Forests are the nature’s gift on which depend the survival of all life species including homosapie These should, therefore, be protected at all cost, national goal to keep a minimum of one-third g graphical area of the country under forest (25% plains and 60% in hilly areas) must be obtained taking certain harsh decisions like ban on the encroachment of forest land, restrictions on grazin jhuming and indiscriminate cutting of trees a banning felling of trees in ecologically seniti areas.
A survey of degraded forest areas should make and a comprehensive inventory should prepare to take effective short term measures their reforestation and regeneration.
A massive afforestation programme with particular emphasis on fuel-wood, fodder and small wood should be launched to cover up all degrade and denuded lands including along the roads, railway lines canals, rivers, and lakes etc. Green belts should also be raised around the urban and industrial areas and places of historical, cultural and tourist importance. Community and gram sab ha lands, usars and waste lands, embankments of ponds and tanks and fields should be utilised in tree planting. Villagers should be given loans and incentives to revive old groves and orchards etc whose transfer to agricultural lands should be banned even with strict provision of dispossession.
The rights and concessions like grazing, collecting fuel wood, small wood and fodder from forests by the local people and tribals should not be allowed to exceed the carrying capacity of the forests. Efforts should be made to popularise alternatives for fuel wood and wood based products.
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Development projects including mining and industrial activities should be so planned to cause minimum damage to forest environment. Mining contracts should have an obligatory clause of reforestation when the process of mining is completed. Industries should adopt anti pollution devices and must develop and compensate the forest loss by new plantation.
Tribals and local people should be directly involved in the protection, regeneration and management of forests through co-operatives. The development of forest village at par with model village may be encouraged in tribal dominated areas. Shifting cultivation should be gradually replaced by modern methods of farming.
Scientific measures should be adopted to check and contain forest fires. The current practice of burning the undergrowth’s should be avoided and fire tenders should be stationed in forest areas to control accidental fires.
No new license to forest based industry should be granted unless it is cleared by the Department of Forest and Environment and has assured supply of raw material. Such industries may be allotted degraded waste lands to raise forests for their utilisation. Local people with priority to tribal’s should be preferred in the employment of such industries. Industries should be encouraged to seek alternatives for forest based raw materials.
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Forestry should be recognised both as a scientific discipline as well as profession. Agricultural universities should devise forestry based courses leading to post-graduate and research degrees in forest conservation and management. They should start separate diploma and training courses for forest personnel’s. General public through mass media should be awakened about the benefits of silviculture. New scientific techniques should not only be utilised in forestation but efforts should be made to augment forest productivity and optimum utilisation of forest products.
There is a need to change our entire outlook towards the forests. These should not be treated as perennial resource and a source of revenue only. Planting and protection of trees should be regarded as the sacred duty of the individual. It should be made profitable enterprise through soft loans, grants and subsidies. Supply of wood and forest products to urban-industrial consumers should be at prices remunerative to tree growers. Shortage of funds in no way should impede the forest development.