India State Of The forest Report, 2023

INDIA STATE OF THE FOREST REPORT, 2023

• The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 was released on December 21, 2024, by Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, at the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun.
• The ISFR is released biennially by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) since 1987.
• It presents an in-depth assessment of India’s forest resources using Remote Sensing satellite data and the National Forest Inventory (NFI).
• This assessment includes various indicators like forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, carbon stock, forest fire incidents, agroforestry, bamboo area, and more.

KEY FINDINGS

1. Total Forest and Tree Cover:

• Total Forest and Tree Cover in India is 827,357 sq km, which constitutes 25.17% of the country’s total geographical area.
  • Forest Cover: 715,343 sq km (21.76% of the geographical area).
  • Tree Cover: 112,014 sq km (3.41% of the geographical area).
• Increase in Cover (2021-2023):
  • There has been an increase of 1,445 sq km in the total forest and tree cover compared to the 2021 assessment.
    • Increase in Forest Cover: 156 sq km.
    • Increase in Tree Cover: 1,289 sq km.

2. Top States Showing Maximum Increase in Forest and Tree Cover:

• Chhattisgarh: +684 sq km
• Uttar Pradesh: +559 sq km
• Odisha: +559 sq km
• Rajasthan: +394 sq km Top States by Increase in Forest Cover:
  • Mizoram: +242 sq km
  • Gujarat: +180 sq km
  • Odisha: +152 sq km

3. Top States by Forest and Tree Cover Area:

• Madhya Pradesh: 85,724 sq km (Largest forest and tree cover area).
• Arunachal Pradesh: 67,083 sq km.
• Maharashtra: 65,383 sq km. Top States by Forest Cover Area:
  • Madhya Pradesh: 77,073 sq km (Largest forest cover).
  • Arunachal Pradesh: 65,882 sq km.
  • Chhattisgarh: 55,812 sq km.

4. States with Highest Percentage of Forest Cover (in Relation to Geographical Area):

• Lakshadweep: 91.33% (Highest forest cover percentage).
• Mizoram: 85.34%.
• Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 81.62%. States/UTs with Forest Cover Above 33% of Geographical Area:
  • 19 States/UTs have more than 33% of their geographical area under forest cover.
  • 8 States/UTs (Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur) have more than 75% forest cover.

5. Growing Stock (Wood Volume):

• The total growing stock of forests and trees outside forests in India is estimated at 6,430 million cubic meters (m³).
  • Inside Forests: 4,479 million m³.
  • Outside Forests: 1,951 million m³.
• Change in Growing Stock (2021-2023):
  • Increase in Total Growing Stock: 262 million m³.
    • Inside Forests: +91 million m³.
    • Outside Forests: +171 million m³.

6. Mangrove Cover:

• The total mangrove cover in India is 4,992 sq km.

7. Bamboo Bearing Area:

• Bamboo Bearing Area is estimated at 154,670 sq km.
  • Compared to the last assessment (2021), there has been an increase of 5,227 sq km in bamboo area.

8. Timber Production Potential:

• The annual potential timber production from trees outside forests has been estimated at 91.51 million cubic meters.

9. Carbon Stock:

• The total carbon stock in India’s forests is estimated at 7,285.5 million tonnes (7.29 billion tonnes).
  • There is an increase of 5 million tonnes compared to the previous assessment.
• Carbon Sequestration Progress (2023):
  • India’s carbon stock has reached 30.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.
  • Since the base year of 2005, India has already achieved 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink, which is close to the target of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes by 2030 as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) on carbon sequestration.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN FOREST MANAGEMENT

• The Forest Survey of India (FSI) has incorporated advanced technology to provide near real-time forest fire alerts.
• This technology enhances the monitoring and management of forest fires in the country.
• These advanced tools help in detecting and mitigating the impact of forest fires, protecting the country’s vast forest resources.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ISFR

• The ISFR 2023 offers critical data for understanding the health and growth of India’s forests, covering various aspects of forest resources, including carbon stock, forest fire incidents, agroforestry, and bamboo resources.
• The increase in forest and tree cover, along with rising carbon sequestration, highlights India’s commitment to climate change mitigation and the achievement of NDCs.
• The report’s insights are vital for policy formulation, resource management, and sustainable development in the context of India’s green growth agenda.

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