India identifying, defining forests wrongly

Context: Forestry experts at Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE), noted that India was identifying and defining forests in a wrong manner.

Key Highlights of the Study

• While the India State of Forest Report (ISFR 2021) says forest cover has increased, a study of the Forest Survey of India maps shows otherwise.
• A recent analysis says the new Forest Survey Report of 2021 records a forest area of 77.53 million hectare (mha) in India, but a forest cover on only 51.66 mha.
• There are states where over 30-50 per cent of the land classified as forests is ‘missing’ from the government’s assessment. Madhya Pradesh, for instance, has ‘lost’ nearly three million ha.
• Tea estates, coconut plantations and housing colonies in cities have been classified as forests — even desert areas have been classified as open forests. There are no technical constraints in classifying forests — we have the technical capacity to differentiate between different kinds of forests and plantations.
• In 2001, efforts were made to ensure accuracy of data, but the opposite happened — due to the definition used, forest cover was shown to rise steeply, while there was no change or negative change in the forest cover on the ground.

The definition of ‘forest area’ outside recorded forests includes non-forest plantations. As the definition of a forest includes any hectare of land with a tree cover of 10 per cent or more, these areas would include plantations of all kinds, ranging from coconut to even tea.

• In fact, between the assessment 2019 and 2021, India’s forest cover has grown by a mere 0.2 per cent, and most of this ‘growth’ has been in ‘open forests’ (with canopy cover of 10-40 per cent), on lands outside recorded forest areas.

About Forest Cover

• According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a forest is defined as land spanning more than 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres) with trees higher than 5 metres (16 ft) and a canopy cover of more than 10%, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.
• Forest cover is one category of terrestrial land cover. It is defined as 25% or greater canopy closure at the Landsat pixel scale (30-m × 30-m spatial resolution) for trees >5 m in height.

Key importance of forest in India
Wood is the major forest produce.

• The timber and sawn up wood (sawdust) obtained from forests are used as basic material for building, houses particularly in rural areas.
• Wood, on the other hand, is used as a temporary structural support for the construction of buildings, bridges and furniture. 
• It is also a raw material for the manufacture of paper, rayon and film.

Fuel Wood/Fire Wood

• In developing countries, heaviest demand on forests is for fuel wood. More than 1500 million people depend on wood to cook and keep warm.

Economical uses of forests

• Forests play a vital role in the life and economy of all the tribes living in their laps.
• They provide food (tubers, roots, leaves and fruits of plants and meat from animals), medicines and other products of commercial use, which forms a viable forest-based subsistence pattern.

Ecological uses of forests
Protection of Biodiversity, land &Environment

• Forests are large biotic communities. They provide shelter and sustenance for a large number of diverse species of plants, animals and micro-organisms. They protect the environment. They prevent erosion of the soil by wind and water. Trees provide shade which prevents the soil from becoming too dry and friable during summer.

Moderating & Moistening Effects on Climate

• They also check the velocity of rain drops or wind striking the ground and reduce dislodging of soil particles. The root system of plants firmly binds the soil.

Retention of Sub-soil Water & Increase in Rainfall Frequency

• They improve the quality of the soil by increasing its porosity and fertility by contributing humus to it.
• The forest soil absorbs water during rains like a giant sponge and does not allow it to evaporate or run-off quickly. Forests increase atmospheric humidity by drawing sub-soil water and sending it out in the air during transpiration.
• The increased humidity helps plants and animals to survive in a warm season by making it cool and pleasant.

Pollution Control

• They play an important role in reducing atmospheric pollution by collecting the suspended particulate matter and by absorbing carbon dioxide etc.
• Forests are the sole providers of natural resources to support indigenous communities. They shield the surrounding areas from extreme weather conditions. They help to reduce Noise Pollution.