A forest is a large area of land covered with trees or other woody vegetation.

[1] Hundreds of more

precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density,
tree height, land use, legal standing and ecological function.[2][3][4] According to the widely-
used[5][6] United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization definition, forests covered an area of four
billion hectares (15 million square miles) or approximately 30 percent of the world's land area in
2006.[4]

Forests are the dominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth, and are distributed across the
globe.[7] Forests account for 75% of the gross primary productivity of the Earth's biosphere, and
contain 80% of the Earth's plant biomass.[7]

Forests at different latitudes form distinctly different ecozones: boreal forests near the poles tend to
consist of evergreens, while tropical forests near the equator tend to be distinct from the temperate
forests at mid-latitude. The amount of precipitation and the elevation of the forest also affects forest
composition.

Human society and forests influence each other in both positive and negative ways.[8] Forests
provide ecosystem services to humans and serve as tourist attractions. Forests can also impose
costs, affect people's health, and interfere with tourist enjoyment. Human activities, including
harvesting forest resources, can negatively affect forest ecosystems.

Although forest is a term of common parlance, there is no universally recognised precise definition,
with more than 800 definitions of forest used around the world.[4] Although a forest is usually defined
by the presence of trees, under many definitions an area completely lacking trees may still be
considered a forest if it grew trees in the past, will grow trees in the future,[9] or was legally
designated as a forForests may provide a diversity of ecosystem services including recycling carbon
dioxide into oxygen, acting as a carbon sink, aiding in regulating climate, purify water, mitigating
natural hazards such as floods, and serving as a genetic reserve. Forests also serve as a source
of lumber and as recreational areas.

It is often forgotten that forests do not only provide benefits, but can also incur large and significant
costs to humans.[21][22] Forests may impose a considerable economic burden,[23][24] diminish the
enjoyment of natural areas,[25] cause a dramatic decline in the food producing capacity of grazing
land [26] and cultivated land,[27] reduce biodiversity [28][29] remove available water for humans and
wildlife,[30][31]harbour dangerous and destructive wildlife,[21][32] and act as reservoirs of human and
livestock disease.[33][34]

The management of forests is often referred to as forestry. Forest management has changed
considerably over the last few centuries, with rapid changes from the 1980s onwards culminating in
a practice now referred to as sustainable forest management. Forest ecologists concentrate on
forest patterns and processes, usually with the aim of elucidating cause-and-effect relationships.
Foresters who practicesustainable forest management focus on the integration of ecological, social,
and economic values, often in consultation with local communities and other stakeholders.

est regardless of vegetation type.[1

RESERVED FOREST
reserve forest or a reserved forest is a specific term for designating forests and other natural areas
which enjoy judicial and / or constitutional protection under the legal systems of many countries. The
term forest reserve may also be used in some contexts in these countries.

The term reserved forest was used to designate protected forest areas in British India, under
the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The same term is used today in
Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to refer to forests accorded a special degree of
protection.

In Australia, the term "forest reserve" is used to denote forests accorded certain degrees of
protection; all activities like hunting and grazing are banned unless specific orders are issued by the
government.
A nature reserve (natural reserve, bioreserve, (natural/nature) preserve or (national/nature)
conserve) is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or
other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservationand to provide special
opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in
some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions, regardless of
nationality. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection
afforded by local laws. Land rights to forests declared to be Reserved forests or Protected forests
are typically acquired (if not already owned) and owned by the Government of India. Similar to
[national parks of India] or [wildlife sanctuaries of India], reserved forests and protected forests are
declared by the respective [Government of India State and local governments state governments].
As of present, reserved forests and protected forests differ in one important way: Rights to all
activities like hunting, grazing, etc. in reserved forests are banned unless specific orders are issued
otherwise. In protected areas, rights to activities like hunting and grazing are sometimes given to
communities living on the fringes of the forest, who sustain their livelihood partially or wholly from
forest resources or products. The first reserve forest in India was Satpura National Park.

PROTECTED FOREST

A protected forest is a forest with some amount of legal or constitutional protection, or where the
habitat and resident species are legally accorded protection from further depletion.

Protected forests of India were introduced in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 in British India and were
retained after Indian independence. The 17% if forests that are not included in the categories of
reserved or protected forests, are called unclassified forests.
Cambodia also has protected forests. Protected forests are of two kinds - demarcated protected
forests and undemarcated protected forests, based on whether the limits of the forest have been
specified by a formal notification.

Typically, reserved forests are often upgraded to the status of wildlife sanctuaries, which in turn may
be upgraded to the status of national parks, with each category receiving a higher degree of
protection and government funding. For example, Sariska National Park was declared a reserved
forest in 1955, upgraded to the status of a wildlife sanctuary in 1958, becoming a Tiger Reserve in
1978. Sariska became a national park in 1992, though primary notification to declare it as a national
park was issued as early as 1982.[1]