Why are forests affected by wars?

The First World War and the Second World War had a major impact on forests. In India, working plans were abandoned at this time, and the forest department cut trees freely to meet British war needs. The British needed to strengthen their Navy, and timber was essential for building warships and other naval vessels. In Java, just before the Japanese occupied the region, the Dutch followed ‘a scorched earth’ policy, destroying sawmills, and burning huge piles of giant teak logs so that they would not fall into Japanese hands. The Japanese then exploited the forests recklessly for their own war industries, forcing forest villagers to cut down forests. Many villagers used this opportunity to expand cultivation in the forest. Therefore, the exigencies of war led to increased timber extraction and deforestation in India during wars. The need for resources to support military efforts had a lasting impact on the Indian subcontinent’s forests.