Forest ecosystem is characterized by its extraordinary biodiversity. It houses approximately 80% of the world’s terrestrial species, despite covering just 31% of the Earth’s land area. This intricate web of life within forests plays a pivotal role in sequestering carbon dioxide, with forests storing approximately 80% of all terrestrial carbon.

Moreover, forests provide habitat and sustenance for countless species, including those of economic significance; approximately 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods, and forests contribute to the livelihoods of 90% of the world’s poorest people. Nevertheless, human-induced deforestation persists at an alarming rate, with an estimated 10 million hectares of forest lost annually, exacerbating climate change, eroding biodiversity, and threatening the intricate balance of life within these vital ecosystems.

Forests are extremely valuable to people. Forest wood is utilized in our homes for furniture, roof timbers, and flooring; forests retain carbon from the atmosphere and thus assist in mitigating climate change; and forests help to avoid soil erosion and control the water cycle. Forests provide a variety of vital activities, and they perform them especially successfully when the trees are diverse.

Importance of Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystem

The species of plants and animals that reside in a given area are referred to as biodiversity. The more the number and diversity of healthy, native species found in an environment, the better. A good forest gives food, shelter, and clean air and water to a varied range of creatures. Biodiversity in a forest includes everything from earthworms and bugs buried in the soil to land creatures feeding on the ground to squirrels and birds in the branches of trees. These species are known scientifically as “fauna.” Flora, a scientific word for plant species, is also included in biodiversity.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations State of the World’s Forests report, our world’s forests are home to the majority of all wildlife, including 80% of amphibian species, 75% of bird species, and 68% of mammal species. According to the report, forests cover 31% of the world’s land area.

However, not every species can coexist in the same woodlands. The type of species of trees and tree ages, topography, climate, shadow or lack of shade, water resources, and a variety of other elements can all provide a wide range of habitats. In an extreme case, organisms that thrive in a cold-weather highland pine forest would perish in a tropical rainforest. However, even within a single location, there can be a variety of kinds of forests, each of which supports a unique set of species of plants and animals. A Rayonier property in the Southeast, for example, may feature forests in the uplands with dry, sandy ground that support one grouping of plant and animal species and low-lying wetlands that support a whole different subgroup.

The Vital Role of Trees in Forest Ecosystem

Trees are essential to the forest ecosystem because they serve as a basis for the ecosystem. Here are some of the roles that trees perform in forest ecosystems:

Keeping the soil in place

Trees prevent erosion and provide a healthy habitat for plant life by having deep, robust, and broad root systems. Soils are also necessary for burrowing by ground-dwelling creatures. The ability of trees to anchor soils additionally shields water systems from the formation of sediments which happens when sandy soil and other things pollute the water.

Water supply protection

Trees, in addition to reducing erosion, act as a natural filtering mechanism as rainwater penetrates into the ground. This replenishes underground water sources such as aquifers while also allowing water to flow naturally into streams. Clean water is thus given to both aquatic and terrestrial fauna, as well as humans.

Keeping the air clean

Trees and the soils they support play a critical role in maintaining air quality. A tree absorbs excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows and photosynthesizes. This carbon is dispersed throughout the tree and the soil surrounding it. That carbon will be held and stored by the tree for the remaining time of its life. Alternatively, in the instance of trees utilized for timber, the items they produce are going to continue to store carbon.

Giving shade and shelter

Trees, as the most numerous species in the forest, offer the shade required to keep animals and plants cool and shielded from the sun. On the forest floor, shade-loving plants and fungal organisms grow. Many creatures are protected by trees, whether they remain concealed amongst themselves on the ground or live in their branches above.

Providing a food source

Many diverse animals rely on trees for sustenance. Hardwoods, such as oak trees, are known for providing mast, such as acorns. Deer and other animals enjoy eating these. Other species consume the seeds of pinecones, the leaves of smaller trees, and the fruit of fruit-producing trees. Insects will burrow into and consume rotting wood from dead trees. Woodpeckers will then eat the insects by drilling holes in the wood.

The Impact of Human Activity on Forest Ecosystem

1. Urbanization

The term “urbanization” refers to an increasing amount of people who live in cities. Urbanization has additionally led to a significant shift and imbalance in our forest ecosystem. This is due to the reason that urbanization necessitates the clearing of significant areas of forest in order to develop towns.

2. Habitat Loss

Wildlife conservation gets more difficult since their native environment is continually endangered and destroyed. The primary causes of habitat loss are water pollution and deforestation. Deforestation may provide abundant land for humans, but it evicts animals.

3. Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of trees from a forest for use in places other than the forest. Deforestation can occur when forest area is converted to farming, ranchland, or for public use and urbanization. Trees absorb greenhouse gases and release oxygen into the environment, which we utilize to breathe. Cutting down trees to improve land availability owing to population growth and the establishment of new companies has resulted in a forest ecosystem imbalance, resulting in a fall in oxygen levels.

4. Agriculture, Domesticated Animals, And Genetic Modification

As a result of the need to feed an expanding Human population, agricultural improvements have resulted in the first major Human innovation that has allowed the species to survive. Earlier agriculture enabled hunter-gatherer civilizations to inhabit a region and produce their food, which had an immediate impact on the environment by transplanting non-native species to newer places and prioritizing the growth of certain plants and animals over one other. Humans have recently undergone many genetic alterations in order to increase their lifespan and health.

The domestication process of livestock along with other species by first humans also had a substantial impact on the environment, as animal grazing led to environmental modifications by weakening native grasses and, therefore leading to soil erosion. Another major cause is the industrialization of agriculture, which has produced a later wave of counter-movements that seek to remove the detrimental effects of human interference over the last several centuries.

Bottom Line

Many people believe that forests are simply an accumulation of trees. They are, however, far more than that. They are an intricate, functional system comprised of interacting and frequently interconnected physical, biological, and chemical factors, the biological component of which has evolved to self-replicate. Because of this complexity, each location has distinctive combinations of climate, soils, trees, and plant species, resulting in hundreds of diverse forest types around the world. Naturally, trees are a crucial element for forest ecosystem research, but the broad range of other organisms and abiotic factors found in numerous forests indicates that additional components, such as plants and animals or nutrients from the soil, should also be the focal point in forest ecosystem ecological studies and management plans.

Also Read: Rise in India’s Forest Tree Cover: ISFR Report