Think of the word ‘Forest’, and an image comes to mind. Of ‘Trees.’ Plenty of them!
Needless to say, that’s exactly what a forest is. A place that is forever magical to children. One that both seems to invite them in, and leave them with a feeling of trepidation.
After all, who knows what might be lurking in the confines of that forest?
With this article, we propose to shed a new light on ‘What is a Forest.’ Indeed, one that helps you uncover things that you erstwhile didn’t know, about those exotic realms. Whether it’s learning about the Different Types of Forests, or even discussing the Benefits of Forests, we have plenty of forest-related information for you here, and more!
Are you ready to emulate the great Indiana Jones? Time to get that Explorer’s hat on, before we embark on a Virtual Safari that will take you deep into that Forest.
A Forest that was till now largely Unexplored!
All about Forests: What the term ‘Forest’ really means
The one thing that you must know when looking to answer the question ‘What is a Forest’, is the following: It is more than a mere ‘collection of trees’!
Yes, there’s so much more to forests, than merely that ‘canopy of trees’ that one might see in picture books, or even in movies in those overhead helicopter scenes.
So, what else does a forest hold in its environs? Apart from trees, of course!
The answer is not all that clear-cut. Depending on the type of forest it is, there might be rivers that are suitable for swimming, or even some beautiful flowers. When people talk about finding the time to ‘smell the flowers’, they might just have these forests in mind!
Simply speaking, all the things that make up a forest, refer to its Ecosystem. This refers to all the Plants, Insects and Animals that can be found on the Earth’s surface, a significant number of them in Forests.
All about Forests: Different Types of Forests
As we touched upon in the preceding section, there are different ‘types’ of forests. There are basically 3 kinds of forests that can be found across the world.
The Evergreen Forest
The name pretty much says it all! These are forests that are ‘green’, 365 days of the year. The following are the characteristics common to Evergreen Forests.
- They are generally found in areas that are subject to more than 200 cm of rainfall. Also, the temperatures in these forests are in the range of 15 to 30 degrees Celsius.
- The trees here have ‘broad’ leaves that have specially evolved to release excess water through the process of Transpiration.
- Some places in India where Evergreen Forests are: The Western Ghats in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The Deciduous Forest
The trees in these forests are different from their ‘evergreen counterparts’, in that they shed their foliage at season’s end.
Deciduous Forests are further known for the following characteristics:
- These forests are actually well-equipped to deal with temperature extremes. Yes they lose their leaves in winter, but that’s no problem. With the advent of warmer weather, they are back to doing what they do best – growing, of course!
- The Soil of those deciduous forests, is laced with Minerals.
The Coniferous Forest
As the name suggests, these are trees that bear ‘cones’. Coniferous Forests have the following characteristics:
- They are primarily found in the Northern Hemisphere.
- In places where the summers are savagely hot and winters extremely cold, Coniferous Forests thrive, seeming to say, ’Bring it on!’
Benefits of Forests
What is the importance of Forests? There are plenty of benefits of forests, the most important of which are the following.
- They are like the ‘World’s Lungs’
- They help prevent Global Warming
- It helps protect the Soil
- It’s home to several species
All that Oxygen in the air required for us to breathe, is produced by the trees in forests.
Additionally, the trees also absorb that excess Carbon Dioxide from the air. Carbon dioxide is a gas that is the prime culprit where it comes to Global Warming, so our planet is far better off with lesser of it!
Soil is one of the Earth’s most valuable resources. If you’re looking to answer the question ‘What is the Importance of Forests’, this one might well be your first answer. Blocking a ll that Water and Wind, Forests help effectively prevent the Erosion of Soil.
More than a whopping 80 percent of the entire species of Plants, Animals and Insects, are found in Forests. Let us not forget, that human beings are not the only creatures on Planet Earth!
Interesting Facts about Forests
Are you secretly planning your next Forest vacation? Okay perhaps not already! Presenting some Interesting Facts about Forests, that are sure to get you even more excited about learning more about those tree-infested areas!
- They are being chopped down recklessly. Forests earlier covered half the world’s land. However, the reckless cutting down of forests to create cities, has resulted in ensuring only 30 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in forests.
- More than half the entire forest area on Earth, is in five countries. These are: China, The USA, Brazil, Russia and Canada.
- Forests are home to more Herbivorous animals than Carnivorous ones.
- Trees in forests actually ‘communicate’ with each other. They do this, through the extensive system of ‘fungi’ that is on the floor of the forest.
- Rainforests are incredibly dense. What this implies is, a single raindrop falling on a rainforest, can take 10 minutes to touch the ground!
- Forests can actually create Rain. It’s true, the trees extract so much water from the soil and pump it into the atmosphere, that it leads to the creation of rain.
At EuroKids, we are all for the Conservation of Forests. We believe children must learn more about Forests. That will help drill into their minds how important they are for the well- being of not only our planet, but for us, too.
