Forest Ecosystem

A forest is a large area of land covered by a thick growth of trees and other plants. It is the home of many
different birds, insects and other animals. The forest ecosystem is a terrestrial unit of living organisms
(plants, animals and microorganisms), all interacting among themselves and with the environment (soil,
climate, water and light) in which they live.
A forest consists of several layers of plants. The uppermost layer is called the canopy. The canopy
consists of branches and leaves of the tallest trees in the forest. The canopy receives much sunlight. The
middle layer consists of shorter trees, shrubs and herbs. There are some open spaces where animals move
about. The lowest layer, the forest floor, is made up of carpets of moss and decayed matter from plants
and animals.
All plants, animals and other organisms in a forest need energy to stay alive. The main source of energy
in the forest is the sun. All other organisms depend on plants to get energy.
The forest floor is covered with fallen leaves and small plants like moss. Wastes from animals in the
upper layers drop and accumulate on the forest floor. Earthworms, bacteria and fungi are found here.
These organisms feed on the wastes and the remains of dead plants and animals. In doing so, they return
the nutrients to the soil and to the air to be used again by the plants to make food.
The forest ecosystem is balanced by the resources available. The number of trees, fungi, grass or flowers
will be, maintained by the number of animals or insects using them for their lifestyle or food sources.
Even a slight alteration in the forest ecosystem, due to floods or drought or human intervention, can lead
to the destruction of the forest ecosystem itself. The forest ecosystem depends on the balance being
maintained, between growth and decay.
The forest ecosystem includes the life cycle of the larger animals too. Their living, reproducing, hunting
and dying, all effect the way the forest ecosystem achieves balance. Too few predators could mean an
over production of smaller herbivores. This leads to a loss of plant life within the forest ecosystem. Once
the balance is lost, it can be impossible to regain. The delicate balance of the forest ecosystem is vital to
the health and vitality of the forest itself. From climate conditions, water quality and quantity, to human
intervention, or exploitation, the forest ecosystem is prone to influences that can alter it forever.
Functions of forests
Forests are important for their economic, environmental and enjoyment values. Forests, therefore, have
six important uses:
1. They provide wood and other products that are useful to people.
2. They remove carbon dioxide from air.
3. They protect our water sources.
4. They prevent erosion and floods.
5. They protect wildlife.
6. They provide recreation.
Functions of forests fall under three categories. They are
 Production function
 Protective function
 Special functions
Productive function: Forests perform many vital productive functions. Forests provide timer, fuel,
charcoal, tanning materials, manure leaves, grass, bamboo, gums, lac etc. Forest meet the need for raw
material for industrial development such as paper pulp, rayon grade pulp, saw milk ply wood, hard board
etc. Production of wood and non-wood forest products is the primary function for 34 percent of the
world’s forests, while more than half of all forests are used for such production in combination with other
functions, such as soil and water protection, biodiversity conservation and recreation (FAO, 2005).
Protective functions: Protective functions include the various ecosystem services by forests such as
maintenance of water supply and quality, carbon sequestration, and a host of other benefits derived from
biodiversity. The plants in the forests also provide us with medicines. Forests clean the environment by
lowering the wind strength as well as stopping dust and gases. They regulate surface water runoff and
maintain temperatures.
Healthy forests preserve water quality by 1) slowing runoff, thus reducing floods, erosion, and
sedimentation of rivers and reservoirs, and by 2) promoting infiltration of water into the soil, where it
recharges groundwater and is purified by a number of biotic and abiotic processes.
The thin hair-like root fibers of trees helps in filtering the water. The critical role that forests play in
water quality protection has been widely recognized; Forests significantly help protect the streams and
preserve drinking water quality in watersheds by performing a number of ecosystem services.
Forests prevent soil erosion. They hold soil by preventing rain from washing and taking it away directly.
Trees reduce the loss of nutrient rich topsoil and protect young plants from wind within their zone of
influence. They also help stabilize dunes. The leaves also act as natural filters of air and water by
removing particulate matter.
