- Prologue
- [Act 1] Forest cover & Tree Cover
- [Act 2] Mangroves and Bamboos
- [Act 3] Forest Growth factors
- [Act 4] Agroforestry
- [Act 5] Urban forestry
- [Act 6] Misc. factoids
Prologue
- This summary is not for the faint hearted, because contains truckload of factoids and rankings.
- Only those who’ve finished static environment, geography and aptitude portion should proceed further.
- As such I was preparing economic survey summary but consider this report to be a “fork” of the Economic survey Ch12 on sustainable Development & climate change.
- Credit: B.N.S. Viswanath for majority of the compilation.
Forest Survey Report 2013
Who? | Forest survey of India |
Since when? | 1987: using LANDSAT satellite. Since then report every two years. |
latest report | 2013: using IRS-Resourcesat Satellite |
E-green watch | Online system to monitor CAMPA activities, doing social audits, tracking progress etc. (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.) |
Limitations of ResourceSAT in forest survey
for sci-tech type MCQs
- ResourceSAT’s LISS-3 sensor cannot record forest cover less than 23.5m
- It analyses “colors”: therefore, it’ll not record young plantations, trees with less chlorophyll content or poor foliage
- clouds and shadows obscuring details
- Lantana and other large weeds also get recorded as forest cover.
- sugarcane, cotton etc. agriculture crops grown near forest areas. ResourceSAT cannot differentiate them from trees. Have to send men on field for crossverification.
[Act 1] Forest cover & Tree Cover
Official definition of forest cover?
- All lands more than one hectare in area
- with a tree canopy of more than 10%,
- Both public and private land
- even orchards, bamboo and palm
How does India have 21% forest cover?

only first 3 counted under “Forest cover”
Classes | Tree Canopy | % of Total area |
1.Very dense forest | 70% or above | 2.5 |
2.Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) | 40% or above | 9.5 |
3.Open Forest (OF) | 10% or above | 9 |
4.Scrub: degraded forest land | Less than 10% | 1.5 |
5.Non-forest land | Area not in above classes | 77.5 |
- Out of them class 1, 2 and 3 = “Forest cover”.
- Therefore, total forest cover=(2.5+9.5+9)=21% of total geographical area. (Exact number is 21.23%)
- In absolute figure: forest cover is ~7lakh sq.km out of total ~33 lakh sqkm area.
Ranking: Forest covered area
Area wise | % wise |
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Ranking altitude wise
Altitude zone | % of Forest cover found |
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0-500m | 52.44 |
500-1000m | 28.14 |
1000-2000m | 10.96 |
2000-3000m | 5.83 |
3000-4000m | 2.49 |
Above 4000 m | 0.14 |
total | 100% |
Numbers not important but interpretation is:
- Majority of India’s forest cover is witihin 500m above sea level.
- There is hardly any forest cover on altitude above 3000m.
- both Correct
- None correct
Ranking: growth of Forest cover
Highest increase | Highest decrease |
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Main reasons for declined forest cover
- biotic pressure
- shortening of Jhum cycle (Nagaland)
- open cast mining (Andhra Pradesh)
- Earthquake induced landslides (Sikkim)
overall, forest cover increased between 2011 to 2013.
Type | Sq.km in 2013 |
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1.Very dense forest | +31 increased |
2.Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) | -2000 decreased |
3.Open Forest (OF) | +8000 increased |
pure forest | mixed forest |
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single tree species is dominant | Two or more tree species intermingled in the same canopy . |
Area wise, Forest type ranking: Mixed forest >> Sal >> Lowland hardwood >> Teak >> Teak with misc.
Includes | Doesn’t include |
wetlands, rivers, riverbeds, creeks in the mangroves, snow-covered areas, glaciers, alpine pastures, cold deserts, grasslands of sholas, etc | plantations on community lands, road side, railways and canals, Eucalyptus, rubber, tea and coffee plantations, etc |
Tree cover
- India’s National Forest Policy 1988 wants to have 33% of India under forest and tree cover.
- mind the words: forest cover + tree cover.
Forest cover | Tree Cover |
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All lands more than one hectare in area, >10% tree canopy | below 1 ht. area under trees. (especially surrounding villages and woodlands) |
satellite can easily measure it. | need satellite + manual field verification |
~7lakh sq.km | ~91,000 sq.km |
21.23% of Indian land | 2.78% of Indian land |
Therefore, total cover =21.23+2.78 = 24.01% of India under forest and tree cover.
Ranking tree cover
Mind the words: “tree cover” and not “forest cover”
Among 14 physiographic regions | Areawise | %wise |
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…. Lowest tree cover in Eastern Himalayas |
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[Act 2] Mangroves and Bamboos
- Mangrove is a salt tolerant plant.
- grows in tropical and sub-tropical inter-tidal region
- rainfall between 1000-3000 mm
- Temperature ranging between 26-35oC.
pneumatophores | Aerial roots above ground. Plant can breathe air in waterlogged soil |
buttress roots | Root grows from directly stem, above ground, to support the tree. |
stilt roots | below water/land.They uphold the mangrove against tides, strong winds and tropical storms. |
Vivipary | Instead of germinating externally from a seed, Mangroves reproduce via buds (embryos). Refer to following chart: |
Ranking: Mangrove States/UT

Mangrove Areawise ranking Red balloons: bottom 5, Blue squares: top 5
Area wise rank | within that,largest in__. |
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South 24 Paragana |
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Kutch |
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Andaman |
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East Godawari |
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Kendrapara |
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Raigarh |
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Nagapattinam |
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North Goa |
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Kannur |
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Udipi |
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Yanam |
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total | 4627.63 |
Mangrove area: Misc. factoids
India |
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Sundarban (WB) | 50% of India’s mangrove forests |
34 sq.km |
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Highest increase | Gujarat |
overall | decreased Mangrove cover (2013, compared to 2011) |
Bamboos
- Bamboo belongs to the grass family Poaceae ( Gramineae )
- Therefore, Bamboo is a “non wood” forest resource.
