Central idea: From 19.53% in the early 1980s, today India’s total green cover stands at 24.62% ‘on-paper’.

Defining Forest and Tree Cover

• The Forest Survey of India (FSI) publishes its biennial State of Forest reports in 1987.
• A/c to FSI, India counts all plots of 1 hectare or above, with at least 10% tree canopy density, irrespective of land use or ownership, within forest cover.
• This disregards the United Nation’s benchmark that does not include areas predominantly under agricultural and urban land use in forests.

How are forests categorized?

The Forest Survey of India has listed four categories of forests. They are:

1. Very Dense Forest (with tree canopy density of 70 per cent or above) (added since 2003)
2. Moderately Dense Forest (tree canopy density of 40 per cent or above but less than 70 per cent)
3. Open Forest (tree canopy density of 10 per cent or above but less than 40 per cent)
4. Scrub (tree canopy density less than 10 per cent)

New category:  NOT a forest (isolated or small patches of trees — less than 1 hectare)

Satellite imagery used for precision

• Until the mid-1980s (SFR 1987), the forest cover was estimated through satellite images at a 1:1 million scale.
• The resolution then improved to 1:250,000, reducing the minimum mappable unit size from 400 to 25 hectares.
• Since 19.53% in the early 1980s, India’s forest cover has increased to 21.71% in 2021.
• By 2001, the scale improved to 1:50,000, bringing down the unit size to 1 hectare, and interpretation went fully digital.

Accounting losses in forest cover

• Satellite imagery shows decline: The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) estimated declines in India’s forest cover using satellite imagery.
• Official account on deforestation: While reliable data on encroachment is unavailable, government records show that 42,380 sq. km — nearly the size of Haryana— of forest land was diverted for non-forest use between 1951 and 1980.
• Reconciled data: The NRSA and the newly established FSI “reconciled” India’s forest cover at 19.53% in 1987. The FSI did not contest the NRSA finding that the dense forest cover had fallen from 14.12% in the mid-1970s to 10.96% in 1981, and reconciled it to 10.88% in 1987.

What about Total Recorded Forests?

Ans. Lost some areas due to encroachment, diversion, forest fire etc.

• In India, land recorded as forest in revenue records or proclaimed as forest under a forest law is described as Recorded Forest Area.
• These areas were recorded as forests at some point due to the presence of forests on the land.
• Divided into Reserved, Protected and Unclassed forests, Recorded Forest Areas account for 23.58% of India.

One-third forest lost!

• Almost one-third of India’s old natural forests — over 2.44 lakh sq. km (larger than Uttar Pradesh) or 7.43% of India are lost.
• Even after extensive plantation by the forest department since the 1990s, dense forests within Recorded Forest Areas added up to cover only 9.96% of India in 2021.
• That is a one-tenth slide since the FSI recorded 10.88% dense forest in 1987.

Then why is there a net increase in India’s forest cover?

• Plantations disguise as forest: The loss remains invisible due to the inclusion of commercial plantations, orchards, village homesteads, urban housings etc. as dense forests outside Recorded Forest Areas. Natural forests do not grow so fast.
• Plantation data unavailable: The FSI provides no specific information on the share of plantations in the remaining dense forests inside Recorded Forest Areas.

Why are plantations not an alternative to forests?

Plantations can grow a lot more and faster than old natural forests. This also means that plantations can achieve additional carbon targets faster. However they are cannot be accounted as forests because-

• Lack of biodiversity: Natural forests have evolved naturally to be diverse and, therefore, support a lot more biodiversity. Simply put, it has many different plants to sustain numerous species.
• Non-sustainable: Plantation forests have trees of the same age, are more susceptible to fire, pests and epidemics, and often act as a barrier to natural forest regeneration.
• Low carbon capacity: Natural forests are old and therefore stock a lot more carbon in their body and in the soil.

How accurate are these estimations?

• The FSI compares some interpreted data with the corresponding reference data collected from the ground under the National Forest Inventory (NFI) programme.
• In 2021, it claimed to have established an overall accuracy of 95.79% in identifying forests from non-forests.
• However, given the limited resources, the exercise was limited to less than 6,000 sample points.

What led to such decline in forest cover?

• Agricultural expansion
• Infrastructure development
• Mining and industrial activities
• Illegal logging (for timber)
• Climate change and natural disasters

Way forward

• Aggressive conservation policies and programs: The government needs to strengthen forest conservation policies and programs to promote the sustainable use and management of forests and trees.
• Community participation and empowerment: Engaging local communities in forest conservation and management can promote sustainable practices and enhance their livelihoods.
• Sustainable forest management practices: Promoting sustainable forest management practices like agroforestry, silvopasture, and mixed-use landscapes can enhance the productivity and resilience of forests.
• Use of technology for monitoring and enforcement: Leveraging technology like remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and blockchain can improve the monitoring and enforcement of forest conservation policies and programs.
• Involving individuals and communities: They play a crucial role in protecting forests and trees by adopting sustainable practices, supporting forest conservation initiatives, and raising awareness about the importance of forests for the environment and people.

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