India State of Forest Report 2023
What is India State of Forest Report (ISFR)?
- This report is published every two years by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. It contains an assessment of India’s forest and tree cover.
- India State of Forest Report (ISFR) is brought out by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on a biennial basis since 1987.
- The report helps in planning and formulation of policies in forest management as well as forestry and agroforestry
- The Survey report is done in three categories-
Very dense forests- canopy density over 70%
moderately dense forests- canopy density 40-70% and
Open forests- canopy density 10-40%.
India’s forests support the livelihoods of about 17% of the global human population and 18% of the world’s total livestock.
As per Global Forest Resource Assessment (GFRA, 2020) published by FAO, India ranks amongst the top 10 countries of the world, in terms of forest area and holds 3rd position for highest annual net gain in forest cover between 2010-2020.
Key National Figures & Coverage
As per 18th survey of ISFR report 2023, India’s total forest and tree cover stands at 8, 27,357 sq. km, which accounts for 25.17% of the country’s geographical area. This reflects an increase of 1,445 sq. km since the 2021 assessment.
- Total Forest Cover: 7, 15,343 sq. km (21.76% of geographical area).
- Total Tree Cover: 1, 12,014 sq. km (3.41% of geographical area).
- Forest Canopy Categories:
- Very Dense Forest: ≥ 70% canopy density.
- Moderately Dense Forest: 40% – 70% canopy density.
- Open Forest: 10% – 40% canopy density.
Class Area (km²) Percentage of GA Forest cover 7,15,342.61 21.76% Tree cover 1,12,014.34 3.41% Total Forest & Tree cover 8,27,356.95 25.17% Scrub 43,622.64 1.33% Non Forest 24,16,489.29 73.50% Geographical Area of the country 32,87,468.88 100.00%
Top States (Area-wise)-
- Largest Forest Cover: Madhya Pradesh (77,073 sq. km) > Arunachal Pradesh > Chhattisgarh.
- Largest Forest & Tree Cover: Madhya Pradesh (85,724 sq. km) > Arunachal Pradesh > Maharashtra.
- Largest Tree Cover: Maharashtra > Rajasthan > Uttar Pradesh.
State Percentages & Trends
- Highest % of Forest Cover: Lakshadweep (91.33%) followed by Mizoram (85.34%) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (81.62%).
19 states/UTs have above 33% of the geographical area under forest cover. Out of these, eight states/UTs namely Mizoram, Lakshadweep, A & N Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur have forest cover above 75%. - Maximum Increases: Chhattisgarh (+683 sq. km), Uttar Pradesh (+559 sq. km), and Odisha (+558 sq. km).
- Largest Decrease: Madhya Pradesh (612.41 km²) followed by Karnataka (459.36 km²), Ladakh (159.26 km²), and Nagaland (125.22 km²).
- Concerning Trend: The Northeast region recorded a persistent drop in forest cover. Furthermore, there is an on-going decline in the country’s dense forests.
Mangroves & Climate Change Metrics
- Mangrove Cover: The total mangrove cover is 4,992 sq. km representing 15%of the total geographical area, with a net decrease of 7.43 km² since 2021.
Gujarat saw a decrease of 36.39 km² in mangrove cover, while Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra experienced increases of 13.01 km² and 12.39 km², respectively. - Carbon Stock: India’s total forest carbon stock is estimated at 7,285.5 million tonnes, marking an increase of 81.5 million tonnes from 2021.
Top 3: Arunachal Pradesh (1,021 Mt) followed by Madhya Pradesh (608 Mt), Chhattisgarh (505 Mt) and Maharashtra (465 Mt).
India’s carbon stock has reached 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, exceeding the 2005 base year by 2.29 billion tonnes, nearing the 2030 target of 2.5–3.0 billion tonnes.
Forest Fire
The top three states with the most fire incidents in the 2023-24 seasons are Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
About Forest Survey of India
- Established on 1st June 1981, succeeded the Pre Investment Survey of Forest Resources (PISFR), 1965. PISFR was initiated by the Government of India with the sponsorship of FAO and UNDP.
- In 1976, the National Commission on Agriculture recommended establishing a National Forest Survey Organization, leading to the creation of FSI.
- Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India is parent organisation.
- Primary Objective: To assess and monitor the forest resources of India regularly.
- FSI has headquarters at Dehradun and has pan India presence with four regional offices at Shimla, Kolkata, Nagpur and Bangalore.
Terms used with definition
- Forest area & Forest cover– Forest area denotes the legal status of the land as per the government records, whereas the term ‘forest cover’ indicates presence of trees over any landform.
- Tree cover– It refers all tree patches (<1hac.) occurring outside the recorded forest area. This covers trees in all formations including scattered trees.
- Mangrove- A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves occur worldwide in the tropics and subtropics and even some temperate coastal areas.
Read also…
INDIA STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2021