The forest plays an important role in human life. It has long been a place where people found food, materials for construction, medicinal raw materials. Over time, forest lands acquired an ever wider economic importance. The problem of preserving forests and associated resources has arisen.
The attitude of civilization to the forest at all times was determined by the needs of mankind for resources. At the first stages of the formation of society, forest resources seemed limitless. Here people hunted wild animals, providing themselves and their relatives with food. Trees became a source of fuel and provided valuable material for the construction of houses and outbuildings. In the forest, a person could find mushrooms, berries, medicinal plants.
At a certain stage of development, man moved from gathering and hunting to farming. This required extensive land. Under the pressure of civilization, which needed fertile soils, the forest began to retreat. Huge areas of it were cut down, in place of forests, agricultural land, arable land, and places for cattle grazing appeared.
The extermination of forest vegetation was directly related to the increased demand for wood. The forest has become a very valuable economic resource. Residential and commercial buildings, technical objects, for example, bridges and fortress walls, were built from different types of wood. A lot of trees were used to build ships. Even today, wood is still widely used as a relatively cheap fuel, especially in rural areas.
Active economic activity, which led to the destruction of entire forest tracts, made people think about taking measures to restore forest resources. For example, in Germany, already by the 18th century, a requirement was introduced to grow forest on the site of felled plantations. The timber merchants, on pain of serious fines, were forced to take measures for the rational use of the resources available in the forests.
One of the common misconceptions in society is that the forest expanses on the planet are endless. However, this is far from the truth. The areas occupied by forest vegetation have now been severely depleted. This is not least due to the fact that forestry is aimed at generating short-term economic benefits. Irrational use of forest resources leads to a decrease in the environment-forming, protective and aesthetic properties of the forest.
The legal grounds for the use of forests and forest resources in Russia are set out in the Forest Code of the Russian Federation. It also reflects the areas of activity that are permitted by law. These include logging, timber processing, collection of food resources and medicinal plants, hunting and hunting. To conduct such activities, industrial and commercial enterprises can be created.
Considering forests as an object of use, the state seeks to limit or completely exclude the conduct of economic activity in certain areas of the green zone. The commercial and industrial use of the forest is placed under the control of the state structures in charge of forestry. Forest management is based on the principles of sustainable development and renewal of the forest fund.
