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The study of cellular Biology Topics is essential to understanding the workings of all living organisms.
Can a forest regenerate naturally in a short period of time?
The trees and plants can grow in the forest on their own and regenerate (or reproduce) the forest. This happens as follows : The dead parts of trees and plants (such as fallen leaves), dead animals, and animal wastes (like animal dung or droppings) keep on collecting on the forest floor. The decomposer organisms (such as bacteria and fungi) act on all the dead plant and animal matter, and animal wastes and convert them into humus. The humus contains plant nutrients. This humus mixes with the forest soil and makes it fertile (by providing the nutrients).
The animals and birds of forest, wind and water disperse the seeds of trees and plants on the forest soil. These seeds obtain nutrients and water from the forest soil and germinate to form seedlings. The seedlings grow to form saplings and ultimately develop into trees (or other plants). The growing of new trees (and other plants) on their own regenerates the forest naturally. From this discussion we conclude that the forest soil helps the forest trees and plants to grow and regenerate the forest by providing them nutrients required for their growth.
The animals help the forests to grow and regenerate in two ways :
- The dead animals and animal wastes decay (by the action of decomposers) and provide nutrients to the forest soil and make it fertile.
- The animals carry out pollination in flowers, and also disperse the seeds of plants and trees throughout the forest.
Nobody has planted any trees in the natural forests. The natural forests contain trees and plants which have grown on their own. An example of the plants growing on their own is provided by the peepal saplings which grow naturally on the sidewalls of houses and other buildings around us (see Figure). No one has grown this sapling. Actually, the seeds of peepal are dispersed by the wind. When one of these seeds lands in some hole in a wall, gets tree growing naturally on a wall, moisture and warmth, it germinates to form a sapling.
Why are Forest Trees Being Cut Down Increasingly
A large number of forest trees are being cut down everyday to meet the various demands of the increasing population. Due to increase in population, the demand of forest wood for various purposes has gone up tremendously.
Forests are being cut down to clear land for agricultural purposes so as to grow more crops to feed the increasing population.
In addition to this, forests are being cut down to clear land for the construction of roads, houses, other buildings, industries and dams for hydroelectric power plants. The large scale cutting down of forest trees is called deforestation (see Figure). Some of the important reasons for the large scale cutting down of forest trees (or deforestation) are given below:
- Forests are cut down to obtain firewood (wood used as fuel).
- Forests are cut down to obtain timber (wood for building houses and furniture).
- Forests are cut down to obtain wood for making paper.
- Forests are cut down to clear land for cultivation of crops in agriculture.
- Forests are cut down to clear land for the construction of roads, houses, industries and dams, etc.
Effect of Destruction of Forests
When trees are cut down from a forest, then new trees grow in their place naturally after some time. But the new trees grow in a forest at a slow rate. Due to this, the number of trees cut down from a forest for various purposes is usually much more than the new trees which grow in the forest naturally. This makes the number of trees in a forest decrease at a rapid rate. The destruction of forests by the excessive cutting of forest trees at a rapid rate can make the forests disappear completely one day. The destruction of forests (or disappearing of forests) will have the following adverse effects on us, other animals and the environment:
- Destruction of forests will lead to a shortage of wood and other forest products.
- Destruction of forests will disturb the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere. Due to cutting down of forest trees, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase leading to an increase in earth’s temperature.
- Destruction of forests will cause soil erosion making the soil infertile to support crops.
- Destruction of forests will cause frequent flooding of rivers, leading to loss of life and property.
- Destruction of forests affects the water cycle leading to reduction in rainfall.
- Destruction of forests leads to the extinction of many wild animals and plants.
- Destruction of forests can change the earth’s climate.
Conservation of Forests
The conservation of forests is necessary
- to maintain the supply of wood and other forest products
- to maintain a healthy balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere
- to maintain the water cycle in nature and bring sufficient rain
- to prevent soil erosion and floods
- to protect wild animals and plants from extinction, and
- to protect climate. Though it is not wrong to cut forest trees for various desirable uses but it should be done at a slow rate so that forest trees are able to regenerate naturally.
Since forests are very beneficial to us, other animals and the environment, we must conserve our forests. Some of the ways to conserve forests are given below :
- Excessive cutting down of forest trees should not be allowed by the Government to conserve forests.
- More trees should be planted in the forest in place of cut down trees to conserve forests.
- Paper products (such as old newspapers, magazines, books and notebooks, etc.) should be recycled to conserve forests.
Paper is made from wood pulp that is produced from the wood of forest trees. So, to make paper, many trees have to be cut down from the forests. If all of us keep on collecting old newspapers, magazines, books and notebooks, etc., and send them to paper mills for recycling through a junk dealer (kabadi wala), we will be able to save many forest trees from being cut down.