Write a note on how forests influence the quality of our air, soil and water resources.

Forests cover one-third of all land on the Earth. Forests help conserve and enrich the environment in several ways.

For example- forest soil absorbs up huge amounts of rainfall. It prevents the rapid runoff of water that can result in soil erosion and flooding. In addition, rain is filtered as it passes through the soil and becomes ground water. This ground water flows through the ground and provides a clean, fresh source of water for streams, lakes, and wells.

Forest plants, like all green plants, help renew the atmosphere. As the trees and other green plants make food, they give off oxygen. They also remove carbon dioxide from the air. People and nearly all other living things require oxygen. If green plants did not continuously renew the oxygen supply, almost all life would soon stop. If carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, it could severely alter the earth's climate.

Forests also provide a home for many plants and animals that can live nowhere else. Without the forest, many kinds of wildlife could not exist.