Conservation of Forests

• Prevention of further depletion of forests is called conservation of forests. Few measures that could be followed to conserve our forests are:

1. Afforestation
2. Planned cultivation
3. Prevent illegal logging
4. Prevent overgrazing
5. Protection from forest fires

Afforestation:

• People living near forest areas should be made aware of the damages caused by felling of trees.
• They should be encouraged to cut branches, twigs, and leaves of the trees to meet their everyday requirements instead of chopping down the full-grown trees.
• Government and communities should take steps to plant trees on a large scale.
• Trees that will meet the basic requirements of fuel wood, fodder, and timber should be planted instead of felling the existing ones.

Planned cultivation:

• People should be made aware that a forest should not be cleared of all its trees and converted to an agricultural land, as this can lead to soil erosion.

Prevent illegal logging:

• Illegal logging has led to the decrease of a lot of trees over the years.
• The Indian government has laid out rules to prevent illegal logging by making it punishable under law.

Prevent overgrazing:

• Provision of sufficient pasture should be made, especially in areas adjoining forests", to prevent overgrazing and trampling of growing plants by cattle.
• Stall-feeding of the cattle should be encouraged.

Protection from forest fires:

• Forest fires can occur as a result of careless human activities, such as debris burning and campfires, and lightning.
• These might cause damage to nearby housing and agricultural land.

Forest fire

• Forest fires are considered beneficial for plants but they might have devastating effects on the animal life and people living nearby.
• These forest fires can be prevented by being careful in burning debris.
• Fire retardants and water bombs are also used to prevent forest fires.