Introduction

“The natural world thus stretches before scientists….like the

uncharted seas of old.”

~Virginia Morrell
Forest, a dense growth of trees, together with other plants, covering a large area of land. The science
concerned with the study, preservation, and management of forests is forestry. A forest is an ecosystem
—a community of plants and animals interacting with one another and with the physical environment
(see ecology). The forests of the world are classified in three general types, or formations, which are
primarily expressions of the climate in which the vegetation grows. The ways in which the rural poor
in developing countries benefit from forests and farm trees have rarely been spelt out in detail.
Yet research shows that those without access to land and deprived of employment opportunities
depend heavily on access to forests and to trees growing on common land. The \

The indirect ways in which forests and farm trees strengthen food security are no less important.
First, many forest products-such as leaves, rattan, honey, saps and gums-form the basis of
small-scale industries that are important sources of income. The money, particularly that earned
by women, is often used either to buy food or agricultural inputs that poor families could not
otherwise afford. Both contribute to food security. Forests also provide medicines that, by
improving health, help to increase the nutritional intake of many rural people.

Types of Forests
The tropical hardwood forests, including rain forests, occur throughout the lowland areas of the tropics—
especially along the routes of rivers in Central and South America and in central and W Africa—and in
the East Indies, the Malay Peninsula, and parts of India, Indochina, and Australia. They are
characterized by an annual rainfall of 160–400 in. (406–1,000 cm) annually, with an average temperature
of at least 80°F (27°C), and support a great diversity of plant life. The foliage is a luxuriant and interlaced
community from ground level to the tree canopies, and the trees support the omnipresent woody vines
(see liana) and air plants (see epiphyte). Although some tropical forests are deciduous, most tropical
trees are considered evergreen because their leaves are not shed simultaneously at a certain season;
however, they are believed to drop and renew their leaves sporadically each year. Even though they
cover only 7% of the earth's landmass, about one half of the planet's species live there.
The temperate hardwood forests of North America, Europe, and Asia are marked by seasonal rainfall
distribution. The trees, typically species of beech, maple, ash, oak, elm, and basswood, are deciduous
but are often mixed with conifers, especially in areas of poorer soil. The temperate hardwood forests
overlap the boreal, or northern, conifer forest belts, which encircle the earth in the subarctic and cool,
temperate regions south of the treeless tundra. The vegetation is typically fir and spruce in northern
regions and at higher altitudes, and pine, larch, and hemlock in southern regions and at lower altitudes.
In transitional areas, especially where there is a pronounced season without rain (e.g., the chaparral and
tropical mountain slopes), scrub forests are frequently found in which the trees are more widely spaced
and grasses intervene. Nontropical rain forests exist in New Zealand, Tasmania, Chile, and the Pacific
coast of North America.

In the United States east of the prairies are the northern (boreal) forest belt, in which sugar maple,
beech, and birch mix with the conifers; the hardwood forest belt, a typical temperate forest; and the
warmer southern forest belt, encompassing many stands of smaller pines and cypress thickets. In the
chiefly coniferous Rocky Mt. forest belt, the Ponderosa pine is most common. The Pacific forest belt has
the heaviest stands of trees in America and probably in the world. The characteristic redwood and giant
sequoia mingle with Douglas fir and other species.

Present Condition of Forests-Time to Wake

In early times the only nonforested areas of the earth were those where the land was either excessively
dry (e.g., the plains and deserts) or excessively wet (e.g., the swamps). Where the environment was
favorable, forests extended from the equator to the timber line, i.e., as far as those regions in the
extreme north or at high altitudes where generally there is perpetual snow. Climatic conditions favor the
continued expansion of the forests as the ice cap continues to recede and the timber line to withdraw,
since the forests, with their mammal and bird inhabitants, move into formerly glaciated regions. However,
the favorable natural conditions are more than countered by forest clearing by humans and through fire.
About 30% of the world is forested today, but the ratio between forest and population varies immensely.
More than one half of the world's softwood timber (the major forest product) comes from North America
and Europe—an area with only a fourth of the world's population. Yet the Mediterranean countries have
been cleared of most of their forests for centuries, and the forested area of the United States has shrunk
in 300 years from about one half to one third of the total land acreage. The United States and Canada
share 16% of the world's forests; the former Soviet Union contains 21%, Africa has 20%, and Latin
American has 24%.

The Importance of Forests

The chief economic product of forests is timber, but the economic benefits, in terms of climate control,
pollution abatement, and wildlife maintenance, have rarely been calculated. The economic importance of
nontimber forest products is also increasing. The forest is also vital as a watershed. Because of the thick
humus layer, loose soil, and soil-retaining powers of the trees' long roots, forests are vitally important for
preserving adequate water supplies. Almost all water ultimately feeds from forest rivers and lakes and
from forest-derived water tables. In addition, the forest provides shelter for wildlife, recreation and
aesthetic renewal for people, and irreplaceable supplies of oxygen and soil nutrients. Deforestation,
particularly in the tropical rain forests, has become a major environmental concern, as it can destabilize
the earth's tempeature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels. Efforts to control deforestation, including
those at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, remain ineffective.

