Forest Area of Jammu and Kashmir :

Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947, and between India and China since 1962. The region of Jammu and Kashmir is separated by the Line of Control from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north respectively. It lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of Ladakh, which is also subject to the dispute as a part of Kashmir, and administered by India as a union territory.

Jammu and Kashmir has a geographic area of 101387 Sq. Kms. It lies between Latitude 32°17’ and 37°05’ North and longitude 72°31’ and 80°20’ East. The State is divided into three geographic regions viz. Ladakh, Kashmir Valley and Jammu. The higher regions are covered by Pir Panjal, Karakoram and inner Himalayan ranges of mountains. The important river systems of the State are the Chenab, the Tawi and the Jhelum.

Forests of the state are spread over three broad geo-climatic zones covering Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions of the State. Vegetation and climate can broadly be categorized into sub-tropical, temperate and alpine zones with wide diversity of fauna and flora. More than 50% of the plant species used in British pharmacopoeia are reported to grow in Jammu and Kashmir. Literature indicates that 572 plant species belonging to 109 different families have medicinal value.

The recorded Forest area is 20230 Sq. Kms. which constitutes 19.95 % of geographical area of the State. Forests are largely distributed in Kashmir Valley and Jammu regions. Leh and Kargil are devoid of Forest Vegetation as the region is cold desert.There are five forest types occurring in the State Viz. Subtropical Dry Evergreen, Himalayan Moist Temperate, Himalayan Dry Temperate, Subtropical Pine and Sub-alpine and alpine Forests.

Forest cover in Jammu and Kashmir :

The forest cover of the state as per State of Forest Report 2003 issued by Forest Survey of India is 24214 sq kms which is 110 sq km less than the 2001 assessment. As per the report 1351 sq km of dense forests has degraded to either open forest, scrub or non-forest.

The decrease in dense forest cover is due to two reasons i.e. real changes as well as interpretational changes. The real decrease in dense forest cover is due to loss in forest area. Interpretational changes between subsequent assessments are due to reflectance of agricultural/ horticultural crops, which give reflectance similar to that of forest cover.

India State of Forest Report, 2019 :

 Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the biennial “India State of Forest Report,  2019 (ISFR ) as per the report, the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir too contributed in increasing the green cover by figuring among top five States/UTs recording highest increase.

The report further said that the forests of J&K have recorded the highest growing stock of wood per unit area, which is 144.16 cubic meter per hectare. The total carbon stock of forests in UTs including ‘Trees outside Forests’ is 390.20 million tonnes (1430.73 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent), which is 5.48 percent of the total forest carbon of the country. ISFR-2019 revealed that the extent of forest cover and the trees outside the forests in UT of Jammu and Kashmir is 29,066 sq km, which is 55 percent of the total geographical area of UT of J&K.

A total of 42 forest types are found in the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, which are highest in the country and denotes the diversity of forest ecosystems in J&K. Jammu and Kashmir has recorded the highest diversity of herbs in the country. The last study had shown that in J&K the area under very dense forest cover had grown by 14 sq km only which now has grown by 206 sq km which shows that area under very dense forest cover has increased the maximum.