India State of Forest Report 2023

✍️Anil Mishra
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18th India State of Forest Report 2023:



Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2023' (ISFR 2023) at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.

  • The ISFR is brought out by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on a biennial basis since 1987.
  • FSI report based on interpretation of Remote Sensing satellite data and field based National Forest Inventory (NFI), and the results are published in the ISFR.



ISFR Report 2023
ISFR Report 2023

Key Points of the ISFR 2023:

  • The report contains information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock, carbon stock in India’s forests, instances of forest fire, Agroforestry, etc.
  • As per the present report, the total Forest and Tree cover is 8,27,357sq km, which is 25.17 percent of the geographical area of the country.
  • The Forest Cover has an area of about 7,15,343sq km (21.76%) whereas the Tree Cover has an area of 1,12,014 sq km (3.41%).
  • As compared to 2021, there is an increase of 1445 sq km in the forest and tree cover of the country which includes 156 sq km increase in the forest cover and 1289 sq km increase in tree cover.

Highlights of ISFR 2023 vs. ISFR 2021

Particulars

ISFR 2023

ISFR 2021

Total Forest and Tree Cover

25.17% (8,27,357 sq km)

24.62%

Net Forest Cover

21.76% (7,15,343 sq km)

21.71%

Net Tree Cover

3.41% (1,12,014 sq km)

2.91%

Mangrove Cover

4,992 sq km

4,999 sq km

Top States by Forest and Tree Cover

Largest Forest and Tree Cover (Area-Wise)

1.      Madhya Pradesh: 85,724 sq km

2.      Arunachal Pradesh: 67,083 sq km

3.      Maharashtra: 65,383 sq km

Largest Forest and Tree Cover (Percentage-Wise)

1.      Lakshadweep: 92%

2.      Mizoram: 88.03%

3.      Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 81.95%

Largest Forest Cover (Area-Wise)

1.      Madhya Pradesh: 77,073 sq km

2.      Arunachal Pradesh: 65,882 sq km

3.      Chhattisgarh: 55,831 sq km

Largest Forest Cover (Percentage-Wise)

1.      Lakshadweep: 91.33%

2.      Mizoram: 85.34%

3.      Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 81.62%

Largest Tree Cover (Area-Wise)

1.      Maharashtra: 14,525 sq km

2.      Rajasthan: 10,841 sq km

3.      Uttar Pradesh: 8,951 sq km

Largest Tree Cover (Percentage-Wise)

1.      Chandigarh: 18.58%

2.      Delhi: 11.87%

3.      Kerala: 7.48%


Trends in Forest and Tree Cover

States with Maximum Increase

·         Chhattisgarh: 683.62 sq km

·         Uttar Pradesh: 559.19 sq km

·         Odisha: 558.57 sq km

·         Rajasthan: 394.46 sq km

States with Maximum Decrease

·         Madhya Pradesh: −612.41 sq km

·         Karnataka: −459.36 sq km

·         Ladakh: −159.26 sq km

·         Nagaland: −125.22 sq km

Detail Infographics about ISFR 2023


Mangrove Cover

·         Total Mangrove Cover: 4,992 sq km (0.15% of India’s total geographical area).

·         Change Since 2021: Decrease of 7.43 sq km.

·         Top States with Mangrove Cover:

1.      West Bengal

2.      Gujarat

3.      Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Interesting Observation: Except for Gujarat and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, all other regions recorded an increase in mangrove cover.

Regional Performance and Trends

States with More Than 33% Forest Cover

·         19 States/UTs, including Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.

Northeastern Region

·         Forest and tree cover: 67% of the geographical area.

·         Declining Trend: All Northeastern states except Mizoram (increase of 178 sq km) recorded a reduction in forest cover.

Western Ghats

·         First-time assessment revealed a loss of 58.22 sq km of forest cover in the eco-sensitive areas since 2013.


Concerns: Disappearance of Dense Forests

·         Loss Since 2021: 3,913 sq km.

·         Loss Over Two Decades (Since 2003): 24,651 sq km (over 6.3% of dense forests).


Bamboo Bearing Area

·         Total Bamboo Area: 1,54,670 sq km (increase of 5,227 sq km since 2021).

·         Top States: Madhya Pradesh > Arunachal Pradesh > Maharashtra > Odisha.


India’s Carbon Stock

·         Total Carbon Stock: 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

·         India’s Achievement: 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink created since 2005, progressing towards the target of 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes by 2030.

ISFR 2023 reports 25.17% forest and tree cover in India, with increases in forest area, bamboo, and carbon stock, highlighting progress toward carbon sequestration targets and environmental sustainability.