- India has 125 indigenous, 11 exotic species of bamboo.
- in terms of Bamboo diversity rank: (1) China, (2) India
- Bambo is fast growing, wide spread, renewable, versatile, low cost natural resource.
- Therefore, known as poor man’ s timber .
[Act 3] Forest Growth factors
#1: Forest fire
Period: 3rd week of Feb to 1st week of May
Most vulnerable | Least vulnerable |
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Dry deciduous forests |
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- Forest survey divides districts into three categories: highly, moderately and low vulnerable districts
- Ranking: highest forest fire vulnerability: Madhya Pradesh (24 districts), Maharashtra (18), Andhra Pradesh (15)
Forest fire: why bad?
- Destroys humus, nitrogen and other nutrient elements= soil fertility declined= regeneration difficult.
- Destroys grass= less infiltration of water = more runoff of water=regeneration difficult.
- As such cattle grazing is considered a threat to forest cover, but “controlled grazing” reduces grass density and thereby reduces forest fire risk.
#2: Forest regeneration
- Process of replacing old crop/trees with younger ones.
- either via natural or artificial methods
Assertion | Grazing reduction, lopping and plantation can help in forest regeneration. |
Reason | These activities influences carbon storage through changes in tree biomas both above and below ground. |
Correct Answer | both right, R explains A |
#3: Soil depth
Assertion | Soil depth is an important factor for forest growth |
Reason | Soil holds necessary space, nutrients and water required for plant growth and stability |
Correct Answer | both right, R explains A |
Soil depth: more factoids
- climate and topography affect soil depth
- Hills have less soil depth than valleys.
- Black cotton soil= deepest sedentary soil
- Alluvial soil = deepest secondary soil.
- Rockiness is related to soil depth. Where rockiness is more, the soil depth is less.
- Therefore, in rocky soils, crop density is less and vegetation is sparse.
#4: Humus
Assertion | Humus is regarded as the life blood of soil mass. |
Reason | Humus improves the physical and chemical properties of soil |
Correct Answer | both right, R explains A |
- Humus=decomposed organic matter in soil.
- Includes both plant and animal litter, tissues.
- appearance: amorphous, brownish black
[Act 4] Agroforestry
- Agroforestry = inclusion of perennial trees within farm.
- States with max. agroforestry area: Maharashtra > Gujarat > Rajasthan
Benefits of Agroforestry
- Bio-fertilizer trees enrich soil and helping in land regeneration.
- They provide nutrient recycling, increase organic matter.
- They provide fruits, fodder, medicines, non-timber forest produce and shelter.
Steps by Government
- Planning commission report: we can bring 3 crore people out of Poverty, by implementing Agroforestry in rainfed areas.
- Therefore, Government spends sizable fund on agroforestry- under MNREGA, watershed Management, Green India mission, horticulture mission etc.
1952 | National Forest Policy |
1988 | National Forest Policy |
2000 | National Agriculture Policy |
2001 | Task Force on Greening India |
2002 | National Bamboo Mission 2002 |
2007 | National Policy on Farmers |
[Act 5] Urban forestry
2013: Top 5 | 2050: Top 5 |
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- By 2050: India will have the largest population of world.
- Ranking: states with maximum urban population- Maharashtra >UP > TN>…..>(lowest) Sikkim
Urban forestry benefits
- In India, Urbanization is synonymous with slums, transport congestion, poor sanitation and airpollution.
- Urban trees can directly meet basic needs including food, fuel, fodder and timber products for poor
- They improve air quality, energy savings, noise abettment, conversation of soil and water
- Ranking: states with max. urban trees: Taminadu > Maharashtra > Karnataka > Kerala
[Act 6] Misc. factoids
Growing Stock
- It is the volume of all living trees in a given area, above than a certain diameter at breast height.
- Growing stock measured in m3.
Benefit of finding Growing stock?
- provides information on existing wood resources
- We can estimate the amount of carbon contained in the area.
- REDD+ mechanism requires India to keep this record under National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS)
Ranking as per Growing stock
(cost benefit bad for MCQ, but putting it for public record)
- Total Growing Stock of wood in the country ~ 5600 m3
- Max GS within forest areas is found in Western Himalayas > East Deccan > Eastern Himalayas
- Highest GS in forest area Sal>Teak>Pine>Laurel
- Highest GS in Trees Outside Forests (TOF) : Mango, Neem, Coconut, Palm
- Highest GS among states, UTKHND > Arunanchal Pradesh > CHHTSGRH > HP
- Highest GS in TOF – J&K > MH > GJ > AP
Physiographic zones
India is divided into 14 physiographic zones based on altitude, location, soil, precipitation, temperature, etc
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Rajasthan me sabse jyada forest wala district konsa.
I wait for your’s answer
fast rank( area) of black cotton soil … which state M.P or M.H
Can you also survey what percentage of area was covered by forest in any 5 states of India in these following years –
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015