Question

Discuss national forest policy of post independence india 250 word

Answer 1

Answer:

The following are the objectives of National Forest Policy (1952):

(a) The need for evolving a system of balanced and complementary land- use under which each type of land is allotted to that form of use under which it would produce most and deteriorate least;

(b) The need for checking

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(i) Denudation in mountainous regions, on which depends the perennial water supply of the river system whose basins constitute the fertile core of the country.

(ii) The erosion progressing space along the treeless banks of the great rivers leading to ravine formation, and on vast stretches of undulating wastelands depriving the adjoining fields of their fertility;

(c) The need for establishing tree-lands, wherever possible, for the amelioration of physical and climatic conditions promoting the general well­being of the people;

(d) The need for ensuring progressively increasing supplies of grazing, small wood for agricultural implements, and in particular of firewood to release the cattle dung for manure to step up food production;

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(e) The need for sustained supply of timber and other forest produce required for defence, communications and industry.

(2) Land Use and Erosion:

The correct solution of the land problem is to evolve a system of balanced and complementary land use under which each type of land is allotted to that form of use under which it would produce most and deteriorate least. A detailed survey of lands with a view to their proper utilization is, therefore, highly desirable.

The progressive denudation of hill sides with serious repercussions on the fertility of the land, and the growing erosion along the banks of rivers, of which the Yamuna, the Chambal, the Mahi, the Narmada, the Kosi, and the Damodar are notorious examples, constitute the major considerations demanding immediate attention.

(3) Classification of Forests:

(a) Protection Forests:

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‘Protection forests’ denote forests found, or required, on hill slopes, river banks, sea-shores, or other erodible localities. In such sites the need for forest cover is dictated by purely protective physical considerations, such as prevention of erosion, conservation of moisture, and control of rushing torrents and floods.

The role of such forests in saving the soil from being washed away, and when maintained in catchment areas, in the prevention of floods and maintenance of stream-flow, cannot be over-emphasised. On flat country with loose sandy soil, especially under dry conditions, forests, whether natural or artificial, perform an essential function in minimising wind erosion, fixing the soil and preventing the formation of sand dunes, and mitigating the desiccation of agricultural crops leeward of the free cover.

The National Forest Policy requires, therefore, an immediate and speedy programme for the reconditioning of the mountainous regions, river valleys, and coastal lands by establishing protective forests over larger areas, and preserving the existing ones.

The primary object of management of such forests should be to utilise in full their protective influence on the soil, the water regime, and the physical and climatic factors of the locality; and the interests to be thus protected should far outweigh those which it may be necessary to restrict. The scientific management of such ‘protection forests,’ wherever possible, should include the production and exploitation of timber within the limits of safety.

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(b) National Forests:

‘National forests’ constitute the basis of India’s strength and wealth, for they comprise valuable timber bearing regions, the producer of which is indispensable for defence, communications and vital industries. They have to be managed chiefly in the interest of the nation as a whole, and their organization and development is one of the most important function of the States.

Their management on scientific and commercial lines is essential for maintaining a sustained supply of wood for industry and of large timbers for defence, communications and other national purposes. The basic policy, so far as such forests are concerned, must be to attain national self- sufficiency in these vital supplies.

Future development should, therefore, be directed to that end. Cultivation should not be permitted to encroach upon these valuable timber bearing tracts. The solution of the food problem of an ever increasing population must be sought primarily in intensive cultivation and not in weakening the very basis of national existence by encroaching upon such forests.