Question

Why are forest affected by wars.


I need long answer for this question...

Answer 1

In India forest department cut trees freely to meet British war needs.
In Java just before the Japanese occupied the region, the Dutch followed Scorched Earth Policy, destroying sawmills and burning huge piles of gaint teak logs so that they would not fall into Japanese hands.
The Japanese then exploited the forests recklessly for their own war industries, forcing forest villagers to cut down forests.
Many villagers used this opportunity to expand cultivation in the forest. After the war, it was difficult for the Indonesian forest service to get this land back.
In India people's need for agricultural land has brought them into conflict with the forest department's desire to control the land and exclude people from it.

Answer 2

Forests are affected by wars because forest products are used for fulfilling various needs and requirement during war. In the case of India. during the First World War and the Second World War the forestdepartment' cut trees freely to meet British war needs.

Wars affected the forests in following ways:

(i) Demand of wood increases to meet the needs of war and more deforestation takes place.
(ii) During war, large areas of forests come under fire which led to clearing of forests.
(iii) At the time of war, Governments themselves put the large catches of wood and cutting machines on fire so that these resources must not go in the hands of enemy. It is known as the policy of ‘Scatcherd Earth’. Dutch rulers followed the same policy in Indonesia. They wanted to stop their forest resources to go into the hands of Japan.