• Mohammad Abdul Mazid

Forests provide essential ecosystem services beyond carbon storage and emissions offsetting – such as health (through disease regulation), livelihoods (providing jobs and local employment), water (watershed protection, water flow regulation, and rainfall generation), food, nutrient cycling and climate security. Forest is very important renewable resources which plays a crucial role for the livelihoods of local communities. In addition, forests provide valuable ecosystem service: they maintain local climate and strongly influence global fluxes of oxygen and carbon dioxide; protect top soil, prevent soil erosion and maintain food wave. However the present study has conducted to identify the land use system in Bangladesh and to find out the forest resources of Bangladesh. The study was documentary analysis type. Data and information were collected from secondary sources. From the result it was found that In terms of forest land under forestry use, the Hill forests contribute 508, 991 ha (45.4%) followed by the Littoral Mangrove Forests and Coastal Afforestation extending over 489,872 ha (43.7%), and Plain Sal Forest account for the rest 121, 884 ha (10.9%) of the forest area. During, 1999, the forest department has reported about 2213,600 ha of legal public forest land (Figure 3) and about 270,000 ha of private land (village forest/homesteads) having varying degree of tree cover, bringing total forest land in Bangladesh to about 2,483,600 ha. From the study it was revealed that within the public forest land only about 14.6 % percent is closed forest (more than 40% crown density), 19.1 percent is open forest (10 to 40% crown density), and 11.6 percent is plantation. Sunderbans are the largest patch of forests (about 43% of the total natural forest) in Bangladesh. In 1996, Sunderbans have been surveyed to provide latest information about its forest resources. Sunderbans have been earlier inventoried in 1933 by Curtis, 1959 by Forestal, and 1985 through ODA. Sunderbans falls under biogeographic zone (SFBZ) and has three wildlife sanctuaries (East, South, and West) that extend over 23,198 ha, 20094ha, and 41,250 ha. All the three sanctuaries have three main habitat types (High mangrove forests, Low mangrove forests, and grassland and blanks. Very small area (25 ha) is under plantations. Most dominant vegetation is Sundri-Gewa in East SWS, Gew-Goran in South SWS, and Goran-Gewa in West SWS. Rosario (1997a) provides information on species and crown cover density wise coverage in the three wildlife sanctuaries. The three Sanctuaries in the Sundarban Forests contain a considerably high floral diversity. About 74 plant species of more than 53 genera have already been identified. The three wildlife sanctuaries contain almost the same composition of floral species. The slight difference in floristic composition can be attributed primarily to the difference in the levels of salinity with "East" having least, South possessing moderate and West containing maximum salinity. The number of floral species is varying inversely with salinity. The East Sanctuary contains the number (35) of plant species, followed by the South Sanctuary with 22 species and the West Sanctuary with 17 species. The more prominent tree species include the Sundri, Gewa, Keora, Goran, Singra, Garjan, Dhundal, Amur, Passur and Kankra. The extent, density, growing stock and share of important species in the forest of Bangladesh are declining day by day. So, more plants should be planted to increase the number of plant. Government should take immediate necessary steps for plantation of more plants. There is forests land in Bangladesh. Each and every year a lot of wood trees are being stolen by gang theft this stealing of trees should be stopped immediately. Master plan should be taken to improve the existing forest land situated in Bangladesh.

Forest, land use, resources, trees, Mangrove, swamp forest, Sunderbans, Afforestation, Biological diversity, Conservation of Biodiversity, Wildlife

"A Study on Forest Resources of Bangladesh", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no.586-600, May-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905C86.pdf

"A Study on Forest Resources of Bangladesh", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no. pp586-600, May-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905C86.pdf