Forestry

Introduction to Forest and Forest Regulations 

In general, the large areas of land covered by trees are known as forests. Though plants of diverse types are found, the forest are usually covered by large trees. Besides trees, different animals, birds and insects are the integral parts of forest, and all, these in combination create the typical environment of the forests. 

The forests may be natural or artificial. The forest which has been developed without the direct participation, of men is known as natural forest. The Sundarban, Bhawal and Modhupur Shalban are the typical examples of natural forests. The forests of newly create by planting trees are known as artificial forests 

Forest department created Segun forest of Chittagong, Kaora and Byne forests of coastal are the examples of artificial forests.

Importance of Forests

 Forest is playing a very important role in the development of human civilization. Forests were the source of food and shelter for man in the ancient period. Still to day the contribution of forest plants in our daily life is great. We can directly meaure some of the contributions as well. The examples are, furniture wood, fuel wood, vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants. The economic values of these forest materials can easily calculated too. On the other hand some of the contribution cannot be measured in terms of money. For example:

1. Forests preserve the balance in the natural environment. 

2. Forests reduce the erosion of fertile soil increase water storage and increase the flow of river stream. 

The importance of forests may be divided into 4 classes on the basic of contributions. 

1. Economic importance

 2. Environment importance

 3. Bio-diversity

 4. Recreation. 

1. Economic Importance

 The importance of forest is extensive in our daily life. The construction timber fuel wood, bamboo, raw materials for industries and medicinal plants are collected from forests. The economic importance of these materials are discussed below. 

Timber wood

 The role of timber and materials wood in our daily life is very important. Wood is indispensable of construction of house and furniture. Weed is utilized for preparing large number of materials including boats, agricultural implements and its parts and scientific instruments. Millions of people of the country earn their livelihood depending on the employment in the wood works. So wood is playing and important role in solving employment problems and elevation of poverty.

Fuel Wood

 Majority of inhabitant of Bangladesh use wood materials as fuel for cooking. The present requirement of fuel wood in the country is about 300 million cubic metre. Its price is about Tk. 150 billion according to market price. About 1 million working people are involved in the collection and business of wood materials and thus have become dependent for there livelihood. Considering these things the fuel wood is playing and important role in the economy of the country. The demand for fuel wood is increasing day by day with the increase of population. As a result problem due to scarcity of fuel wood is also increasing. The rural people are burning cowdung and crop products at an increased rate. If cowdung and cropresidues are used as manure for the crop lands. The soil ferility and crop production would increase. The organic matter content of the soils would be maintained on the other hand. So it is possible to contribute more to the national economy by producing and supplying more fuel wood. 

Bamboo

 Bamboos of different types are collected from the forest areas of Bangladesh. Large quantities of Bamboos are also harvested from the rural household bush. Bamboo has extensive use as a raw material for industries. Both green and ripe bamboos are used for construction of house. Million of people are engaged in the bamboo production and utilization activities for their livelihood. 

Raw Materials for Industries

 The major raw materials for industries like paper, rayon, matches, tea packing, hard boards etc. are coming from forests. Forest based wood and bamboo are raw materials for the two largest paper mills of the country. 

Khulna Hard board Mill, Chondraghona Royon Mill, Sylhet Pillps and Paper Mill and match factories of the country are basically dependent on the wood supplied from the forests. The supply of raw materials for the small and cottage industries also come from the forest trees. Million of labours technicians and profesionals are employed these industries. 

Cottage Industries

 The cottage industries like making furniture and making handicrafts from bamboo and cane have considerable importance in the economy of the country. These handicraft products are also exported to other countries now-a-days. Cottage industries also help increasing employment and simultaneously earning foreign currencies. 

Medicinal Plants

 Medicinal plants are treated as important resource of our country from the ancient time. The major portion of the medicinal plants are collected from the forests. Forest is the source of the popular medicinal plants like Amlaki, Bohera, Haritaki and some others useful plants. The major raw material of Ayurbedic phannaceutical industries are the medicinal plants of the country. The general people of the country are being benefited by getting employment in the industry by taking these types of Ayurbedic medicines.

1. Miscellaneous Materials

 Large quantities of honey, wax and roof materials like Golpata are collected from the Sundarban. The nearby, inhabitants collects fruits and vegetables from the forest to meet up their food requirement. These forests also help in solving the nutritional problem of man.'

2. Environmental Importance

 The forest plays a very great role in preserving the balance of the natural environment. We know that a country should have 25 percent of the area covered under forest, for balancing the enviroment. The main points of the mechanism of balancing environment by forest are briefly discussed below; 

1. The forest trees assimilate the excess carbondioxide and oxygen in the atmospheric air. 

2. Plants through transpiration increase moisture percentage or humidity of the atmospheric air. These moisture helps in making rainfall.

 3. Reduce the extremeties of the weather conditions.

 4. Control the speed of wind. 

5. Protects the soil from erosion and land slip. Increases the under ground water reserve. Control the flow of river water. 

6. Increase fertility of soils. 

7. Gives shelter to wild animals, birds and insects and also supplies food. 

8. Protects the habitats from natural disasters like tornado and flood. 

3. Biodiversity

 Biodiversity may be defined as the presence and distribution of various forms of plant, animal and micro organisms in a certain ecological niche. Many crops which are now commercially cultivated were known to be originally collected from wild species grown in the forest. These crop species have been developed and made adapted suitably for cultivation in fields through scientific research. Likewise, more plant species may be needed in future which might be collected from the forest environments. So it is very important and we should carefully conserve the biodiversity of the forest environments. So it is very necessary to concern natural forests to protects the biodiversity. 