Forests affect climate globally by reflecting less heat back into the atmosphere than other types of land
use that have more bare soil and less green cover. They also play a very significant role in the global
carbon cycle that affects global climate change. It is estimated that the world’s forests store 283
gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon in their biomass alone, and that the carbon stored in forest biomass, dead wood,
litter and soil together is more than the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
Trees provide shade and absorb heat energy, producing a cooling effect. During the cold season, they
obstruct, filter and deflect wind, reducing wind chill. Windbreaks of trees can reduce evaporative losses
from small water bodies.
Flood Control: A very important function of forest is flood control. The roots hold soil in place, which
would otherwise be washed away in heavy rains. Trees also act as natural barriers to the weather elements
such as wind and snow. Forests regulate stream flow and flooding, control surface runoff and erosion,
help in buffering against pollutants and prevent sedimentation and eutrophication of waterways.
Coastal protection: Coastal forests, particularly mangroves, reduce shoreline erosion and siltation and the
impacts of storm surges and tsunamis. Mangroves also filter and remove some of the nutrients and heavy
metals coming from upstream land uses and industry. The mangroves play a vital role in protecting the
coastal areas against the actions of waves, wind and water currents is well known. (Box 1.1 )
Protection from avalanches: Forests provide protection from snow avalanches and hence in many
countries forests designated for this purpose.
Air-pollution filters: Trees perform a valuable role in intercepting and trapping windborne particulate
matter. This is one of the benefits of urban forests and greenbelts.
Forests protects biodiversity: Biodiversity is the number of different species of plants, animals and
microorganisms in existence.. Forests also allow for the existence of many species of plants and animals,
thus protecting diversity of nature and its gene stock. Though tropical forests cover only 7% of the Earth's
land mass, they are home to more than 50% of the world's 10-50 million plant and animal species.
Deforestation is posing serious threat to the existence of these flora and fauna; many specie have become
extinct and many are in the endangered category.
Special functions are performed by special-purpose forests which includes the following subcategories:
 1. Forests in buffer zones of reservoirs to guarantee adequate water quality of reservoirs
2. Recreational forests serve for public recreation
3. Forests in game reserves and pheasant enclosures
4. Forests important for nature conservation
5. Forests serving educational purpose and research
State of Global Forests
Global Forest Resources Assessment (2010) provides the following information on the state of global
forests.
 The world's total forest area is just over 4 billion hectares, which corresponds to an average of 0.6
ha per capita.
 Around 13 million hectares of forest were converted to other uses or lost through natural causes
each year in the last decade compared to 16 million hectares per year in the 1990s. Both Brazil
and Indonesia, which had the highest net loss of forest in the 1990s, have significantly reduced
their rate of loss, while in Australia, severe drought and forest fires have exacerbated the loss of
forest since 2000.
 Afforestation and natural expansion of forests in some countries and regions have reduced the net
loss of forest area significantly at the global level. The net change in forest area in the period
2000–2010 is estimated at –5.2 million hectares per year (an area about the size of Costa Rica),
down from –8.3 million hectares per year in the period 1990–2000.
 The world’s forests store 289 giga tonnes (Gt) of carbon in their biomass alone. For the world as
a whole, carbon stocks in forest biomass decreased by an estimated 0.5 Gt annually during the
period 2005–2010, mainly because of a reduction in the global forest area.
 Forests designated for conservation of biological diversity account for 12 percent of the total
forest area or more than 460 million hectares.
 The area designated primarily for productive purposes - production of wood and non-wood forest
products has decreased by more than 50 million hectares since 1990 as forests have been
designated for other purposes. The area designated for multiple uses, including the production of
wood and non-wood forest products, has increased by 10 million hectares in the same period.
 At the global level, reported wood removals amounted to 3.4 billion cubic metres annually,
similar to the volume recorded for 1990 and equivalent to 0.7 percent of the total growing stock.
At the global level, wood fuel accounted for about half of the removed wood.
 Around 330 million hectares of forest are designated for soil and water conservation, avalanche
control, sand dune stabilization, desertification control or coastal protection. The area of forest
designated for protective functions increased by 59 million hectares between 1990 and 2010,
primarily because of large-scale planting in China aimed at desertification control, conservation
of soil and water resources and other protective purposes.
 Globally, 4 percent of the world’s forests are designated for the provision of social services, for
recreation, tourism, education or conservation of cultural and spiritual heritage.