India State of Forest Report 2023

Introduction

The India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023) was released on December 21, 2024 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav took up the responsibility of releasing the report. The ISFR provides a comprehensive set of information about the forest and tree resources of India that includes specific thematic information related to forest cover and major aspects of different forests of India.

The Forest Survey of India

The Forest Survey of India (FSI) is an organisation administered by the MoEFCC. It has been authorised to produce the ISFR every two years since 1987. The ISFR 2023 is the 18th report in this series.

The FSI thoroughly assesses the forest and tree resources of the country for preparing the report derived from the analysis of Remote Sensing Satellite data and on-ground assessments conducted through the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad. The ISFR then includes the findings, such as details about forest cover, tree cover, growing stock, mangrove cover, and carbon stock in the forests of India along with accounts of forest fires and agroforestry. The FSI has provided forest cover data for 751 districts in the current report, including those that were recently constituted, compared to 636 districts in the 2021 ISFR.

Why the Need for ISFR

The ISFR plays a vital role in framing of various policies and their appraisal, supervising the forest resources, and in using the forest resources optimally. The findings of the ISFR also serve the following purposes:

• To check NDC targets
• To contribute to the Global Assessment of Forest Resources by informing the Food and Agriculture Organization
• To provide greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for the forest land under the sector of Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF).

Some Highlights of the Report

Forest and Tree Cover Around 25.17 per cent of the geographical area of India, i.e., 8,27,356.95 sq. km, make up the forest and tree cover of the country. Out of this, the area of total forest cover is 7,15,342.61 sq. km, while that of total tree cover is 1,12,014.34 sq. km . In short, the forest cover comprises 21.76 per cent, while the tree cover comprises 3.41 per cent.

According to ISFR 2023, there has been an increase in the forest cover of about 156.41 sq. km in India, in comparison to the last assessment in 2021.

The report shows an increase of 1,445.81 sq. km in the tree cover of India, in comparison to ISFR 2021.

Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest and tree cover, with an area of 85,724 sq. km, in India. The consecutive states in the category are Arunachal Pradesh with an area of 67,083 sq. km and Maharashtra with an area of 65,383 sq. km.

The state with the highest increase in forest and tree cover is Chhattisgarh (683.62 sq. km). The other states that follow the lead are Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan with an increased area of 559.19 sq. km, 558.57 sq. km, and 394.46 sq. km, respectively.

The state with the highest decrease in forest and tree cover is Madhya Pradesh (612.41 sq. km). The consecutive states in this category are Karnataka, Ladakh, and Nagaland with a decreased area of 459.36 sq. km, 159.26 sq. km, and 125.22 sq. km, respectively.   

The state with the highest tree cover (i.e., 14,524.88 sq. km) is Maharashtra. The other states that follow the lead are Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with tree cover of 10,841.12 sq. km and 8,950.92 sq km, respectively. Overall, there has been an increase in tree cover in around 21 states and UTs of India. This will facilitate the growth of agroforestry.

The state with the highest increase in forest cover (i.e., 242 sq. km) is Mizoram. The consecutive states in the category are Gujarat (with an increase of 180 sq. km) and Odisha (with an increase of 152 sq. km).

Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area The Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Areas (WGESA) cover about 60,285.61 sq. km, with 73 per cent (44,043.99 sq. km) under forest cover.

The FSI conducted a decade-long analysis of forest cover changes in the WGESA and found a net cover loss of 58.22 sq. km over the past ten years. While very dense forest expanded by 3,465.12 sq. km, there was a decline in moderately dense forest by 1,043.23 sq. km and open forest by 2,480.11 sq. km.

Mangrove Cover in India Around 4,991.68 sq. km (0.15 per cent) of the total geographical area of India is covered with mangroves. Out of this, around 1,463.97 sq. km (29.33 per cent) is covered with very dense mangrove; around 1,500.84 sq. km (30.07 per cent) is covered with moderately dense mangrove; and the remaining 2,026.87 sq. km (40.60 per cent) is covered with open mangroves.

The mangrove forest cover has considerably increased in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra by 13.01 sq. km and 12.39 sq. km, respectively.

Compared to the 2021 ISFR, the mangrove cover of India has declined by 7.43 sq. km. The mangrove forest cover has considerably declined in Gujarat by 36.39 sq. km.

