Forest in Madhya Pradesh :

The state of Madhya Pradesh is known for its physical and natural diversity.  Because of the number of experiments that have been tried out in this State for testing processes of development and social change, it has also been called a Laboratory for Development.  The disputes related to revenue and forest land of the State are now resurfacing with new dimensions, and it is a matter of regret that instead of moving towards a solution, the disputes seem to be caught in never ending twists and turns. Being a disputed matter, it cannot even be ignored. The issue of forest generates a triangular conflict between power, money and community strength.  History has been witness that civilizations are born and develop only close to natural resources, particularly rivers and forests.  The balance in nature is maintained by protecting these very resources. However, in the present scenario, the definition of development being followed by the State is only creating new problems of ever increasing social inequality. Therefore it becomes a matter of prime importance to make concerted and wide-ranging efforts to find a solution to this problem having direct relevance to forests.

Forest Resources :

Madhya Pradesh is one of the most blessed states of India in terms of natural resources including rich and diverse forests, Forests cover about 30.72 per cent of its total area of 3.08 sq km (i.e., 94,689 sq km). This significant resource of the state is being conserved and harnessed through innovative measures like community participation and decentralisation.

The state has been a pioneer in making forestry people-oriented with 15228 Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) involved in protection and management of about 70% of the forest area. People are the real dwellers and the real caretakers of the forests and, thus, are made the beneficiaries of the dividends of this field. Forests and forest produce based industries make an important contribution to the economy of the state. Owing to economic importance of forest wealth, efforts are being made for the systematisation of the trade of forest produce in the state. The state takes care of the trade of nationalised forest produce viz., Tendu Leaf, Sal Seed and Kullu Gum. In addition, a number of forest produce like Aonla, Harra, Lac, Achar, Mahua etc. are also being collected & traded through a network of Cooperative Societies. Aonla, Gum, Tendu Leaf, Sal seed, Harra and various medicinal plants of Madhya Pradesh are in great demand in national and international markets. Tendu leaf collection activities alone account for an income of about Rs. 145 crore every year to the forest dwellers.

Teak and Sal forests are the pride of the state. The Forest Department and the Forest Development Corporation have done extensive teak plantations during the last few decades. The dense forests of teak lie in Jabalpur, Seoni, Balaghat, Panna, Sehore, Dewas, Hoshangabad, Harda, Betul, Sagar, Chhindwara and Mandla districts. Similarly, the Sal forests are mainly located in Mandla, Dindori, Balaghat, Sidhi, Umaria, Anuppur and Shahdol districts.

The geographical and biotic diversity of the state is well reflected in its 18 forest types ranging from thorn-forests to subtropical hill forests. The state is divided into 9 natural regions and 11 agro-climatic zones.

Classification of Forests :

•  Reserved Forests
•  Protected Forests
•  Unclassified Forests

In the state, protected forests constitute 31098 sq km of the total forest area. Reserved forests are spread over 61886 sq km and unclassified forests cover an area of 1705 sq km.

The density of forests is not uniform in the state. Balaghat, Mandla, Dindori, Betul, Seoni, Chhindwara, Shahdol, Harda, Sheopur, Sidhi are some of densely forested districts. The forests of the state mostly lie in the southern and eastern belt; Sheopur and Panna being the notable exceptions.

The state has 18 forest types which belong to three forest type groups, viz. Tropical Moist Deciduous, Tropical Dry Deciduous and Tropical Thorn Forests. Percentage-wise distribution of forest cover in different forest type groups found in the state on the basis of the forest cover assessment is as below :-

 Forest Type Group                                                                    Percent Forest Cover

 Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests                                                     8.97

 Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests                                                      88.65%

 Tropical Thorn Forests                                                                     0.26%

Forest wealth in Madhya Pradesh :

The Forest Department of Government of Madhya Pradesh had assessed the quantity of timber and wood available in forests, as 500 lakh cubic meters, valuing at Rs. 2, 50,000 crores. In addition, the estimated official value of other forest produce is Rs. 1,000 crores per year. Further, the illegal trading of various forest products is estimated at Rs. 7,500 crores per year, and this very illegal trading is the single biggest cause of problem.The annual revenue receipts of Government of Madhya Pradesh from its Forest Department are to the tune of about Rs. 300 crores. 

Social Forestry in Madhya Pradesh :

With a view to supplement and compensate for the shrinking area of forests, the idea of social forestry was introduced and promoted to overcome the problem created by de-forestation. On the face of it, the idea was introduced with ideal objectives, but experience reveals that it is creating internal dissentions amongst the community itself.  During the Five Year Plan period between 1978 and 1983, it was an accepted phenomenon that along with providing protection to forests, the demand of market has also to be met together with the developmental needs of community living under poverty conditions. As such, the objective was to improve the economic conditions of communities living in forest area, while maintaining the policy production-oriented activities of forestation, farming and social forestation.It was decided that forestation be promoted to meet the demands of raw material for forest based industries with special emphasis on fast growing trees.

The policy adopted for social forestry was to improve the forests, usage of fallow land, and plantation on either side of the road, forestation on community and river lands. It was a participatory effort under which social forest committees were formed.  However, further analysis of the scheme reveals that instead of meeting the developmental needs of forests and rural people, the primary objective of the scheme was to meet the requirement of market and industries. Consequently, the food production was reduced and to derive cash benefits, water-soaking trees like Nilgiri were planted in large quantities.The earlier found diversity of forests started diminishing and also monoculture has adversely affected the productivity of the fertile land. Not only this, because of this very reason, the opportunities for labour work were also reduced.