FORESTS

FOREST PRODUCTS

Forests provide useful products like:

1. Food items – Cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, beverages,
spices, oil seeds etc.
2. Fibres – Cotton, jute, silk etc.
3. Medicines – Quinine obtained from the bark of Cinchona tree is
used in treatment of malaria.
4. Rubber – Obtained from rubber trees and used to make tyres,
belts, mattresses.
5. Wood or Timber – Obtained from trees such as Teak, Sal,
Deodar and used for making furniture, houses and ship.
 FOREST PRODUCTS

6. Perfumes and Dyes – Obtained from flowers and leaves of

certain plants.
7. Fuel – Wood is used a fuel.
8. Paper – Wood pulp of bamboo and Eucalyptus is used to make
paper.
 IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS

Forests are useful in many ways:

1. Prevent soil erosion– Roots of trees bind the soil particles
together and thus prevent top soil from being eroded.
2. Controls floods – Plants slow down the speed of water by
serving as an obstruction to the flow of water.
3. Purifies Air – Plants release O2 gas during the process of
photosynthesis and thus purifies air.
4. Helps in bringing Rainfall – Trees lose excess of water through
transpiration and thus contribute to the water cycle and help in
bringing rain.
5. Provides Shelter– Forests are natural habitat of a variety of
animal and plant species.
 IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS

6. Regulates Climate – Trees absorb water from the ground

through their roots and release some part of it in the form of water
vapours (transpiration). This water then helps in the working of
the entire water cycle.
7. Checking Global warming– Trees take in the major greenhouse
gas CO2 and thus help keep a check on global warming.
INTERDEPENDENCE BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Dependence of animals on plants-

1. For Food – All animals depend directly (herbivores, omnivores)

or indirectly (carnivores) on plants for their food.
2. For Oxygen – Plants give out oxygen during photosynthesis
which is used by animals for respiration.
3. For Shelter – Most birds make their nests in the trees. Some
animals like monkeys also live on the trees. Many insects also
live in trees.
INTERDEPENDENCE BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Dependence of plants on animals -

1. For Carbon dioxide – Plants need CO2 to prepare their food

which comes from animals during respiration.
2. For Pollination – In some plants, pollination is brought about by
insects, birds and bats. Without pollination, formation of seeds in
these plants would not be possible.
3. For Seed dispersal – Dispersal of seeds takes place by means
of birds, animals and also human beings.
DEFORESTATION
 DEFORESTATION
Cutting down of forests on a large scale is called Deforestation.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION -

1. Soil Erosion– The cutting of trees leads to washing away of top soil as
there are no roots to hold the soil particles.
2. Climatic Changes – Due to lack of forest cover, the water cycle gets
disturbed and there is less rain so the temperature rises making the area
drier.
3. Loss of natural habitat – Many species of animals and birds lose their
natural homes when forests are cut down. This may even cause extinction of
the species.
4. Damage by floods – Trees in the forests act as physical barriers to the
flowing water and thus control flood. The loss of forest cover will lead to
frequent occurrence of floods.
 CONSERVATION OF FORESTS
It can be done in the following ways-

1. Afforestation– Planting of trees.

2. Planned Cultivation– Forests should not be cleared off all its trees at one
time.
3. Prevent Overgrazing – Overgrazing by cattles should be prevented to
maintain proper grass cover.
4. Protection from forest fires
5. Prevent illegal logging – People should prevent illegal logging of trees that
leads to a decrease in forest cover. Indian government has made some rules
regarding this offense.
 Questions
1. Why is there no waste in a forest?
Ans. i) Scavengers like jackals, vulture etc. eat the waste and nutrients get
recycled.
ii) Bacteria and fungi decompose the waste and convert it into HUMUS.

2. Why forests are called green lungs?

Plants release oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. This oxygen is
used up by animals.
They maintain the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. That is why forests are known as Green Lungs.
 IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
1. CROWN – The branchy part of the tree above the stem.
2. CANOPY – The branches of the tall trees look like a roof over the other
plants in a forest.
3. FOOD CHAIN – The chain in which organisms feed on plants and often get
eaten by other organisms. It is a continuous transfer of food energy from one
organism to another.
Eg. – Grass → Insect →Frog →Snake →Hawk
4. HUMUS – When some microorganisms feed upon the dead plant and animal
tissues and convert them into a dark coloured substance. This is called
humus.
5. DECOMPOSERS – The microorganisms which convert the dead plant and
animal tissues to humus are known as decomposers.
6. SOIL EROSION – The removal of top layer of soil by certain agents like
water, wind and human activities.