Forests and Energy

About 27% of the earth’s surface or 36% of the earth’s land surface are covered with forest. Forests account for 75% of the gross primary productivity of the Earth’s biosphere, and contain 80% of the Earth’s plant biomass. The total forest land includes closed canopy forests i.e. dense forests, open canopy forests i.e. less dense forests and deforested areas.

Forest is an important natural resource. It is most important natural habitat for wild life. It is also utilized by farmers for commercial and recreational purposes. Many herbivores find shelter and carnivores their prey in the forest. Besides this, forest plays most important role from commercial point of view. Forest based cottage industries, such as bee-keeping, bamboo mat and basket making provide small-scale industry to the tribal people. Sal is a most important source for timber industries. It also provides raw materials for pulp and plywood industry.

Green plants of the forest are food producing organisms and are primary producers of the “food chain”. These foods are stored in the form of fruits, nuts, seeds, nectar and wood. Therefore, forest serves as an energy reservoir, trapping energy from sunlight and storing it in the form of a biochemical product.

Forests provide a diversity of ecosystem services including converting carbon dioxide into oxygen and biomass, acting as a carbon sink, aiding in regulating climate, purifying water, mitigating natural hazards such as floods, and serving as a genetic reserve. Forests also serve as a source of lumber and as recreational areas. So removal of plants and trees would disturb the composition of natural air. An acre of forest absorbs four tonnes of carbonic acid gas and recycles eight tonnes of oxygen into environment.

The reverence of forest conservation and preservation has been honoured with due regards in our old scriptures of all religions the Vedas, Puranas and the Upanisads and the Ramayana and Mahabharata. But, ironically this is dismally a matter of pity that in today’s world this asset is going to be driven to the verge of extinction globally, so to say heading towards death-knell. The axe and the gun had over the years been the only tools in the hands of mad civilized man to eke out living not only for his need but more so for greed. Still sad is the careless handling of cigarette bit which spells the doom of forestry business and destroy the wildlife housing in and around the forest. The present day’s scenario, therefore, evokes us all to be forestry conscious to safeguard Mother Earth.

History has recorded that our religions, customs, traditions are interrelated in a kaleidoscopic fashion in a variety of ways, with the growth in population uncompromising with globe’s latitudes and longitudes has further added fuel to fire in depleting tree cover coupled with the development activities, particularly in the picturesque resorts, has undercut the very basis. Trees are among primitive man’s first deities. Not the last though, for even today in India, the Banana and peepal trees are worshipped. The International Day of Forests or World Forestry Day was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012. Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. Theme for World Forestry Day 2017 is “Forests & Energy”. Alternative forms of energy have gained popularity as a way to address these concerns. For instance, bioenergy derived from biological materials such as wood, agricultural crops and wastes, or dung is used. If sustainably managed, bioenergy derived from plants can be considered renewable because new trees or other plants can replace those that have been converted to energy. Its net benefit in terms of climate change mitigation depends on the balance between carbon dioxide (CO2) captured during plant growth and CO2 released when producing, processing, transporting and burning the fuel.

Increasingly, agricultural crops such as oil palm, sugar cane, maize, rapeseed, soyabeans and wheat, are being used to produce liquid biofuels, mainly to power vehicles.

According to rules of Forest Department, 10 trees should be planted in exchange of cutting down one tree. Though, in last two decades only 1% trees have been planted. If the nation has to survive, the philosophy of life must be understood not only in words, ideas or achievements but in terms which would replant us firmly on the earth and under shady tree. Our forests, unlike any other natural wealth are renewable. Their protection and preservation is as important as our life is to us. These have been victimized by human threat. Let us, therefore, embrace this precious gift bestowed upon us by the ancestors and add to it by planting more and more trees.