INDIAN FOREST RESOURCES- Notes

 

INDIAN FOREST RESOURCES

Meaning and Importance of Forests A large area of land covered with trees and undergrowth is called forests. It is generally extensive and commercial value. It consists of either natural or planted vegetation. Forests constitute one of the natural resources of India. Directly, they provide a large variety of woods which are used as fuel, timber and industrial raw materials. Forests provide fodder for livestock and employment opportunites for the people. Indirectly forests preserves the physical features, check soil erosion, control floods and regulate the flow of rivers. Forest prevent desertification, help to improve soil fertility, make the climate equable and help to maintain ecological balance. They provide shelter to wildlife. Types of Forest In India, the types of forest depends on climate, soil and relief. But climate is the most important factor. India is a vast country and it has a great variety of forests. They can be classified into 6 main types:

1) The Tropical evergreen forests.

2) The tropical deciduous forests.

3) Scrub forests and grass land.

4) Desert vegetation.

 5) Mountain forests. and

6) Mangrove forests.

1) The Tropical Evergreen Forests : These forests are found in areas of heavy annual rainfall exceeding 250 cm. They are found mainly on the western slopes of the Western Ghats and hills of north eastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipura and Andaman – Nicobar islands.

These forests are dense and the trees grow to a great hight. The trees and plants donot shed their leaves during the year at the same time. Hence they are evergreen. The important trees are Teak, Rosewood, Ebony, Mahogany, Gurjan and Champa. Types of forsets Bangla desh Myanmar Sea Scrub Forest and grass lands Tropical Evergreen forests Tropical Deciduous forests Bay of Bengal Sri Lanka 2 ) Th e T r o p i c a l Deciduous Forests : These forests are found in areas with an annual rainfall of 100-200 cm. They are occupied a wide area largely on the eastern slopes o f the Western Ghats including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Chotanagpur plateau, foot hills ofthe Himalayas, parts of Odisha and West Bengal. The trees in these forests shed their leaves during spring and early summer. Hence they are also known as ‘Monsoon Forests’.

The important trees are Teak, Sal, Sandalwood, Kusum, Kanju, Myrobalan, Siris, Mango, Neem, Tamrind etc. 3) Scrub Forests and Grassland : These are found in areas having 60 to100 cm of rainfall. The scrub with short coarse grass, thorny trees and bushes are found scattered in Kutch and the fringes of the Thar desert. Grasslands are mainly found in eastern Rajasthan, Punjab, parts of the Western Ghats and the Cardamom hills. 4) Desert Vegetation : These are found in areas with annual rainfall of 10-50 cms, ie, the Thar desert including parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Deccan plateau. On account of scanty, rainfall vegetation consists of scattered trees and thorny bushes. Jhand, Khair, Kolko, Babul, Cacti and Khejra trees are found here.

5) Mountain Forests : The trees and plants which grow on the slopes of the mountain are called ‘mountain forests’. In India, they occur in the Himalayas and to a small extent in the Niligiri hills. The plants and trees are vary with increasing altitude. The important trees are Oak, Chestnut, Ash, Beech, Pine, Cedar, Spruce, Fir, Deodar and Walnut. 6) Mangrove Forests : These forests are found in wet marshy areas, in river deltas and along the sea coast washed by tides. They are mainly found in the deltas of rivers on the eastern coast and in pockets on the western coast of India. The important trees are Rhizophora, Canes, Screw pipe, Palms, Sundari etc.

The tree trunks are supported by a number of stilt-like roots which are submerged under water. Do you know? The Sundari tree is extensively found in the managrove forests in Ganga delta. Hence this delta is known as ‘Sundarbans’. Distribution of Forests The total forest area of India was about 7.74 lakh km2. It accounted for about 23.6% of the total geographical area of the country.

 This is much below the 33.3%, recommended by the National Forest Policy Resolution of 1952. Even it is below the world’s average. (29.5%). Forests in India are not evenly distributed. Nearly 60% of the forest area of the country is in the Himalayas and peninsular hills and 20% is in the northern plains. Among the states Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under forests and Goa has the least in India. Conservation of Forests. Forests play an important role in the National economy of India. Unfortunately the area under forests has been declining in recent years.

The expansion of agricultural land, construction of roads and railway, irrigation projects, industrialization, urbanization, over grazing, forest fires etc are the main causes for the destruction for forests. Hence the conservation of forests for the future generation is very essential. The prevention of destruction, over – exploitation of forests and its management is called ‘conservation of forests’. Measures for the conservation of forests in India 1. Control of deforestation, 2. Restriction on grazing, 3. Control of forest fires, 4. Prevention of encroachment on forests, 5. Control of forest insects

and diseases, 6. Controlling illegal cutting of trees, 7. Scientific cutting of trees, 8. Legislation to check deforestation. 9. Encourage afforestation. 10. Creating of awareness among the people about the importance of forests. Wild Life Sanctuaries and National Parks Wild life sanctuary (WLS)refers to a place meant for providing protection to wild life. It is an area where killing or capturing of any species of animals is prohibited except under orders of the competent authority.

There are about 523 wild life sanctuaries in India. The important WLS are as followsAnnamalai and Madumalai (Tamil Nadu) Dandeli, Bhadra, Talakaveri, B.R. Hills (Karnataka) Periyar (Kerala), Nagarjunasagar (Telangana), Bharathpur and Rathambor (Rajasthan) Manas (Assam), Jaldapara (W.Bengal) etc. National Parks An extensive area which is specially protected to preserve its natural beauty, wild life and forests for public recreation and scientific interests is called ‘National park’. Forestry, grazing or agricultural activities are not allowed here. There are 99 National Parks. in India. Do you know? • The First National Park in the world : Yellowstone, USA (1872) • The first National Park in India : Jimcorbett, Uttarkhand, (1936) Some important National Parks of India are Kaziranga (Assam), Sundarban (West Bengal), Corbett (Uttarkhand), Gir (Gujarat), Kanha (M.P), Bandipur, Banerghatta and Nagara Hole (Karnataka), Sariska (Rajsthan), Dhudhawa (Uttar Pradesh, Todoba (Maharashtra) etc. Biosphere Reserve The Biosphere reserves are a special category of protected area of land or coastal environments. Here people are an integral component of the system. The main objectives of Biosphere reserves are conservation, research, education and local involvement.

In India, there are 18 Biosphere Reserves have been identified. They are - Niligiri, Nandadevi, Nokrek, Manas, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Sundarban, Similipal, Kanchenjunga, Pachmari, Agasthyamalai, Dibru Saikhowa, Dihang, Dibang etc.