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Forests of India ​

📊 High-Yield Data & Statistical Fact Sheet
  • National Forest & Tree Cover Metrics:
    • National Target: 33% of the country's total geographical area (National Forest Policy 1988).
    • Actual Cover: 25.17% total (Forest cover: 21.76%; Tree cover: 3.41%).
    • Carbon Stock: India's forest carbon stock is estimated at 30.43 Billion Tonnes of $CO_2$ equivalent.
    • Mangrove Cover: Spans 4,992 sq km across coastal states.
  • State-wise Forest Leaders:
    • By Absolute Area: Madhya Pradesh leads, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
    • By Percentage: Lakshadweep ($>90%$) leads overall; Mizoram ($84.5%$) leads among states, followed by Arunachal Pradesh ($79.3%$).
    • Highest Gain: Andhra Pradesh registered the largest net increase in forest cover (ISFR 2021).
  • Protected Area Networks:
    • National Parks: 106 National Parks (Jim Corbett is the first; Hemis is the largest; South Button is the smallest).
    • Tiger Reserves: 58 Tiger Reserves in India (MP has 7; Maharashtra has 6).

1. CHAMPION & SETH CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM ​

India's forests are categorized using the Champion & Seth Classification System (1968), which groups forests into 5 major categories and 16 subgroups based on temperature and rainfall:

                  ┌─── [Tropical Forests] ────────► Evergreen, Semi-evergreen, Deciduous, Thorn
                  ├─── [Sub-Tropical Forests] ────► Broadleaved, Pine, Dry evergreen
 [Champion-Seth] ─┼─── [Temperate Forests] ───────► Montane wet, Himalayan moist, Himalayan dry
                  ├─── [Alpine Forests] ──────────► Sub-alpine, Moist alpine, Dry alpine
                  └─── [Littoral & Swamp] ────────► Mangroves, deltaic/marsh wetlands
  • Plant Structural Classifications:
    • Herbs: Small, delicate plants with green, tender stems (e.g., wheat, grass).
    • Shrubs: Medium-sized woody plants; branch near the ground (e.g., rose, lemon).
    • Trees: Tall, thick woody stems with branching high above the ground.
    • Climbers & Creepers: Weak stems requiring physical support (climbers: pea) or spreading horizontally on the soil (creepers: pumpkin).
    • Lianas: Woody vines rooted in the soil that climb up tree trunks to reach the sunlit canopy, abundant in tropical rainforests.

2. RAINFALL-BASED FOREST TYPES & DISTRIBUTIONS ​

  • Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest: Requires annual rainfall $> 250\text{ cm}$ and average temperatures $> 22^{\circ}\text{C}$. High canopy density, trees do not shed leaves simultaneously. Key species: Rosewood, Mahogany, Ebony, Mesua, and Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus - a broadleaf evergreen tree, not deciduous). Location: Windward slopes of the Western Ghats, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Assam/North-East.
  • Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forest: Requires rainfall of $200\text{--}250\text{ cm}$. Transition zone between evergreen and moist deciduous. Key species: White Cedar, Hollock, Kail, Champa. Location: Western Ghats, Odisha, and Assam.
  • Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest: Requires rainfall of $100\text{--}200\text{ cm}$. The most widespread forest type in India. Trees shed leaves in early summer. Key species: Teak, Sal, Shisham, Hurra, Sandalwood, Mahua. Location: Shiwalik foothills, Central India, Western Ghats margins, and Odisha.
  • Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest: Requires rainfall of $75\text{--}100\text{ cm}$. Open, transitional forests. Key species: Tendu, Palas, Amaltas, Bel, Khair. Location: Extensive across the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Peninsular India.
  • Tropical Thorn Forest: Requires rainfall $< 50\text{ cm}$. Xerophytic shrubs with waxy, thorny leaves and thick water-storing stems. Key species: Babool, Khejri, Ber, Wild Date Palm. Location: Rajasthan, Gujarat, and dry rain-shadow regions of the Deccan.
  • Littoral and Swamp Forest (Mangroves): Intertidal, salt-tolerant forests. Key species: Sundri (Heritiera fomes), Rhizophora, Keora. Location: Ganga-Brahmaputra delta (Sundarbans), Bhitarkanika, and Mahanadi/Krishna-Godavari deltas.
  • Montane Wet Temperate (Sholas): High-altitude temperate forests ($> 1500\text{ m}$) in the Southern Indian hills (Nilgiris, Anaimalai). Stunted evergreen trees with dense undergrowth. Key species: Magnolia, Cinchona, Laurel.

