Bangladesh is a land of natural beauty, of gorgeous colors, wet sounds and green verdure.
Much of this beauty is contributed by numerous trees of different sizes. They not only add beauty and charm to the land but also make a great source of wealth to the country.
Much of this beauty is contributed by numerous trees of different sizes. They not only add beauty and charm to the land but also make a great source of wealth to the country.
In Bangladesh there are some trees which give us fruits and edible vegetables, oil etc. Some of them are used also as fuel and for making furniture. But there are also other trees which do not give any edible thing but are of great importance. They are used exclusively as raw materials for different industries, fuel and for making of furniture, house-building, sports-goods.
Among the trees which give us fruits, the coconuts, the mango, the jack-fruit, the palm, the date and the banana trees are notable.
The mango is the best fruit tree available in our country. There are several varieties of mangoes, such as 'Langra', 'Fazli' 'Mohanbhog' 'Goplbhog' etc. Mangoes grow everywhere in Bangladesh but the best kind of mangoes grows in the districts of Rajsahi Dinajpur and Bogora. The jack-fruit is also a delicious fruit. It grows in all the districts of the country. A banana tree is a delicate fruit tree. The banana is a nutritious fruit grown in all the districts of the country. But the bananas of the Munshiganj sub-division in the district of Decca are the most famous. The coconut tree is another common fruit tree in Bangladesh. People are fond of green coconut. The coconut trees grow in abundance in the districts of Noakhali, Barisal and Khulna.
Among other fruit trees we may mention the name of black berries, lichis, batabis, etc.
There are other trees which do not give us fruits but are used as raw materials for different industries and also for making furniture, houses, sports-goods, etc. Chapalish, telsur, jarul, gamhar, garjan are notable trees. These tress attain great heights ranging form 100 to 200 feet. These trees grow in abundance in the districts of Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet. They are used for making furnuturee. The 'Sal' is the most useful tree found in Bangladesh. It is used mainly for making furniture. Its bark contains high parentage of tannin and are used by the tanneries in Bangladesh. It grows mainly in the forests of Dacca and Mymensingh. Sundari and gewa are the chief trees grown in the Sundarban forests. Other important trees grown in this area are passar, dandul, Keora baen and goran. Teak plantation was also started at Kaptai in 1871 and in 1940 and about 3,000 acres were under teak plantation. Mahogany plantation is also carried on. Bamboo crows largely in the districts of Sylhet and Chittagong. It is used for making chair, baskets, ladders, fishing rods and rods of umbrella.
Trees are of great importance to the country. Trees not only add to the natural beauty of the country but also supply materials for thatched houses, fuels, and raw materials for small scale and cottage industries, such as basket-making, cane-industry, rope making, furniture making, wooden implements and apparatus of many kinds. They also supply raw materials for big industries like those of paper, plywood, timber, matches, railway slippers, birdges, etc. Trees check the run off, binds the soils and protects the land from erosion. Thus the trees are a source of a country's income, food, industries, medicine and materials. They are indispensable for her prosperity and happiness.
We should protect the existing trees and grow more trees. Valuable trees should be planted in different suitable places. The practice of Jhuming agriculture by cutting and burning tree in Chittagong Hill Tracts should be given up. Scientific method of tree plantations should be introduced. The government should take a scheme to plant trees by the railway lines, on the river sides, the river banks and the village boundaries. Tree plantation Weeks should be more vigorously and effectively observed to arouse tree consciousness among the masses.
