The earth has a total forest area of about 4 billion hactares (10 billion acres), which is 31% of the global total land area. A forest is a highly complex environment, made up of a variety of living things including wildlife, wild trees, wild flowers, herbs, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns, lichens, fungi , herbaceous (non-woody) plants, microscopic soil organisms, mosses, algae, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, micro organisms, living organisms, plants and animals and inside the soil; and non-living things such as water, soil, minerals, nutrients, rocks, sunlight and air.
The living organisms constitute the biotic factors whereas the non-living part of the forest makes up the abiotic factors.The biotic factors interact with one another and the abiotic factors of the environment make up what we know as a forest.
Forests are ecosystems. Ecosystem is an environment of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) interacting with each other and with the nonliving components of that environment like rock, air, water and sunlight etc. They live like the men who live in a society, dependent on each other. Plants are the producers, animals are the consumers and fungi and microorganisms are the decomposers. Forest’s are nature’s most efficient ecosystems, in which all of them have complex organic relationships.
Types of Forests
The temperature, rainfall and soil composition determine the type of forest. Some of the types are as follows:
Tropical Rain forests
They are close to the equator and get lots of sunlight and warmth. Temperatures are between 20 and 35°C. They usually receive more than 200 cm of rainfall per year. They are highly dense and lush forests. Tropical rain forests have more kinds of trees than any other forests in the world.
Tropical Rain forests cover only a small part of the earth’s surface – about 6%, yet they are home to over half of all species of plants and animals in the world.
The Amazon jungle is the world’s largest tropical rain forest.The forest covers the basin of the Amazon, the world’s second longest river. The Amazon is home to the greatest variety of plants and animals on earth. 1/5th of the entire world’s plants and birds and about 1/10th of all mammal species are found here.
Temperate forests
Temperate forests can either be deciduous or coniferous evergreen.
Deciduous trees spread out as they grow and have a more rounded shape.Two common examples of deciduous trees are oaks and maples. Deciduous trees have broad, flat leaves to absorb maximum sunlight. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter. In autumn, the leaves turn beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow before they drop off the trees. Canada is full of deciduous trees.
Coniferous trees grow upward rather than outward and have a triangular shape. Common examples of conifers are firs, spruces and pines.
Boreal or Taiga Forests
It is one of the largest forest ecosystems on the planet, and it shelters thousands of wildlife species.
The Boreal forest region covers about 80% of Canada’s forested land. The trees in the Boreal forest region are mostly coniferous but have a mix of different types of deciduous trees. Climate in the taiga is cold, with average annual temperatures from about +5° to -5° C. Precipitation varies, from about 20 cm to over 200 cm per year. Much of the precipitation, of course, is in the form of snow. The winters are cold and long; summers are relatively short and cool. The boreal forest makes up almost one third of the world’s forests,
Benefits of forests:
Forests provide oxygen we need to live and absorb carbon dioxide we exhale and keep clean the air. Forests feed us and the cattle etc. Forests provide wood for construction furniture and a lot of things.Forests create jobs in wood industries and many other places. forests keep us cool, giving shade in summer time. Forests keep the earth cool by absorbing carbon dioxide that fuels global warming. Forests prevent flooding by slowing down the flow, thus reducing the soil loss and property damage. Forests block winds by preventing damage to many other sensitive crops etc. Forests provide health benefits by extracting medicine from it. Forests give a majestic look and create natural beauty. Forests are home to half of all species on earth.
Q. Is not the healing power of forests built for the benefits of all living beings or did it come by chance?
Zia Ahmed Khan, email: khanziaahmed50@gmail.com
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