In pre-historic days, the forests extended over the entire country. The original inhabitants mostly lived as denizens of the forest. With the practice of agriculture, came shifting cultivation and gradual destruction of forests for farming and pasture. Later on, greed, and a growing population led to progressive shrinkage of our forest cover and to inevitable consequences in the form of erosion, floods and drought. In addition to making an attempt to trace the history of our forests, this book analyses the human interference leading to the highly degraded status of the same today and suggests measures for its eco-restoration.
C.K. Karunakaran, an Indian Forest Service Officer, retired as Chief Conservator of Forests. He has written 16 books on forestry and allied subjects.