The Role Of The “ FOREST ” In The “ ECONOMIC ” Development Of The Country

Head Pic- : A picture of deep dense forest

The Role Of The “ FOREST ” In The “ ECONOMIC ” Development Of The Country

Forest - : A Vital “ COG ” in the “ WHEEL ” of Indian Economy

What is a forest that one may ask and one may like to know. Are everything that we see covered by the thick and the dense trees and the logs are forest ?. If no, then WHAT IS FOREST ! Well we shall first understand what is a forest and what does it means.

A vast land covered with trees, plants and shrubs and home to various species of wild animals is known as forest. Forests are an essential part of the Earth’s ecosystem. They help maintain the planet’s climate, purify the atmosphere, protect watersheds. They are a natural habitat for animals and a major source of wood used to produce many of the products used in our day-to-day life.

India – largest forest country

The land that covers the Indian forest that we see makes us to believe that India is perhaps the country which has the largest forest land and it’s cultivation. It is a well known fact that India has about 23% of it’s land covered by the forest. But the question is – DOES IT MAKES INDIA THE LARGEST NATION THAT OWNS FOREST.

India is one of the top ten forest-rich countries in the world along with Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Russian Federation, United States, Indonesia and Sudan. These countries together with India constitute about 67% of the total forest area of ​​the world.

Role of the forest in Indian economy

Forests play an important role in the economic development of a country. They provide several goods which serve as raw materials for many industries. Wood grown in forests serves as a source of energy for rural households.

Most of the world’s paper is made from wood and one rather reliable index to the degree of economic development of a country is its per capita consumption of paper. As an economy develops economically, paper is used as packaging material, in communications and in scores of other uses. No really satisfactory substitute for paper exists for many of its uses.

While it has long been recognized that forests play many roles in the economic development of a country in addition to providing wood fiber for many uses, the non-wood outputs of forests are coming increasingly to be recognized and valued everywhere in the world.

It may be added here that the forest has the potential to contribute every year to a pecent of 3% to the Indian GDP however it is far less than 1.5% of the GDP that it contributes nationally to the Indian GDP

With my own effort I had tried to find out the picture wherein I could present the contribution of the forest to the Indian GDP.Inspite my best effort I could lay my hand of the contribution of the forest  to the Indian GDP as revealed in the picture.

Pic-: Contribution of the forest to the Indian GDP

Watershed Values Of The Forest : An Engine To Drive The Economy

Forests have watershed values especially in areas with fragile and easily eroded soils; tree cover may be highly valuable simply as protection to the watershed.

Forests are valued as a place for outdoor recreation. The kinds of forests most valuable for outdoor recreation are not always the same as the kinds most valuable for wood production and vice versa. The dense forest with trees closely spaced to take full advantage of the sunlight, moisture and fertility to grow wood, is often less attractive to the recreationist than a more open forest.

Forests are the home for many species of wildlife including mammals, reptiles and birds. Some of these forms of wildlife are clearly valuable to man. Ecologists have been much disturbed at the reduction in wildlife numbers, sometimes to the point of extinction, as tropical forests are cleared.

Some important services provided by forests are as follows:

 (a) Water:

Forests absorb rainwater and release it gradually into streams. It prevents floods.

(b) Watershed:

Forests keep soil from eroding into rivers.

 (c) Climate:

Forests stabilize our ecological stability.

(d) Recreation:

Forests serve people directly for recreation. National parks and biosphere reserves sanctuaries are a great attraction for tourists. Biosphere reserves are multipurpose protected areas created to deal with conservation of bio-diversity and its sustainable use. In biosphere reserves local area resources are developed. Agricultural activities are allowed to the local communities and employment is provided to the people. Tourism in parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves brings revenue to the authorities that manage them.

 (e) Maintenance of the Pool of Genetic Resources:

Forests contain a diversity of species, habitats, and genes that are probably their most valuable assets. They provide the gene pool that can protect commercial plant strain against changing conditions of climate.

(f) Some Goods:

:Some goods provided by forests are food, biomass, pulp and paper, rayon, fibers, lac, wooden articles and medicine plants.

