Forest
What is forest?
A forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria. These plant communities cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface (or 30% of total land area) and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conserves, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earth's biosphere. Historically, "forest" meant an uncultivated area legally set aside for hunting by feudal nobility, and these hunting forests were not necessarily wooded much if at all (see Royal Forest). However, as hunting forests did often include considerable areas of woodland, the word forest eventually came to mean wooded land more generally. Woodland is ecologically distinct from a forest.
The latitudes 10 degrees north and south of the Equator are mostly covered in tropical rainforest and the latitudes between 53N and 67N with boreal fore

Uses of forests

People began life on this planet as forest dwellers. They were food gatherers and depended on the forest for all their needs: food, clothing, and shelter. They gradually became food growers, clearing a small patch in the forest to grow food. But they continued to depend on forests to meet a lot of their needs. Even today people depend on the forest for paper, timber, fuel wood, medicine, and fodder.
Fuel wood Fodder
Fencing Soil erosion check
Wind breaks and shelter belts Soil improvement

Fuel wood
For the rural population, wood is an important source of energy for cooking and heating. They prefer smaller stems as these are easier to collect and carry. The wood that they select should be easy to split and have low moisture content to dry faster. Some of the wood is converted to charcoal and used for cooking.

Fodder
Fodder from the forest forms an important source for cattle and other grazing animals in the hilly and the arid regions and during a drought. There are many varieties of grasses, trees, and shrubs that are nutritious for the livestock. Care is taken to see that trees poisonous to cattle are not grown. Trees that produce a large crown above the reach of cattle are preferred.

Fencing
Fences created with trees and shrubs are preferred in developing countries as they are cheap to maintain yet give protection. Species that have thorns or are prickly and have stiff branches and leaves that are not edible are preferred. These species should be fast growing, hardy, and long lived.

Wind breaks and shelter belts
Trees grown for wind breaks should be bushy and sturdy to withstand strong winds, both hot and cold. Along the Saurashtra coast in India, casuarinas have successfully been planted to check degradation due to salt laden coastal winds. A species of prosopis, called P. juliflora, planted along the desert border in Haryana and Gujarat has successfully halted the advance of the desert.

Soil erosion check
Tree roots bind the soil and prevent erosion caused by wind or water. Leaf fall also provides a soil cover that further protects the soil. Casuarinas planted along the coastal region have helped in binding the sand and stabilizing sand dunes in the area.

Soil improvement
Some species of trees have the ability to return nitrogen to the soil through root decomposition or fallen leaves. Such trees are planted to increase the nitrogen content of the soil.

Forest products and their uses
Timber Grasses
Cane Medicinal use
Fruit Floss
Fiber Essential oils
Bamboo

Timber
More than 1500 species of trees are commercially exploited for timber in different parts of India. It is used in timber-based industries such as plywood; saw milling, paper and pulp, and particle boards.

Bamboo
These are common in the north-eastern and the south-western parts of India, growing along with deciduous or evergreen forest. The main commercial uses of bamboo are as timber substitutes, fodder, and raw material for basket, paper and pulp, and other small-scale industries.

Cane
Cane or rattan are the stems of a climber plant and are used for a large number of household items. It is used to make walking sticks, polo sticks, baskets, picture frames, screens, and mats.

Grasses
There are hundreds of varieties of grasses in the country that are used for a number of purposes. Lemon grass, palmrose grass, bhabbhar, and khus grass are some of them.

Fruit
Fruit trees are an important source of income and food for the rural household. In some areas fruit trees are commonly planted along the field borders and around the wells. Mango, coconut, orange, pear, jackfruit and many others grow wild in the forest.

Medicinal use
Since time immemorial humans have been depending on the forest to cure them of various ailments. Even today man is dependent on the forest for herbs and plants to fight against disease. Of all the medicinal trees found in India, the neem is the most important. Leaves, bark, and other parts of many other trees also have medicinal value and are used to make various ayurvedic medicines.

Fibre
Plant fibre has many different uses. Soft fibres such as jute are derived from the stems of the plant. Hard fibre from the leaves of hemp and sisal are used to make fabrics for various applications. Coir, another form of fibre from the fruit of the coconut, is used to make ropes.

Floss
The fruits of many species of Indian trees produce a silky floss. The most common of these is simal. It is used to made cotton wool, mattresses, and pillows.

Essential oils
Tropical grasses such as lemon grass, citronella, and khus are the source of essential oils. Oil is distilled from the wood of various species such as sandalwood, agar, and pine. Oil is also derived from the leaves of certain plants and trees such as eucalyptus, camphor, wintergreen, and pine. These oils are used for making soaps, cosmetics, incense, pharmaceuticals, and confectionery.

Forest people’s life and culture

A small population of people lives in India. This population consists of mainly tribals. Tribals depend on land and forest for their living. They practice shifting agriculture and gather things like honey, frits, root vegetables, herbs, gum, lac, resin and wood. Risen is a sticky substance obtain from some trees, especially pine. They use wood as a fuel and also sell it. They make products from bamboo plant and sell them. Sandalwood and rosewood trees are used to make handicraft and perfume. The tribals have a very good knowledge about medical plants. They sell medical plants and earn money.

Deforestation

What is the cause of deforestation?
Deforestation is the conversion of (forest)ed areas to non-forested land, for uses such as: pasture, urban use, logging purposes, and can result in arid land and wastelands. In many countries, deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography. Deforestation results from removal of trees without sufficient reforestation, and results in declines in habitat and biodiversity, wood for fuel and industrial use, and quality of life. Forests disappear naturally as a result of broad climate change, fire, hurricanes or other disturbances, however most deforestation in the past 40,000 years has been anthropogenic. Human induced deforestation may be accidental such as in the case of forests in Europe adversely affected by acid rain improperly applied logging, fuel wood collection, fire management or grazing can also lead to unintentional deforestation However, most anthropogenic deforestation is deliberate. The scale of deforestation can be observed with the satellite viewing program Google Earth.
The consequences of deforestation are largely unknown and the impacts not verified by sufficient scientific data leading to considerable debate amongst scientists
What is the effect of deforestation?

Deforestation is an environmental problem that is happening in many places, and affecting the whole world. Deforestation is the destruction or removal of rainforests. Trees are cut down for logging companies, for animals to have land to graze and so farmers have land for their crops.

The removal of the forests may seem like it affects only the immediate surroundings, but it really affects the world as a whole. In regions where deforestation occurs there is an influx in the temperature extremes. There is no shade during the day, and no insulation during the night. Once the trees and shade are gone, the once moist soil soon becomes dry and cracked. The picture above shows the lack of shade in the deforested regions (nickbuxton.info). This leads to flooding and erosion. There is nothing to absorb the rainfall and no roots to hold the soil in place. Another huge problem of deforestation is its contribution to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when gases in the atmosphere trap the sun's heat causing global warming. Since trees are half carbon, all of that carbon is released into the atmosphere when they are burned. Unfortunately carbon dioxide is one of the gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Since three quarters of the deforestation is due to the burning of the forests, the burning of trees accounts for a quarter of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere each year (globaled).