The sum total of the various plants and animal in a place is known as Forest. To maintain the environmental balance of any area 25٪ forest of the total area is must there. According to the Bangladesh government total forest of Bangladesh is about 17٪. But it is only 10٪ according to UNESCO. According to FAO it is about 9٪.
Types of Forest in Bangladesh:
Forests of Bangladesh can be grouped into three broad categories depending on their location, nature and type of management .which is tabled below.
1. Mangrove forest
2. Tropical evergreen and semi evergreen forest
3. Tropical moist deciduous forests
4. Village forest.
Mangrove forest of Bangladesh: The Sunder ban is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The name Sunder ban can be derived literally translated as “Beautiful forest” or “beautiful jungle” in the Bengali language. The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarban in large number. The generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees. The larger part (62٪) is situated in the southwest corner of Bangladesh. The forest covers 10000 square kilometer of which about 6000 is Bangladesh.
Sundarban harbors 334 species of trees, shrubs and epiphytes and 269 species of wild animals. World renowned Royal Bengal Tiger is the magnificent animal of the Sundarban. Sundari is the most important tree species in the Sundarban which is distributed over 73٪ of the reserve. Extent of Sundari is followed by Gewa(Excoecaria agallocha), Baen(Avecinnia offcecinalis), Passur(Xylocarpur mekongensis), Keora(Sonneratia apetala) etc. There are some other non-wood forest products like Golpata(Nypa fruticans), honey, wax, fish, crab etc which are also of high value.
Tropical evergreen and semi evergreen forest: Tropical evergreen and semi evergreen forests are extended over Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong Hills tract and Shylet totaling an area of 670000 hectare which is 4.54٪ of total landmass of the country and 44٪ of national forest land.
Deciduous Forest : The central and northern districts covering an area of 120000 hector about 0.81٪ of total landmass of the country and 7.8٪ of the countries forest land are bestowed with Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests.
The important areas are Barind region, Madhupur and avowal gore etc.
Village Forest: Tree coverage in the village forest are 270000 hector which acts as the source of a remarkable portion of the national demand of forest produces. The latest inventory exhibits that atotak of 54.7 million cu m forest produces in this village forest.