Improved Water Supplies- As forests are cleared and the land becomes increasingly
degraded through misuse, water supplies suffer. In an environment with vegetative cover, the
soil acts like a gigantic sponge, storing a vast quantity of water that is used by plants and trees
or released gently into streams and rivers. Degradation limits the storage capacity of this
sponge, leading to water shortages during dry seasons and, in wet seasons, to brief destructive
floods, during which very little water is absorbed by the soil.

This is why large areas of formerly productive land, where annual rainfall is relatively high, have
become desertified once tree cover is removed.

Forests can also enhance water quality in other ways. Studies in Nigeria, Indonesia and other
countries have shown that, when the forest is removed, minerals and nutrients that trees absorb
or recycle make their way, unchecked, into drainage water. Apart from the disadvantage of
losing minerals and nutrients from the immediate area, the extra nutrients in the water enhance
the growth of oxygen-depleting organisms on canal and river beds, and reduce the overall value
of the water for irrigation purposes.

Forest buffer zones around lakes and streams act as a filtering system, reducing the amount of
sediment, agricultural chemicals and pesticides in the watercourses. The loss of this filtering
system results in high levels of sediment and dissolved minerals in rivers and streams which
reduce crop growth and disrupt fisheries.

Increased reforestation on unstable land, and around lakes, rivers and streams can thus help to
increase the water-retention capacity of land and improve water quality, both of which benefit
food production.

Soil Stability and Fertility- The establishment of woody perennials and nitrogen-
fixing trees close to, or intercropped with, agricultural crops maintains or improves the fertility of
arable land. Trees increase the soil's ability to absorb and retain water, produce nutrients for
plants, maintain high levels of organic matter in the soil, and moderate soil temperatures.

Shifting cultivators and other farmers who depend on forest-fallow systems have long
recognized the vital role that trees play in maintaining soil fertility. Traditional agroforestry
techniques play a significant role in increasing household food security in many countries. In
Nigeria, for example, the planting of alternate rows of Leucaena leucocephala with maize and
cowpeas has resulted in a marked improvement in soil fertility.

Agroforestry also helps reduce the risk of soil salinization, now increasingly common in arid and
semi-arid regions. This trend is threatening land productivity, especially in irrigated areas.
Waterlogged soil becomes saline as water is repeatedly evaporated from its surface, leaving
salts behind and concentrating them near the soil surface. By increasing the soil's ability to
absorb water and lowering the water table, trees reduce the risks of waterlogging and
salinization. Planting trees in regions where soil salinity has ruined the land's productive
capacity has, in some instances, reduced salinity sufficiently to return formerly barren land to
productivity.

A growing feature of much of today's agricultural land is compacted soil-the result of poor
logging or agricultural practices. When soil is compacted, water cannot seep into its lower
levels, groundwater levels fall, and wells and springs dry up. Planting trees on land that is badly
compacted may help break up the soil structure and so improve the rate at which rainfall
infiltrates the soil.

Erosion Prevention- On the vast flood plains of the Indian subcontinent, floods which
formerly occurred once every ten years now come every year. The 15 million people living on
the densely-rivered delta of Bangladesh will face worse flooding in the future because sediment
from floods is filling the river basins and thus extending the spread of future flooding.

Much of the increased flooding in lowland areas has been attributed to the continued felling of
the Himalayan forest-the rhododendron forests in the Himalayas are expected to disappear
within 30 years. Though far from Bangladesh, it is in this mountainous region that the rivers rise
which eventually flow down to the plains of the Indian subcontinent. The destruction of forests
upstream affects the flow of these rivers and the amount of sediment they carry, and therefore
increases the magnitude of flooding downstream.

The rate at which soil erosion occurs depends critically on the land's vegetative cover. Remove
it, and the soil begins to crumble: bare soil offers no protection against the ravages of wind and
rain. The ground cover and litter layer beneath the forest canopy are perhaps the best
protection there is against erosion, and are even more important than trees themselves in
preventing erosion. Erosion beneath teak plantations in Trinidad, for example, was traced to a
lack of understorey vegetation and surface litter.

Studies have shown that the more closely an agricultural system resembles a natural forest in
its canopy structure, tree spacing and ground cover, the less chance there is of soil erosion.
Traditional agroforestry techniques, which provide natural cover, have been used for centuries
to produce food without causing long-term damage to the environment.\

In coastal areas, trees planted as salt breaks can allow cropping nearer to the sea. Such salt
breaks also offer protection against wave damage during storms, and reduce the chances of
flooding and physical damage to inland areas from tide surges.

Climate Moderation/Carbon Storage- Trees also exert a substantial influence on

both local microclimates and, possibly, on global climate. Trees affect temperature, humidity,
moisture availability and light conditions in their immediate vicinity. The success of many
agroforestry systems depends in part on the trees' capacity to moderate soil and air
temperatures, and to increase relative humidity-two factors important for improved crop growth.

