·
We obtain wood for fuel, buildings
agricultural implements , furniture and paper.
Many secondary products like gum, resign wild rubber chuckles detected
from forests.
·
According to recent general
assessment (FAO2006) forests cover 30%
the total land area of the world.
·
The total forest area in 2005 was around
4 billion hectares (ha)
·
The average land area per capita is 0.6 hectare
·
One third of the total
forest area consists of othr woodeed land, where forest cover is less
than 10% but more than 5%.
Tropical
Hard wood Forests
These are found in the regions of high temperature and high
rainfall. Foress are divided into two types – equatorial and monsoon forests.
Equatorial
Forests.
·
These forests exend between 5° north and 5° south of the equator. They are found in Zaire basin of Africa, the
Amazon basin of South America and with some modifications in Malaysia and
Indonesia.
·
The equatorial forests in the
Amazon basin are also known as Selvas.
·
These forests are very dense due to high temperature and rainfall
throughout theyear.
·
They present a layered structure.
Numerous creepers like liana climb the trees.
Due to high humidity throughout the year epiphytes growing on trees
could be seen commonly. The forests
always appear to be green because trees of different species shed their leaves
at different times.
·
Most of the trees in these forests
have hard wood
·
One of the problems of the economic
exploitation of these forests is the scattering of trees ofonespecie over a
wide area.
·
Mahogany, rose wood and ebony are
hard wood trees.
Monsoon
Forests
·
These forestsd are found in central and north east
India, Myanmar (Burma) Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and northeast
Australia.
·
Monsoon forests are not very dense. Sal, teak and sisam are
important trees of the region
·
Besides, in the areas of high
rainfall, bamboos, rubber, Cinchona,
mahogany etc. are found.
·
Their economic exploitation is also
easier
Temperature
Decidiuous Hardwood Forests.
·
Temperate regions of moderate temperature and rainfall
like cenral and western Europe, northeastern USA, southern Russia, Central America, eastern Asia viz. Korea Japan, Cina
etc have the hard wood deciduous forests.
·
Trees of these forests shed teir
leaves at the onset of the winter and
remain without leaves throughout the winter.
·
They are found between 30°
to 50°
north and south of the equator.
·
These forests also have trees of
different species mixed together.
·
Woods of these trees are lighter
and easier to work on. Important trees
of this forest are oak, birch, chestnut, maple, walnut and elm.
Temperate
Coniferous Softwood Forests or Taiga
·
Except for a few hill-slopes, most
of the coniferous forests are confined to the northern latitudes.
·
These are located between 50° N and 70°N
latitudes
·
In the southern hemisphere, the
extent of these forests is limited.
·
They are found in an extensive belt
in the northern hemisphere running through Canada, Norway, Swedan, Finland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Central and Eastern Siberia.
·
In Siberia, they are known as taiga
forests. They are found on the
mountain slopes between altitudes of
1500 and 2000 metres.
·
Coniferous trees are tall, straight
with narrow needle like leaves. Most of
these are evergreen ubt some trees like larch are deciduous
·
These forests are commercially
valuable as one species of trTee is found over extensive areas.
·
Pine, cedar, spruce, fir, red wood
and walsum are some of the important trees of these forests.
Forest
Products
·
Chickle is collected from Zapote
tree in the forests of southern Mexico, Honduras and Brazil, Rubber and Balata
are gathered from the forests of south America and western Africa.
·
Coconut is collected from the
coastal part of India,Sri Lanka,
Malaysia,Indinesia and Philippines.
·
Palm nut are collected from the
forests extending between Panama and Eqador.
·
Some fibrous products are also
obtained from tropical forests ex:Toqulla for making the panama hats,Cotton
from Kapock tree for making pilloes and mattresses and Manila hemp, abaca for
making ropes.
·
Cinchona is used for making Quinone
, a medicine for curing malaria.