UTILITY OF FORESTS
Forests are the most precious natural wealth of a county. Trees perform two very important botanical functions. They absorb Caron dioxide from the air and split it up into carbon and oxygen. They use carbon and release oxygen for the benefits of all creatures. Their second important function is that their roots bind the earth/soil firmly and helps in checking soil erosion. Because of this function trees keeps the mountain slopes intact with green vegetation.
A forest has thousands of trees. Their greenery, besides giving joy to human eyes checks the desert expanding towards fertile land. The Rajasthan Desert was making inroads into the neighbouring Utter Pradesh Gujarat and Haryana. All these states have developed forests on their border. It has checked the growth of deserts.
Forests are storehouses of valuable timber, different varieties of fruits, medical plants and of course, and the wild life. A large number of drugs in the form of roots, bushes and plants are available in forests. Chiraunji or Charauli is a free gift of forests to en in India. The ‘vanavasis’ i.e. the tribal’s living in the forest have everything they need in the forests. Eight crore of tribal’s in India sustain their lives on forest wealth.
Forests bring rains. If there are no forests there won’t be rainfall in the area. It is sad that the forests are being destroyed in many states in India. It has affected our climate and wildlife.
In the USA the environment hazards were felt by the people. As the people have great environmental consciousness they plan the growth of forests. They have made a voluntary rule that if a tree is to be felled after five years or ten years two trees must be grown in the same area today. If we too have this consciousness, we can save the country from a future calamity