this layer is done by animals as they try to eat the fruits of the plants. The seeds of the plants are within the fruit, and this is how animals help in their pollination. Since there is humid weather beneath the tree cover, the leaves have pointed tips to keep the excess water away.

Understory layer: This layer breeds a humid condition. This layer is quite a few metres below the canopy. The trees in this layer have flowers with a pungent smell. This smell attracts the pollinators. The low light in this layer protects many animals from predators. The leaves of trees in this layer are large. This helps to absorb the minimum exposure that they get to sunlight.

Forest floor layer: This layer has more shrubs and plants and less trees. There is almost no sunlight in this layer. This is the reason that it is extremely difficult for plants to grow in this layer. Leaves and organic matter in this layer are quickly decomposed into nutrients. Both herbivores and carnivores are found in this layer. Most animals live here because this layer provides a sufficient amount of food for the animals.

Uses of Forest

In this section we will learn about why are forests important to our environment:

In the early age, forests were the only resources that human beings depended on for food and shelter. In many tropical cities of Africa, wood from the traditional village plantations is primarily used as an energy source for cooking, even today.
Forests have healing power. A significant amount of medicines use resources from forests to aid in curing.
In Brazil, steel manufacturers invest in planting eucalyptus trees because they use charcoal as a substitute for coal.
Root, leaves, fruit, flower, stem, bark, are all put to use. Every part of a tree serves humankind.
Timber, which comes mainly from natural forests, are used to make furniture flooring, and bring foreign exchanges to many countries.
Trees from forests are used to produce paper, rayon and film
Forests are a home to several flora and fauna.

Forests are of multiple significance in the lives of human beings, in terms of commerce, ecology, aesthetics, life and economy Each of these have been explained below:

Commercial values = Forests are the source of food, agricultural tools, furniture, fibres, edible oils. They are an important source of recreation, mining, and development of dams.
Ecological significance = There are millions of species of living organisms who are dependent upon forests for their food and shelter. Besides, forests help to mitigate global warming and retain the natural climate of a place. The roots of trees bind the soil together preventing soil erosion and landslides. They also help to regulate the hydrological cycle. Roots along with the bacteria that live in the earth make the soil more fertile. The duo help in the infiltration of rainwater thus maintaining the groundwater levels. They absorb toxic gases from the air and hence cleans the polluted air
Aesthetic values = Forests have a great aesthetic value. People all over appreciate the beauty and tranquility of forests. These serve as a source for recreation and ecosystem research.
Life and economy of tribal = Forests are useful in the life and economy of tribal people in providing food, medicine and other essentials to them.

Some other ways in which forests prove to be useful to us but are not readily explicitly visible to the human are as follows:

Forest is referred to as the lungs of the earth because of photosynthesis taking place in a large number of trees which make up the cover of the forest. It is as a result of photosynthesis, that oxygen for respiration by living beings, is released and carbon dioxide is absorbed by the plants and is put to good use.

Mangrove swamps and forests in the coastal areas check the rush of water waves and hence protect the people living in the local area from being washed away by the water. Thus, trees protect us from heavy wind, storms, floods and other extreme weather conditions.

Causes of Loss of Forests

Forests are declining at an increasing rate. There are several reasons for the cutting down of the trees, which are as follows:

Forest cover is cleared in shifting cultivation or jhum cultivation to grow crops.
With the increase in the rate of population, the demand for irrigation, construction, mining, electricity, etc. has increased. Higher the number of people, more is the need to clear the forest cover to cultivate agricultural crops and create buildings.
With the growing rate of population, the need for wood for fuel has also increased.
Expansion for agribusiness: The cultivation of cash crops, for example, fruits, rubber, palm oil and ornamental plants require an expansion of area for agribusiness products
Commercial logging
Raw materials for industries such as the plywood industry are gathered from forests. This is a leading cause of deforestation.

Impact of Loss of Forests

Deforestation affects the environment and living beings directly and in an adverse manner. The following are the occurrences as to how deforestation affects the environment:

Deforestation causes the loss of soil fertility and erosion of soil.
Climate change and global warming.
Reduction in the groundwater level.
Extinction of species of both flora and fauna.
It reduces the rate of rainfall, thus affecting the hydrological cycle and causing the deserts to expand.
Changes in the environment and disturbance in the forest ecosystems.

What Steps Can Be Taken to Preserve Forests?

The conservation of forests is essential. It is both a national as well as an international problem. Government and common people should come together and collaborate to preserve forests. Some of the ways in which this preservation can be done are as follows:

They should be campaigns, afforestation programmes, putting up of posters, banners and other measures to spread awareness about the importance of forest within common people.
People should be encouraged to come up and volunteer in activities related to forest conservation.
Clearing forest cover for Timber and paper and other bulk industrial use should be stopped. Alternative measures to be implemented and encouraged. For instance, instead of paper, people can use digital notepads.
Regeneration of grasslands should be encouraged
Strict checking and implementation of the Forest Conservation Act to control deforestation.
People who take initiative and volunteer to preserve forests and planting trees should be rewarded.

Terms Related to Conservation of Forests

Deforestation: Cutting down of trees resulting in the area of forests.
Sustainability: Practice to preserve the balance between human and environmental needs, as well as between the requirements of the current population and the future population.
Ecological services: the benefits that human communities avail of as a result of healthy forest ecosystems, for example clean water clean air water soil, normal underground water level.

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