Forests

·         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.