Trees are our best friends. Trees give us food and shelter. Forests play a vital role in our economic development. Forests exert much influence upon the climatic condition of a country. So our forests and trees are deeply. interlinked with overall development of our country. They save the top soil from erosion. They also make our land fertile. They are, infact, part and parcel of our life. Bangladesh is a lower riparian country. Lands in the upper valley of a river are more suitable for the growth and development of forests. As a result, we are not blessed with rich forest resources. Still we have got some notable forest areas like Bhawal, Madhupur, Chittagong Hill Tracts and the famous Sundarbans. These forest areas are abundant with Sundari, Garan, Ghewa, Kaora, etc. Trees give us various kinds of delicious and sweet fruits and these fruits also, to some extent, satisfy our requirement for food. Fruits also provide us with vitamins. Fruit trees like mango, jack-fruit, coconut, black-berry, guava etc supply us with delicious and juicy fruits. Trees are the factories of oxygen. Trees supply oxygen for our survival. They inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen which helps human beings and other animals to survive in this world. There is an ample scope for afforestation and plantation in our country. Coastal areas and low-lying areas can be brought under the scheme of afforestation with special type of trees suited to the soil. Shady trees, wood trees and fruit trees should be planted by the side of roads, railways and highways. Trees may be planted round the banks of ponds, canals, lakes and big 'dighis'.
The months of June and July are the proper time for planting trees. "Tree-plantation week" should be observed more effectively so that awareness about trees and about the utility of tree plantation can be raised. Illiterate people of the villages do not know the utility and importance of trees and forests. Motivation in this case may be a fruitful attempt. A country should have, at least, 25% forest area of the total land. But we have only 9% forest area of total land.. If we can not increase our forest area, we shall not be able to maintain our ecological balance. The amount of carbon-dioxide will increase. So we should make all out efforts for afforestation to prevent desertation and ensure a healthy environment.
