Question

What steps have been taken up to conserve forests?

Answer 1

Following steps have been taken up to conserve forests:

1. Social forestry: Social forestry means the management and protection of forest and afforestation on barren lands with the purpose of helping in the environmental, social, and rural
development. The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) has classified social forestry into three categories.

• Urban forestry: Urban forestry pertains to the raising and management of trees on public and privately owned lands in and around urban centres such as green belts, parks, roadside avenues, industrial and commercial green belts, etc.
• Rural forestry: Rural forestry lays emphasis on the promotion of agro-forestry and community-forestry.
• Farm forestry: Agroforestry is the raising of trees and agriculture crops on the same land inclusive of the waste patches. It combines forestry with agriculture, thus, altering the simultaneous production of food, fodder, fuel, timber, and fruit.

2. Community forestry: Community forestry involves the raising of trees on public or community land such as the village pasture and temple land, roadside, canal bank, strips along railway lines, and schools, etc. The community forestry programme aims at providing benefits to the community as a whole.

3. Farm forestry: Farm forestry is a term applied to the process under which farmers grow trees for commercial and non-commercial purposes on their farms, lands. Forest departments of various states distribute seedlings of trees free of cost to small and medium farmers.