4. Recreation

 The forest environments plays vital role in the recreation of busy social life. Open and pure air, green plants, diverse wild animal, flowing river and fountain etc. of the forest are the major attractive components of human recreation. It attributes long term influence on human life. For these resons recreation in natural forest environment is something different, diverse and in belively. Well designed plantaton areas for recreation activities has not yet been fully developed in Bangladesh. The national parks have been established at Bhawal and Modhupur near Dhaka. Peoples rush to these recreational facilities in the Bhawal National Park during winter season. Modhupur National Park and Dhaka Botanical Garden are also important as recreational centres. Several other forest based recreational centre have been established at different regions of the country. Himchari and Teknaf of Cox's bazar, Jointia of Sylhet, Ramsagar of Dinajpur and Hiron point of Sundarban are the major regional centres. These forest based recreational centre may be modernized by, providing more facilities. 

Distribution of Forest

 The forest land area of Bangladesh is about 24.6 lacs hectare comprising 17% of the total land area. But the forest areas are not well distributed through out the country. The major forests are situated in the eastern south eastern and south western regions of the country. Forset in scarce in the large areas of northern and north western regions. The forest areas of the country are illustrated in the following map. The forests of Bangladesh and its distribution may divided in to three classes according to land type and physiography. These are_ 

1.    Hill forest

 2.    Plain land forest

 3.    Mangrove or tidal forest 

1. Hill Forest

 More than half of forest areas of Bangladesh are distributed only in the hilly areas. Chittagong, Chittagong hill-tracts, Cox's bazar and Sylhet are the major places of hill forests. The total area of hill forest land is about 13.16 lac. The major trees of the hill forest are Shegun, Garjan, Chapalish, Koroi, Telsur, Gamar, Jarul and Champa. 

Besides, huge quantities of bamboo are available in these forests. The important  wild animals of the hill forest areas include elephant, deer, tiger, monkey, bear, wild foul and others. 

2. Plain land Forest

 Mainly the Shalban of greater Dhaka, Mymensingh, Tangail, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Rajshahi and Comilla is known as plainland forest. Total area of the plain land forest is about 1.231ac hectares. The major forest tree species is Shal, Gajarj, Other trees are Jarul Koroi, Babla. These forests are situated near, human habitations. As a result peoples heavily cut forest trees to meet up their daily life and business needs. Many pieces of forest lands have been illegally cleared and houses were installed. The forest lands are being covered to crop land. As it result the natural forest are becoming tree less day by day. However, presently the deforested areas are being replanted with the participation of local peoples. Such participatory plantation include tree species like Akashmani, Eucalyptus and Arjun.

3. Mangrove Forest or Tidal Forest

 The natural mangrove forest, or tidal forests are seen in Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat. This famous forest is known as SUNDARBON. Sundarban is the largest and the most resourceful mangrove forest of the world. The forest is daily flooded by tidal water as it lies near to the Bay of Bengal. The types and nature of the tree species of the mangrove tidal forest is different from other common trees of the country. SUNDARI is the major free of the forest. The name Sundarban has been given to this forest after the name of the Sundari, tree. Among others the trees like Gaoa, Goran Pashur, Kaora, Bain, and Kakra are important. 'Golpata' is one of the important plant species of Sundarban. The golpata leaf is used in making roof of rural' katcha houses. The honey produced in Sundarban in very nutritious and tasty. The world famous 'Royal Bengal Tiger' lives this Sundarban forest. Other animals of this forest are deer, wild pig monkey. Python, crocodile and various birds. Besides Sumdarban, the  newly raised coastal charlands are being continuously planted. The main tree species of the man made coastal plantation is Kaora. Bain and Jhao trees are also planted in some areas. 

The amount of wood-stock in the forest 

 Surveys have been carried out to determine the amount of wood stock in different forests of Bangladesh.The trees of forests that are stocked are called growing stock.The forest management planning is developed on the basis of how much growing stock are there in the forests.

Forest Act and Wild Life Act

 There are two specific acts for the management of forest resources and wild animals. For managing wild life one of this acts is Bangladesh forest act 1927 "Ammended 1990" and the other is 'Wild Life Conservation act 1974. 

Forest Act

 Illegal intrusion, capturing government forest land and construction of house or cultivating lands are punishable crimes. Cutting trees without permission from appropriate authorities, removal and transport are also punishable crimes. The persons doing such crimes may be given munimum one year imprisonment along with a fine of Taka Five Thousand. The accused may be given two years imprisonment and a fine of Taka Fifty Thousand as the highest punishment. Besides, punishments may also be given to the persons who carries government forest materials without due permission. Such cases are dealt in the court of a first class magistrate. 

Wild Life Act

 Catching, hunting and killing by posion of wild animals without permission are also punishable crimes. Husbandry of wild animal as pet is also a punishable activity. Imprisonment for minimum 6 months and of Taka Two Thousand may be imposed to the accused such illegal activities. The maximum imprisonment may be up to 2 months. The trial of cases are conducted in the court of the first class magistrates.