Recent research also suggests that forests may have an effect on climate through their
influence on rainfall patterns, surface reflectivity and other meteorological variables. One reason
is the change in the way sunlight is reflected from the earth's surface when forests are
destroyed. In a living forest, sunlight is absorbed by leaves, branches and tree trunks. When the
forest is destroyed, reflectivity is increased, and the land absorbs less heat. Atmospheric
circulation and rainfall patterns are then significantly altered. Furthermore, in deforested areas,
much less solar energy is used to evaporate moisture from the leaves of plants and trees. This
leads to further climatic changes, and tends to increase temperatures during the day time and
lower those at night.

Forests are also an important cog in the carbon cycle. Forests that are cut down and burned
release their carbon into the atmosphere, adding to the concentration of atmospheric carbon
dioxide which is one of the major contributors to the global warming caused by the greenhouse
effect.

Living forests play the opposite role, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Large-scale
reforestation has been suggested as one important way to help reduce the expected global
warming. But afforestation would have to be carried out on a continental scale if it were to
achieve substantial reductions in quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Habitat for Animals-Various animals live in forest which help in maintaining

the ecological balance of the nature ,they are part of a cycle which help us in our
day to day living,they help in our agricultural means.If we cut forests than we are
taking away the homes of various animals

Food From Forest- Millions of households in the developing world depend on food and
fodder from forests to supplement their own and their livestock's diets. Although forest foods do
not usually provide a complete diet, they do make a critical contribution to the food supply.
Forest foods increase the nutritional quality of rural diets; supplement other sources of food
-particularly agricultural crops that are only seasonally available; and are used as emergency
food supplies during drought, famine and war.

Forest foods are nutritionally important and are traditionally used as supplements to the staple
diet. Leafy vegetables and wild animals add diversity, flavour, vitamins and minerals to
characteristically grain-dominated diets. Forest foods are often collected and stored for later
use. Forest foods can thus raise rural peoples' nutritional intake by providing a year-round
supply of food.

Facts And Figures

World Land Use:

Cropland 11%
 Range and Pasture: 26%

Other: 33%

Forests: 30%

Rates of Deforestation:

Africa 8%

Latin America 1%

Asia 1.2%

North America and Europe: .3 - .1 %

 Half of the World’s Forest Cover is Gone since the invention of

farming

 1.7 People live in countires with critically low levels of forest

cover

 Wood consumption has tripled in 20th Century

 Commercial Logging in the Tropics has doubled since 1960

 Nearly 3 billion people depend on wood as their main source of

energy
 Economic Value

Forest Products are the third most valuable commodity after oil and
gas.
They provide:
Industrial Wood for lumber, paper and packaging

Non-Timber Forest Products

Ecotourism and Recreation

Conclusion
Despite substantial increases in food production in many countries over the past two decades,
the world is still poorly fed. Over 500 million people suffer from malnutrition; and every year
about 20 million people die of starvation and its related diseases.

In this situation, it is important that every effort be made to improve nutrition and increase food
security, particularly for the rural poor. This publication aims to afford proper recognition to the
contribution forests and trees make to the food economies of rural societies. It also outlines the
changes that need to be made within forestry institutions to enable them to make a significant
contribution to the food security of local communities.

Food security is increased not only by the presence of forests but also by the small stands of
trees found in homegardens and on farms. We use the term `cultivated trees' to describe the
latter, and reserve the term `forests' for large stands of trees situated outside the homestead or
farm, whether such forests are managed or not. Both play major, often little recognized roles in
improving food security in rural communities.

Forests and cultivated trees provide many rural dwellers with important sources of food in the
form of fruit, nuts, berries, leaves, honey and fungi-and their livestock often depend on fodder
gathered from the forest. Although forests and cultivated trees rarely provide the bulk of a
human diet, their role in food security is often critical. The wildlife that forests support are often
the source of a substantial portion of the animal protein consumed by rural people. As seasonal,
supplementary and emergency foods, the fruit, leaves, nuts, roots and oils that forests provide
are essential to many people's survival. They are a source of vitamins and nutrients, and of
herbs and spices that encourage the consumption of food.
For example, the agropastoralist Tswana are reported regularly to use 126 plant species as
food and, in Ghana, more than 100 species of wild plants have been exploited for their leaves,
and another 200 are valued for their fruits.

Parts of forest plants and trees are also used in traditional medicines. These medicines
stimulate appetite, help the body to utilize nutrients in food, and fight infection.

Tree products provide an extra source of income for the rural poor without which many families
would go hungry or become malnourished. Fuelwood and charcoal, rattan and other materials
for furniture making, tendu leaves for cigarette manufacture, gum arabic for a variety of
industrial uses, numerous oils and resins, dyes and medicines are all sold by the rural poor.
They enable millions of the poorest people in the world to earn the cash they need to avoid
starvation.

Forests and agroforestry systems also play important roles in stabilizing agriculture's resource
base