Forest Cover in Major Megacities

The total forest cover in six major megacities is 511.81 sq. km, accounting for 10.26 per cent of their geographical area. Delhi has the highest forest cover (194.15 sq. km) followed by Mumbai (110.84 sq. km) and Bengaluru (89.61 sq. km). Latest assessment shows a net increase of 2.09 sq. km, with Ahmedabad gaining the most (5.48 sq. km) while Chennai (-2.64 sq. km) and Hyderabad (-1.61 sq. km) recording the highest losses.

Forest Fires Compared to the fire seasons 2021–22 and 2022–23, there was a considerable decline in the number of fire hotspots during the fire season 2023–24, which were 2,03,544. The fire hotspots, in the previous two seasons, were 2,23,333 and 2,12,249, respectively. Note that the SNPP-VIIRS sensor was deployed to detect the fire hotspots. SNPP and VIIRS stand for Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, respectively.

During the fire season 2023–24, the maximum number of fire incidences took place in Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. 

Burnt-area mapping was conducted for the first time at the national level including data on forest fires in 705 protected areas offering valuable data to aid policymakers in course correction.

Growing Stock (Wood Resources) It is assessed that the total growing stock of wood in the country is 6,429.64 million cubic metre (M m³). Out of this, 4,478.89 M m³ constitutes the growing stock inside forest areas, while 1,950.75 M m³ constitutes the growing stock outside recorded forest areas.

In comparison to the estimation presented in ISFR 2021, the growing stock of India has increased by 262.32 M m³ (4.25 per cent). Out of this, 90.92 M m³ (2.07 per cent) constitutes the growing stock increase inside the forests, while 171.40 M m³ (9.63 per cent) constitutes the growing stock increase outside the forest areas. 

It is assessed that the growing stock at the domestic level is 86.10 m³ per ha in forest areas.    

It is reported that the highest growing stock inside forests is in Arunachal Pradesh, with a volume of 457.83 M m³. The consecutive states in the category are Uttarakhand (with a volume of 400.02 M m³), Chhattisgarh (with a volume of 398.54 M m³), and Madhya Pradesh (with a volume of 387.18 M m³).

Further, the highest growing stock outside the recorded forest areas is in Maharashtra, with a volume of 213.93 M m³. The consecutive states in the category are Karnataka (with a volume of 137.62 M m³), Madhya Pradesh (with a volume of 130.46 M m³), and Chhattisgarh (with a volume of 129.04 M m³).

It is reported that Himachal Pradesh has the maximum per ha growing stock in forest, with a volume of 219.46 m³. The consecutive states in the category are Kerala (with a volume of 179.78 m³) and Uttarakhand (with a volume of 164.39 m³).

Further, the UT of Jammu and Kashmir has the maximum per ha growing stock in forest, with a volume of 296.22 m³. The consecutive UTs in the category are Andaman and Nicobar Islands (with a volume of 246.61 m³), and Chandigarh (with a volume of
78.64 m³).

Bamboo-Bearing Area It is estimated that around 1,54,670 sq. km makes up the total bamboo-bearing area. In comparison to the last ISFR 2021, the bamboo-bearing area of the country has been increased by 5,227 sq. km as reported in the ISFR 2023.

With the highest bamboo-bearing area of 20,421 sq. km, Madhya Pradesh is the topmost state. The consecutive states in this category are Arunachal Pradesh (18,424 sq. km), Maharashtra (13,572 sq. km), and Odisha (12,328 sq. km).

The maximum increase in the bamboo-bearing area (2,685 sq. km) was noticed in Arunachal Pradesh. The consecutive state in the category is Madhya Pradesh, with the increased bamboo-bearing area of 2,027 sq. km.

Further, the bamboo-bearing area has declined the most in Karnataka (1,290 sq. km) and Manipur (860 sq. km).

Agroforestry System in India

• ISFR 2023 states that 1,27,590.05 sq. km make up the total tree green cover that is used for agroforestry at the domestic level. In comparison to the ISFR released a decade ago in 2013, the total tree green cover used for agroforestry in India has shown an increment of 21,286.57 sq. km (20.02 per cent).
• Maharashtra has the highest agroforestry growing stock (136–45 M m³), followed by Karnataka, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Among the union territories, Jammu and Kashmir leads, followed by Andaman Nicobar Islands and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
• The most common agroforestry species have shifted from Areca catechu and Cocas nucifora from 2013 to Prosopis juliflora and Eucalyptus in 2023, with Mangifera indica and Azadirachta indica remaining dominant.

