How We Can Conserve Our Forest?
The following are some of the steps we can take to protect our forest resources:
1. Regulated and Planned Cutting of Trees:
• Commercial tree felling is one of the main causes of deforestation. Around 1,600 million cubic metres of wood have been used for various purposes around the world, according to estimates. Although trees are considered a perennial resource, their revival is impossible when they are depleted on a large scale.
• As a result, cutting should be regulated through the use of methods such as:
a. Clear and precise cutting
b. Selective chopping, as well as
c. Wood cutting in a shelter.
2. Control Over Forest Fire:
• Because trees are highly exposed to fire, and once started, it is difficult to control, forest destruction or loss is fairly common. The fire is sometimes started by a natural process, such as lightning or friction between trees during high winds, but most of the time it is started by man, either intentionally or unintentionally.
• It is necessary to use the most up-to-date firefighting techniques in order to save forests from fire.
• Develop three-meter wide fire lanes around the perimeter of the fire, back fires, water spray arrangements, fire retardant chemicals should be sprayed from a back tank, and if possible, by helicopters are some of the fire suppression techniques. To put out the fire, you'll need a well-trained firefighting crew.
3. Reforestation and Afforestation:
• When timber is removed, either by block cutting or selective cutting, the denuded area must be reforested, according to the sustained yield concept. This can be accomplished through natural or artificial means.
• Similarly, any forested land that has been deforested as a result of fire or mining should be reforested. Aerial seeding is the preferred method in difficult terrain.
• Aside from that, new afforestation programmers should be launched. New plantations will help to restore the eco-balance as well as increase forest cover. For afforestation, trees should be chosen based on local geographical conditions, and care should be taken during the trees' initial growth.
4. Check Over Forest Clearance for Agricultural and Habitation Purposes:
• The majority of today's agricultural land was once forested before being cleared for use in agriculture.
• However, it has now reached the point where any further clearing would be hazardous to the ecosystem as a whole. In some parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, tribals still use shifting cultivation as part of their land acquisition system.
5. Protection of Forests:
• Existing forests must be preserved. Unorganized grazing is another reason, in addition to commercial cutting. Forest diseases caused by parasitic fungi, rusts, mistletoes, viruses, and nematodes are responsible for the death of trees.
• Chemical sprays, antibiotics, or the development of disease-resistant tree strains should all be used to protect forests.
6. Proper Utilisation of Forest and Forests Products:
• Trees are typically cut for logs and the rest, including stumps, limbs, branches, and foliage, is discarded as waste. The saw mills generate even more waste. As a result, it is necessary to make use of this waste material. Several applications have been developed, and products such as waterproof glues, boar r, and others are now available.
• Forests, too, can be used or developed as tourist destinations. The country can earn significant foreign exchange by using them as tourist destinations.
• Many countries, both developed and developing, have adopted this practise. The terms 'national park' and 'game sanctuary' are now widely used, and each country has established its own unique forest area as a 'national park.'
7. Role of Government in Forest Conservation:
• Although every country's government is concerned about the conservation of its forest resources and has enacted a number of rules and laws to protect forests, they are not effectively implemented.
• Governments at both the national and provincial levels can take steps in this direction, such as:
a. Pass legislation to protect forests.
b. Forest resource assessment.
c. Forest area categorization and proper delimitation of reserved forest areas.
d. Determine which areas are suitable for reforestation.
e. Regulate the use of forest products for commercial purposes.
f. Keep the forest safe from fire, mining, and other natural disasters.
g. Establish national parks.
h. Promote forest development activities such as social forestry, agroforestry, and others.
i. Make long-term and short-term master plans, among other things.
8. Forest Management:
• Forest resource management is critical to all conservation efforts. The following factors should be taken into account when managing forests:
a. Forest inventory,
b. Forest categorization
c. Forest use for economic purposes
d. Forest management administrative setting
e. Training programs for people who work in the forest conservation field
f. The use of forest land as a tourist destination
g. Social and agricultural forestry
h. Research and development of new forest conservation techniques
i. Research into efficient forest use and conservation and
j. Policy decisions and how they are carried out.