Rainforest Helps To Maintain The water-Cycle-::

The role of rainforests in the water cycle is to add water to the atmosphere through the process of transpiration (in which plants release water from their leaves during photosynthesis). This moisture contributes to the formation of rain clouds, which release the water back onto the rainforest. In the Amazon, 50-80 percent of moisture remains in the ecosystem’s water cycle.

When forests are cut down, less moisture goes into the atmosphere and rainfall declines, sometimes leading to drought.

In recent years, the rainforests of Borneo and the Amazon have experienced very severe droughts. These have been made worse by deforestation.

Moisture generated by rainforests travels around the world. Scientists have discovered that rainfall in America’s Midwest is affected by forests in the Congo. Meanwhile, moisture created in the Amazon ends up falling as rain as far away as Texas, and forests in Southeast Asia influence rain patterns in southeastern Europe and China. Distant rainforests are therefore important to farmers everywhere.

The Conclusion - :

Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra are among the states that have the largest forest area land in India.

Top Forests in India - ::

India is known for many lush green forests. Many of these have been converted into tourist sites. People from far and wide experience the jungle on this journey and find peace. Here’s a look at some of the country’s top forests:

    Sunderbans, West Bengal

Talking about the most attractive forests in the country, the Sundarbans top the list of forests in West Bengal. It is home to the white tiger which is a variant of the royal Bengal tiger.

    Gir Forest, Gujarat

The forests are spread over an area of ​​1,412 square kilometers in Junagadh district of Gujarat. The Gir forest is home to the Asiatic lion.

    Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand

Established in the year 1936, this place is favorable for wildlife lovers. These are the forests in the country which are known to attract maximum number of tourists from all over the world.

    Ranthambore, Rajasthan

Ranthambore is located near Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. It is home to leopards, tigers and crocodiles. It is also known for Padam Talao Lake in which abundant lilies are found.

    Khasi Forest, Meghalaya

In North-East India, this place is known for its rich greenery. Khasi forests receive high rainfall and are lush green every year.

Forestry in India

Forestry is a major rural industry in India. It is a means of livelihood for a large number of people. India is known for producing a vast range of processed forest products. These include not only products made of wood but also substantial quantities of non-wood products. Non-wood products include essential oils, medicinal herbs, resins, flavors, fragrances and fragrance chemicals, gums, latex, handicrafts, incense sticks and various ingredients.

Deforestation problem - :

Deforestation is the process of cutting down trees for purposes such as building buildings in large tracts of forest. Trees are not planted again on this land.

Pic - : The Percentage Of deforestation

Statistics show that almost half of the world’s forests have been destroyed since the development of the industrial era. This number is likely to increase in the coming times as industrialists are continuously using forest land for personal gain. A large number of trees are also pruned to produce various items from wood and other components of trees.

Pic - : Forest lost to land encroachment

Deforestation has a negative impact on the environment. These are the reasons for soil erosion, disruption of water cycle, climate change and loss of biodiversity.

 The Inference - :

Forest is a boon for mankind. India is particularly blessed with some beautiful forests that are home to many rare species of birds and animals. The importance of forests should be recognized and the government should take measures to control the issue of deforestation.

Thanks and Regards

Pic - : Shyamal Bhattacharjee 

Shyamal Bhattacharjee

Mr Shyamal Bhattacharjee, the author was born at West Chirimiri Colliery at District Surguja, Chattisgarh on July 6th 1959 He received his early education at Carmel Convent School Bishrampur and later at Christ Church Boys' Higher Secondary School at Jabalpur. He later joined Hislop College at Nagpur and completed his graduation in Science and he also added a degree in    B A thereafter. He joined the HITAVADA, a leading dailies of Central India at Nagpur as a      Sub-Editor ( Sports ) but gave up to complete his MBA in 1984 He thereafter added a Diploma In Export Management. He has authored THREE books namely Notable Quotes and Noble Thought published by Pustak Mahal in 2001 Indian Cricket : Faces That Changed It  published by Manas Publications in 2009 and Essential Of Office Management published by NBCA, Kolkatta  in 2012. He has a experience of about 35 years in Marketing .

Signature Of Shyamal Bhattacharjee