Some Key terms and definitions from the India State of Forest Report (ISFR):

  • Forest cover: Land with a tree canopy density of more than 10% and an area of at least one hectare. This includes orchards, bamboo, palm, and plantations. 
  • Recorded forest area: The geographic areas recorded as forests in government records. This includes reserved forests (RF) and protected forests (PF). 
  • Tree cover: All tree patches outside the recorded forest area that are less than one hectare in size. 
  • Dense forest: Areas with a canopy density of 40% or more. 
  • Very dense forest: Lands with a canopy density of 70% or more. 
  • Open forest: Lands with a canopy density between 10% and 40%. 
  • Trees outside forest: All trees growing outside recorded forest areas, regardless of patch size. 
  • Scrub: Degraded forest lands with a canopy density of less than 10%. 
  • Pure bamboo: An area with a bamboo density of 200 or more bamboo clumps per hectare. 
  • Scattered bamboo: An area with a bamboo density of 1–50 bamboo clumps per hectare. 

The ISFR is a comprehensive report on the forests and trees in India, published by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The first ISFR was published in 1987.


UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year’s Questions (PYQs) 

UPSC PYQs Prelims

Q. Consider the following States: (2019)

  1. Chhattisgarh
  2. Madhya Pradesh
  3. Maharashtra
  4. Odisha

With reference to the States mentioned above, in terms of percentage of forest cover to the total area of State, which one of the following is the correct ascending order? 

(a) 2-3-1-4  

(b) 2-3-4-1 

(c) 3-2-4-1  

(d) 3-2-1-4 

Answer: (c)

Q. A particular State in India has the following characteristics: (2012) 

  1. It is located on the same latitude which passes through northern Rajasthan.
  2. It has over 80% of its area under forest cover.
  3. Over 12% of forest cover constitutes Protected Area Network in this State.

Which one among the following States has all the above characteristics?

(a) Arunachal Pradesh  

b) Assam

(c) Himachal Pradesh  

(d) Uttarakhand 

Answer: (a)

UPSC PYQ Mains 

Q. Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change (2020). 

Q. Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology (2019)

 



CLICK HERE: MCQ on ISFR 2023


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on ISFR (India State of Forest Report)

1. What is the ISFR Report?

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) is a biennial assessment published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). It provides comprehensive data on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, carbon stock, biodiversity, and other related aspects of India’s forests.


2. What is the total Forest and Tree cover in India according to the latest ISFR report?

The total Forest and Tree cover in India is 8,27,357 sq km, which constitutes 25.17% of the geographical area of the country.


3. What are the components of Forest and Tree cover?

  • Forest Cover: 7,15,343 sq km (21.76% of the geographical area).
  • Tree Cover: 1,12,014 sq km (3.41% of the geographical area).

4. What is the change in forest and tree cover compared to the previous assessment?

  • Total increase: 1,445 sq km.
    • Forest Cover: +156 sq km.
    • Tree Cover: +1,289 sq km.

5. Which states have shown the highest increase in forest and tree cover?

The top four states with maximum increase are:

  1. Chhattisgarh: +684 sq km
  2. Uttar Pradesh: +559 sq km
  3. Odisha: +559 sq km
  4. Rajasthan: +394 sq km

6. Which state has the largest area of forest and tree cover?

The top three states area-wise are:

  1. Madhya Pradesh: 85,724 sq km
  2. Arunachal Pradesh: 67,083 sq km
  3. Maharashtra: 65,383 sq km

7. Which state has the highest forest cover in percentage terms?

  • Lakshadweep: 91.33% of its geographical area.
  • Followed by: Mizoram (85.34%) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (81.62%).

8. What is the current mangrove cover in India?

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


9. What is India’s bamboo-bearing area?

The estimated bamboo-bearing area is 1,54,670 sq km, with an increase of 5,227 sq km compared to the 2021 assessment.


10. What is the total carbon stock in India’s forests?

The total carbon stock is estimated to be 7,285.5 million tonnes, with an increase of 81.5 million tonnes compared to the last assessment.
India’s carbon stock contributes to 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, progressing toward its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of 2.5–3.0 billion tonnes additional sink by 2030.


11. How many states/UTs have more than 33% of their area under forest cover?

A total of 19 states/UTs have more than 33% forest cover, out of which 8 states/UTs (e.g., Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh) have forest cover above 75%.


12. What is the significance of the ISFR report?

The ISFR helps:

  • Monitor trends in forest and tree cover.
  • Measure India’s progress toward climate and biodiversity goals.
  • Support policy-making for forest conservation, sustainable management, and carbon sequestration.

 

Source: PIB, FSI


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