CBSE NCERT Homework Help: Introduction to Forest Preservation

FOREST PRESERVATION:

Environmental activists consider forests as one of the top 5 natural resources on earth. This is rightly so, and today, we shall look at how wonderful our forests have been to us, and why we should immediately stop its' destruction.

There is more to forests than just a massive collection of trees. It is a natural, complex ecosystem, made up of a wide variety of trees, that support a massive range of life forms.

Quiet apart from trees, forests also include the soils that support the trees, the water bodies that run through them and even the atmosphere (air) around them. Forests of the world are a natural wonder that humans have sadly taken for granted.

Forests come in many sizes and forms. For example, the piece of land with huge trees and many animals, birds and water bodies running through it in a part of Kenya can be called a forest. In the same way, the large belt of thick, evergreen trees running from Peru to Brazil (called the Amazon Rain Forest) is also a forest. A good example is the Amazon Rain Forest.

It is estimated that two-thirds of the world's forest is currently distributed among 10 countries:

Forests are hugely important for life on earth. This is because it serves as an ecosystem, and sustains life for millions of animals, birds and animals that live in the rivers and streams running through these forests. It also does a lot of good to the atmosphere in climate control, as well as supplying oxygen for human sustenance.

In the next pages, we shall look at the types and importance of forests, the problem of deforestation and its effects, as well as what we can do minimise the consequences.

Types of Forests

Tropical rainforests
Hugely dense, lush forest with canopies preventing sunlight from getting to the floor of the forest.
All year high temperatures and abundant rainfall.
Located near the equator.
A vital storehouses of biodiversity, sustaining millions of different animal, bird, algae and fish species.

Sub-tropical forests
Located at the south and north of the tropical forests.
Trees here are adapted to resist the summer drought.

Mediterranean forests
Located at the south of the temperate regions around the coasts of the Mediterranean, California, Chile and Western Australia.
The growing season is short and almost all trees are evergreen, but mixed hardwood and softwood.

Temperate forests
Located at Eastern North America, northeastern Asia, and western and eastern Europe.
Mix of deciduous and coniferous evergreen trees.
Usually, the broad-leaved hardwood trees shed leaves annually.
There are well-defined seasons with a distinct winter and sufficient rainfall.

Coniferous forests
Located in the cold, windy regions around the poles.
They come in both hardwoods and conifers.
The hardwoods are deciduous.
The conifers are evergreen and structurally adapted to withstand the long drought-like conditions of the long winters.

Montane forests
Known as cloud forests because they receive most of their precipitation from the mist or fog that comes up from the lowlands.
Usually found in high-elevation tropical, subtropical and temperate zones.
Plants and animals in these forests are adapted to withstanding the cold, wet conditions and intense sunlight.
Trees are mainly conifers.

Plantation forests
Has around 7% of global forest cover (140 million hectares).
Produces more sustainable timber and fibre than natural forests.
Plantations produce around 40% of industrial wood.
Plantation forests are on the increase.

The layers of a typical rain forest

Now, we shall look at the basic structure (layers) of a typical forest.

Let's take the Rainforest as an example... There are 4 major layers including:

The Emergent Layer (A):
This layer is very sunny because it is the very top and only the tallest trees reach this level. It is also known as the overstory.
Who lives here? Birds, butterflies, small monkeys, bats, snakes and bugs.

The Canopy Layer (B):
This is the thickest layer and much of the rain is stopped by the thick foliage. Most trees in the forest grow to this height. There are plants that grow in the canopy layer whose roots don't reach the ground. These are called air plants.
Who lives here? Birds, monkeys, frogs, and sloths, lizards, snakes and many insects.

The Understory (C):
This layer has many vines, dense vegetation but not much sunlight as it is all blocked by the canopy.
Who lives here? Birds, butterflies, frogs and snakes.

The Forest Floor (D):
This layer is dark, damp, full of many dead leaves, twigs and dead plants. It is usually clear of vegetation, with little or no winds and rains reaching there. The forest floor is dark due to the trees above stopping the sunlight from entering the forest. It is estimated that only 2% of the sunlight actually reaches the floor.
Who lives here? Jaguars in South America, gorillas,
leopards in Africa, tapirs, tigers and elephants in Asia.

What is the meaning of forestry?

We learned about the complex interaction of climate, soils and rocks, water, animals, (including insects and fungi) and plants as the defining elements of a natural forest.

Forestry is the study of this complex interaction, the management of the various components of the forest, the preservation of its natural balance (of forests and the life forms they support) as well as the care of it to ensure its wellbeing.

Good forestry programs also makes it possible for humans to get some economic value from it, without hurting the forests in anyway. This way of using the forest is known as Sustainable Forestry.

Sustainable Forestry
In sustainable forests, efforts are put into replacing almost all the resources we get from the forests, whiles extra care is taken to ensure that there is very little damage to wildlife and the natural environment.

Example: only old trees may be cut down, allowing younger trees to grow to ensure continuity and trees are planted to replace the ones cut down.

Unfortunately, environmental issues cannot be separated from politics and economics (people’s life) This is why effective sustainable forestry comes in two approaches. These are:

Forests and Forests related Industries
Here, the attention is on the natural resource itself and the timber companies that harness resources directly from the forests. In this approach, there are usually very strict rules and consequences with the way resources are extracted from that forest. It is usually enforced by laws, hefty fines and effective monitoring efforts.

This means items made from resources that come from forests will cost a lot in the shops, so consumers also need to be prepared.

Consumer behavior
Here, campaigns are developed to educate consumers (industries and individuals including you) on the value of forests resources and the dangers they face. Efforts are directed to make people become more environmentally friendly. Example, people are encouraged to recycle more, to use paper products from recycled pulp, and to encourage everyone to join the fight to save our forests.

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