CONSERVATION OF FORESTS

CONSERVATION OF FORESTS The need to conserve forests and control exploitation of timber wealth has been realised only recently. Some of the great forests have been indiscriminately denuded. The giant redwoods (sequoias) of California, the temperate and tropical hardwoods (specially teak), all have been cut without control. Thai and Burmese forests, especially, have been ruthlessly impoverished. India, too, has been unable to properly and suitably exploit its forest resources.

The reasons for this are: overgrazing; indiscriminate felling of trees; depletion of forests through fires; vast areas of unclassed forests awaiting rehabilitation; manner of utilising forest products for fuel and charcoal; lack of proper transport and paths through the forest land; ignoring the commercial value 'of forests; the reliance upon natural growth rather than planting of trees; lack of information on Jorest resources and inadequate research facilities.

The ways in which forests can be conserved are as follows.

Afforestation Forests felled for' timber should be replanted with seedling trees. The new trees mayor may not be the same as those removed.

Improved Cutting Practices Cutting must be selective if forests are to survive; that is, only mature trees, or weak or diseased trees which are wasting space, must be re­moved. If trees are removed by clear-cutting, by which all the trees are removed of whatever age or type, the trees
must be replaced.

Forest Protection Forests must be protected from natural hazards such as fires and pests. Constant surveil­lance is necessary to control forest fires at the earliest stage.

Reduction of Wastage Wastage must be reduced at industrial plants using forest products. Timber consumption can be reduced by the greater ,re-use of waste paper in the production of newsprint and other inferior paper products. Wastage could also be reduced by using trees more intensively: Hemlock, instead of being used almost exclu­sively as timber, could also be used to extract tannin from the bark; quebracho, a source of tannin, could also become a source of hardwood.