3. FOREST GOVERNANCE, CONSERVATION & 2025 RULES ​

  • Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Amendment Rules, 2025:
    • Definition of 'Forest': Confines the application of the Act to lands officially recorded as forests in government records or notified under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 after October 25, 1980.
    • Public Utility Exemptions: Exempts forest diversions up to 0.1 hectare along rail lines/roads for public access; up to 10 hectares for security-related infrastructure; and up to 5 hectares in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts for public utility projects (e.g., schools, health centers).
    • Forestry Activity Status: Categorizes the establishment of zoos, safaris, and ecotourism facilities in forest areas as "Forestry Activities," exempting them from non-forest diversion clearances.
  • Environmental Accounting on Forests, 2025 (MoEFCC): Introduces a framework aligned with the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting to integrate the economic value of forest ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, water recharge) into national economic planning.
  • National Mission for a Green India (GIM): A Centrally Sponsored Scheme aiming to increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares and improve the quality of another 5 million hectares of degraded forest land.

4. NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS (NTFPS) ​

NTFPs (or Minor Forest Produce - MFP) are biological materials (other than timber) extracted from forests:

  • Legal Rights: The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 grants ownership, access, and disposal rights over minor forest produce to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers.
  • TRIFED (MSP for MFP): The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through TRIFED, implements a Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme for MFPs to protect tribal gatherers from market exploitation.
  • Key NTFPs & Applications:
    • Tendu Leaves: Harvested from Diospyros melanoxylon; used for rolling beedis. Highly lucrative in MP, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
    • Mahua Flowers: Harvested from Madhuca longifolia; used in food products and distilling traditional beverages.
    • Katha: Extracted from the heartwood of the Khair tree (Acacia catechu); used as a key ingredient in paan and leather tanning.
    • Sal Dammar: Resinous exudate from Sal trees; used in varnishes, printing inks, and incense.

5. STATE-WISE HIGHLIGHTS OF NATIONAL PARKS ​

  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands: South Button Island (smallest, $0.03\text{ sq km}$), Campbell Bay, Galathea Bay, Mount Harriett, Mahatma Gandhi Marine.
  • Arunachal Pradesh: Namdapha (known for flying squirrels and high altitudinal zonation), Mouling.
  • Assam: Kaziranga (famous for the Greater One-horned Rhino), Manas (known for pygmy hogs and golden langurs), Dibru-Saikhowa, Nameri, Orang, Raimona, Dihing Patkai.
  • Chhattisgarh: Indravati (Kutru), Kanger Valley, Guru Ghasidas (Sanjay).
  • Gujarat: Gir (exclusive home of the Asiatic Lion), Marine (Gulf of Kachchh), Vansda, Velavadar Blackbuck.
  • Himachal Pradesh: Great Himalayan (UNESCO Natural Site), Pin Valley (cold desert), Inderkilla, Khirganga, Simbalbara.
  • Karnataka: Bandipur, Nagarhole, Kudremukh, Bannerghatta (has a butterfly park), Anshi.
  • Kerala: Silent Valley (known for lion-tailed macaques), Eravikulam (nilgiri tahr), Periyar (elephants and tigers), Shola National Parks (Anamudi Shola, Pambadum Shola, Mathikettan Shola).
  • Madhya Pradesh: Kanha (famous for Barasingha), Bandhavgarh (high tiger density), Kuno (Project Cheetah translocation site), Panna, Satpura, Madhav, Sanjay, Van Vihar.
  • Manipur: Keibul Lamjao (the world's only floating national park on Loktak Lake, conserving the dancing Sangai deer).
  • Odisha: Bhitarkanika (mangroves and saltwater crocodiles), Similipal (tiger and elephant reserve).
  • Rajasthan: Desert National Park (Great Indian Bustard), Keoladeo Ghana (Ramsar/Montreux site), Ranthambore, Sariska.
  • Uttarakhand: Jim Corbett (India's first national park, established in 1936 as Hailey National Park), Valley of Flowers, Nanda Devi, Rajaji, Gangotri, Govind.
  • West Bengal: Sundarbans (mangroves/tigers), Buxa, Jaldapara, Gorumara, Singalila.
  • Ladakh: Hemis (India's largest national park, $3,350\text{ sq km}$, known for snow leopards).

QUICK REVISION BOX ​

  • Widespread Forest Type: Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest (dominated by Teak/Sal).
  • Tendu Leaf Nodal State: Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (minor forest produce).
  • Katha Source: Heartwood of the Khair tree (Acacia catechu).
  • First National Park: Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand, 1936).
  • Largest National Park: Hemis National Park (Ladakh).
  • Smallest National Park: South Button Island National Park (Andaman & Nicobar).
  • Zoos/Safaris Status 2025: Defined as Forestry Activity under new amendment rules.
  • Nilgiri Tahr Sanctuary: Eravikulam National Park (Kerala).
  • Jackfruit Phenology: The Jackfruit is a broadleaf evergreen tree, not deciduous.

Notes updated up to March 2026. Sources: ISFR 2021, MoEFCC notifications, TRIFED portal.

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