[Forest Survey 2013] Types of Forest cover, ResourceSAT, Mangroves, Agroforestry,

Urban forestry & more stupid rankings

1. Prologue
1. Forest Survey Report 2013
2. Limitations of ResourceSAT in forest survey
2. [Act 1] Forest cover & Tree Cover
1. How does India have 21% forest cover?
2. Ranking: Forest covered area
3. Ranking altitude wise
4. Ranking: growth of Forest cover
5. Forest cover: Misc. factoids
6. Tree cover
7. Ranking tree cover
3. [Act 2] Mangroves and Bamboos
1. Ranking: Mangrove States/UT
4. [Act 3] Forest Growth factors
5. [Act 4] Agroforestry
6. [Act 5] Urban forestry
7. [Act 6] Misc. factoids
1. Growing Stock
2. Physiographic zones
Prologue
This summary is not for the faint hearted, because contains truckload of factoids and
rankings.
Only those whove finished static environment, geography and aptitude portion should
proceed further.
As such I was preparing economic survey summary but consider this report to be a fork of
the Economic survey Ch12 on sustainable Development & climate change.
Credit: B.N.S. Viswanath for majority of the compilation.
Forest Survey Report 2013
Who? Forest survey of India
Since
when?
1987: using LANDSAT satellite. Since then report every two years.
latest
report
2013: using IRS-Resourcesat Satellite
E-
green
watch
Online system to monitor CAMPA activities, doing social audits, tracking progress etc.
(Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.)
Limitations of ResourceSAT in forest survey
for sci-tech type MCQs
1. ResourceSATs LISS-3 sensor cannot record forest cover less than 23.5m
2. It analyses colors: therefore, itll not record young plantations, trees with less chlorophyll
content or poor foliage
3. clouds and shadows obscuring details
4. Lantana and other large weeds also get recorded as forest cover.
5. sugarcane, cotton etc. agriculture crops grown near forest areas. ResourceSAT cannot
differentiate them from trees. Have to send men on field for crossverification.
[Act 1] Forest cover & Tree Cover
Official definition of forest cover?
All lands more than one hectare in area
with a tree canopy of more than 10%,
Both public and private land
even orchards, bamboo and palm
How does India have 21% forest cover?
only first 3 counted under Forest cover
classification based on tree canopy
Classes Tree Canopy % of Total area
1.Very dense forest 70% or above 2.5
2.Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) 40% or above 9.5
3.Open Forest (OF) 10% or above 9
4.Scrub: degraded forest land Less than 10% 1.5
5.Non-forest land Area not in above classes 77.5
Out of them class 1, 2 and 3 = Forest cover.
Therefore, total forest cover=(2.5+9.5+9)=21% of total geographical area. (Exact number
is 21.23%)
In absolute figure: forest cover is ~7lakh sq.km out of total ~33 lakh sqkm area.
Ranking: Forest covered area
Area wise % wise
1. MP
2. Arunanchal
3. Chhattisgarh
4. Maharashtra
5. Odisha
1. Mizoram
2. Lakshadweep
3. A&N
4. Arunanchal
5. Nagaland
Ranking altitude wise
Altitude zone % of Forest cover found
0-500m 52.44
500-1000m 28.14
1000-2000m 10.96
2000-3000m 5.83
3000-4000m 2.49
Above 4000 m 0.14
total 100%
Numbers not important but interpretation is:
A. Majority of Indias forest cover is witihin 500m above sea level.
B. There is hardly any forest cover on altitude above 3000m.
C. both Correct
D. None correct
Ranking: growth of Forest cover
Highest increase Highest decrease
1. W.Bengal
2. Odisha
3. Kerala
4. Jharkhand
5. Bihar
1. Nagaland (bcoz Jhum cycle shortened)
2. Andhra (bcoz open cast mining)
3. Madhya Pradesh
4. Tripura
5. Manipur
Main reasons for declined forest cover
1. biotic pressure
2. shortening of Jhum cycle (Nagaland)
3. open cast mining (Andhra Pradesh)
4. Earthquake induced landslides (Sikkim)
overall, forest cover increased between 2011 to 2013.
Forest cover growth: type wise
Type Sq.km in 2013
1.Very dense forest +31 increased
2.Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) -2000 decreased
3.Open Forest (OF) +8000 increased

