forest is our life

most importantForests have been at the center of human development since the beginning as a natural resource and that is why human life cannot be imagined without forests. However, seeing the way deforestation is being done without thinking for the last few years, the fact cannot be denied that soon we can see its dire consequences. On 28 November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to observe 21 March every year as the International Day of Forests. The purpose of celebrating this day is to raise awareness about forest conservation. Since 2012, every year the annual event sets a theme or theme to prevent deforestation and raise awareness in the form of a tree plantation drive. In the year 2020, the theme of this day was Forest and Biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to the variety of living organisms found on the earth. Biodiversity is the number and types of flora and fauna found in a certain geographical area. Last year the theme of World Forest Day 2022 was ‘Forests and sustainable production and consumption’. This time the theme of World Forest Day 2023 is Forest and Health. Recently, the 17th India Forest Status Report-2021 has been released by the Forest Survey of India, an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The total forest and tree cover area of ​​the country is 80.9 million hectares which is 24.62 percent of the total geographical area of ​​the country. Compared to the assessment of the year 2019, an increase of 2,261 sq km has been registered in the total forest and tree cover of the country. It has 1,540 sq km of forest area and 721 sq km of tree cover. Andhra Pradesh has contributed maximum 647 sq km in this new increase. According to the report of 2021, at present the total area covered by forests and trees in the country is about 8,09,537 square km, which is 24.62 percent of the total area. While according to the last 2019 report, the total area covered by forests and trees in the country is about 8,07,276 sq km. Which was 24.56 percent of the total geographical area of ​​the country.

According to the report 2021, the forest cover area of ​​the total geographical area in the country is about 7,13,789 sq km. (21.21 percent). While according to the National Forest Policy, 1988, it is mandatory to be about one-third of the total geographical area of ​​the country. This shows that we have failed to work according to the National Forest Policy formulated in the year 1988. In this survey, all such areas larger than one hectare were recorded as forest, where more than 10 percent of the land has tree cover. The amount of poisonous gases in our environment is continuously increasing, due to this the level of pollution is increasing and people are falling prey to many dangerous diseases. In such a situation, if we plant more and more trees, then the problems of the environment can be solved to some extent. Talking about our state, we will find that the green cover has increased in Himachal. As per the India Forest Status Report-2021, there has been an increase in the high density forests of our state Himachal. Compared to the year 2019, an increase of 50 square kilometers has been registered in the forest area in 2021. According to the 2021 report, there was neither an increase nor a decrease in forests in the tribal areas of three districts of the state.

As per the previous report India State of Forest Report-2019, an increase of 334 square kilometers was recorded in Himachal in the year 2019 as compared to 2017. There was an increase in high density and medium density forests. The green cover of the state was 15100 square kilometers in 2017, which increased to 15434 square kilometers in 2019. There has been immense increase in the greenery of Himachal. To increase the greenery, 80 lakh to one crore saplings are planted every year by the Forest Department in Himachal. 28.60 percent of the total geographical area is supported to be under forest while the State Sustainable Development Goal has set a target of increasing the present forest cover to 30 percent of the geographical area. In the year 1971, the forest area in the state was spread up to 21,436 square kilometers, while according to the data of Economic Survey of Himachal released in March 2023, at present the total forested area of ​​the state is 15,443 square kilometers ie 27.74 percent. Officially, the area of ​​forests in Himachal Pradesh is 33948 square kilometers, which is 68.16% of the total geographical area of ​​the state. Nature has blessed Himachal Pradesh with unique vegetation and there is a store of many types of herbs, which are used to make different types of medicines and other products. CSIR- Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, is working on survey, collection and creation of database of economically important plant species of Western Himalayan region. Himachal Pradesh Flora Information System, Snow Forest Signs, Snow Plant Compendium etc. are some of the important databases developed by the Institute. Surveys are also conducted in different areas of Himachal Pradesh to identify the plants used by the local people for various purposes and the information collected is submitted to CSIR under the Digital Library Project.

Himachal government is doing very commendable work in this area, many new schemes have been started like Community Forest Promotion Scheme which aims to ensure participation of local communities in conservation and development of forests through tree plantation. Another new scheme Vidyarthi Van Mitra Yojana has been launched, the main objective of which is to sensitize the students about the importance of forests and their role in environmental protection and to inculcate a sense of attachment towards forests among the students. Another scheme Van Samridhi Jan Samridhi Yojana is run by the Government of Himachal Pradesh with the objective of consolidating the non-caste forest produce resources available in the state through active participation of local communities and achieving greater economic benefits by adopting good technology.
From the year 2019, a new scheme has been started in the name of a girl child, under which the Forest Department will present five saplings of selected forestry species to her parents on the birth of a girl child anywhere in the state. This will be done by the father in his private land or forest land in monsoon or winter season. From the year 2021, a new scheme “Swarnim Vatika” has been started. Under this scheme, one golden garden each will be made in all the 68 assembly constituencies of the state. People will be able to rest in these gardens and along with this, people can be made aware of the importance of forests and their conservation.
Earlier, our elders used to consider planting trees as a religion and also used to protect them. He also knew the importance of many species, but today this situation has completely changed. In many areas, due to some religious beliefs, trees and plants are not cut. The Himalayan regions have a valuable wealth of vegetation and need to be conserved. Now the time has come that keeping in mind the future of all future generations, we should conserve organic flora and prepare more and more species of trees and plants. Children and youth should be given identification and information about forests, herbs and herbal plants so that they can understand the importance of this valuable asset and come forward in conserving them in future.

Pratyush Sharma