Carbon Stock and Climate Commitments

• ISFR 2023 states that there is the carbon stock of 7,285.5 metric tonne (MT) as of 2023. In comparison to the last ISFR, the carbon stock has shown an increment of 81.5 MT. It is further estimated that carbon stock increases by 40.75 MT annually. Besides, it is estimated that the highest carbon stock (1,021 MT) is in Arunachal Pradesh. The consecutive states in the category are Madhya Pradesh (with 608 MT), Chhattisgarh (with 505 MT) and Maharashtra (with 465 MT).

Do You Know?

The largest amount of forest carbon is made up of soil organic carbon accounting for 55.06 per cent.

• ISFR 2023 states that 30.43 billion tonnes of CO₂ eq. carbon sink have been formed in India. That is, additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes has already been obtained by India since 2005.
  India is determined to form an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO₂ eq. by 2030 by increasing its forest and tree cover under the NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) commitments made at the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Characteristics of Forests Determining Forestry Parameters

1. Soil Health ISFR 2023 states that there is better undergrowth, i.e., 25.58 per cent compared to 20.32 per cent in 2013. Besides, better grass cover is present, i.e. 17.21 per cent compared to 15.64 per cent in 2013. The level of humus has also increased from 11.43 per cent in 2013 to 18.04 per cent in 2023. This indicates that the soil health has improved considerably, from 83.53 per cent of shallow to deep soil in 2013 to 87.16 per cent of such soil in 2023.
   Besides, there has been a significant improvement in soil organic carbon, i.e., 56.08 tonnes per hectare in 2023 compared to 55.85 tonnes per hectare in 2013.

2. Biotic Influences The biotic influences encompass browsing, grazing, pollarding, lopping, illicit felling, man-made fire, etc., that affect the forests. These have been declined from 31.28 per cent in 2013 to 26.66 per cent in 2023. For instance, the level of grazing has been considerably declined from 41.04 per cent in 2013 to 35.79 per cent in 2023. As a result, the forest areas have increased, enhancing floral biodiversity, which in turn enhances faunal biodiversity.
3. Technological Aspects Various types of technology have been used in preparing the ISFR 2023. Firstly, forest cover mapping was done across the country with the help of satellite data. It was medium-resolution native satellite data. This mapping was performed with a spatial resolution of 23.5 m obtained from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) sensor. The sensor was indigenous LISS-III and was a component of the IRS Resources at satellite series, at a scale of 1 : 50,000. The satellite data was obtained within a specific period for different states and UTs so that satellite images could be of finer quality, free from clouds and haze.
4. Forest Cover Classification The forest cover is categorised into three types depending on tree canopy density— (i) very dense forest (having canopy density equal to or more than 70 per cent) (ii) moderately dense forest (having canopy density equal to or more than 40 per cent but less than 70 per cent), (iii) and open forest (having canopy density equal to or more than 10 per cent but less than 40 per cent).
   The authorised entities evaluated the forest cover by employing visual image analysis and digital image processing along with carrying out ground verification, post-field corrections, quality checks, and ground validation. Resultantly, the output was generated as area statistics and maps.

5. Growing Stock Growing stock reflects forest health, productivity, and carbon storage, aiding in biodiversity conservation and emission calculations.

India’s forest inventory began with Pre-investment Survey of Forest Resources in 1965, a joint initiative of the Government of India, the FAO, and the United Nations Development Programme for wood and bamboo assessment. In 1981, it evolved into FSI, adopting a nationwide sampling design.

FSI launched the National Forest Inventory (NFI) in 2002, dividing the country in 14 physiographic zones, with detailed inventories conducted in 60 districts per cycle with revisit time of 5 years that is reduced in 2016 from 20 years with a grid-based 5 km × 5 km sampling design.

For preparing ISFR, the inventory of inside forests and outside recorded forests was recorded. The field inventory data was obtained from these regions as a part of the NFI Programme of the FSI. This data provided us with the details about growing stock, tree cover, carbon stock, bamboo stock, agroforestry, and other major aspects.

Conclusion

ISFR 2023 is an important document for keeping an account of forest and tree resources of the country. It is also a valuable information source for the state forest departments, policy makers, planners, research organisations, academicians, line agencies responsible for developmental works, civil society, political activists, and conservationists.

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