IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS

IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS Forests contribute in substantial manner to a nation's economy by maki available a number of useful products. The major produ4 include timber, pulp, charcoal wood, firewood, roundwol and matchwood. Minor forest products are cane, bamb! many types of grasses and fodder, kendu leaves, lac, reSll gums, tanning and dyeing, materials, etc.

Forests are of utmost importance in the ecologic system of the country. They moderate the climate and reduce the extremes of temperature. They prevent soil erosion, regulate water flow in streams and reservoirs and thus check the intensity of floods. By regulating the humidity in the atmosphere, they reduce the uncertainty of rainfall. Forests are also valuable for recreation, and are the homes of many wild animals and birds which may be watched, as in national parks. Forestry and wildlife con­servation may' go hand-in-hand in some areas and, if properly managed, forests may create a new form of income from tourism.

Forests may be of three types.

(i) Virgin Forests At places it is economically worth­while to preserve forests in their original conditions without exploiting them for timber. It is possible that the land covered by forest would have no value for any other land use, or it may contain few valuable trees. Preserved forests may have indirect use, such as the preservation of wildlife or natural vegetation including rare or exotic plants, or more direct economic advantages, if the forests are used as national parks to encourage tourism. Virgin forests have importance for scientific research also.

(ii) Commercial Forests Forests used for timber rep­resent the most valuable type of land use when they stand on land which, if cleared, would be of little value agricul­turally. Forestry is important in many tropical areas, such as the highlands of Malaysia, where agriculture would harm the soil, or in cold, remote, sparsely populated regions such as northern Canada.

(iii) Newly Planted Forests Deliberately planned for­ests can be developed to protect soil or rehabilitate eroded areas. They may serve to halt moving dunes, as in the Landes of France, to prevent wind erosion, or act as wind­breaks in coastal regions or to modify the climate. They may also be developed on land which has not been under forest earlier, the purpose being to increase the economic potential of hitherto useless areas. They also have most of the conservational advantages of virgin forests. In addition they are usually well-managed so that they can be exploited for timber or other products without ecological damage.