Forest classification: species wise
pure forest mixed forest
single tree species is dominant Two or more tree species intermingled in the same canopy .
Area wise, Forest type ranking: Mixed forest >> Sal >> Lowland hardwood >> Teak >> Teak
with misc.
Forest cover: Misc. factoids
15 States /UT have above 33% area under forest cover
8 States /UT have above 75% area under forest cover
Hill
districts
40% of their Area under forest cover.
Hill districts means all districts of Arunanchal Pradesh, Himachal, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand
Tribal
district
40% of their Area under forest cover
North
East
8% of Indias geographical area but 25% of Indias forest covers.
North East is also one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots of world

Forest area
Includes Doesnt include
wetlands, rivers, riverbeds, creeks in the
mangroves, snow-covered areas, glaciers, alpine
pastures, cold deserts, grasslands of sholas, etc
plantations on community lands, road side,
railways and canals, Eucalyptus, rubber, tea
and coffee plantations, etc
Tree cover
Indias National Forest Policy 1988 wants to have 33% of India under forest and tree cover.
mind the words: forest cover + tree cover.
Whats the difference?
Forest cover Tree Cover
All lands more than one hectare in area,
>10% tree canopy
below 1 ht. area under trees. (especially surrounding
villages and woodlands)
satellite can easily measure it. need satellite + manual field verification
~7lakh sq.km ~91,000 sq.km
21.23% of Indian land 2.78% of Indian land
Therefore, total cover =21.23+2.78 = 24.01% of India under forest and tree cover.
Ranking tree cover
Mind the words: tree cover and not forest cover
Among 14 physiographic regions Areawise %wise
1. West Coast
2. Central highland
3. East Deccan
.
Lowest tree cover in Eastern Himalayas
1. Maharashtra
2. Gujarat
3. Rajasthan
4. J&K
1. Lakshadweep
2. Goa
3. Chandigarh
4. Diu Daman
[Act 2] Mangroves and Bamboos
Mangrove is a salt tolerant plant.
grows in tropical and sub-tropical inter-tidal region
rainfall between 1000-3000 mm
Temperature ranging between 26-35oC.
Mangrove adaptations
pneumatophores Aerial roots above ground. Plant can breathe air in waterlogged soil
buttress roots Root grows from directly stem, above ground, to support the tree.
stilt roots
below water/land.They uphold the mangrove against tides, strong winds and
tropical storms.
Vivipary
Instead of germinating externally from a seed, Mangroves reproduce via buds
(embryos). Refer to following chart:
Ranking: Mangrove States/UT
Mangrove Areawise ranking Red balloons: bottom 5, Blue squares: top 5
Area wise rank within that,largest in__.
1. West Bengal South 24 Paragana
2. Gujarat Kutch
3. A&N Islands Andaman
4. Andhra Pradesh East Godawari
5. Odisha Kendrapara
6. Maharashtra Raigarh
7. Tamil Nadu Nagapattinam
8. Goa North Goa
9. Kerala Kannur
10. Karnataka Udipi
11. Puducherry Yanam
12. Daman & Diu
total 4627.63
Mangrove area: Misc. factoids
India
Mangrove=~0.15% of Indias geographical area
India has ~3% of worlds mangrove forests
Sundarban (WB) 50% of Indias mangrove forests
34 sq.km
Decreased in 2013
Reason: better satellite data, higher accuracy in counting.
Highest increase Gujarat
overall decreased Mangrove cover (2013, compared to 2011)
Bamboos
Bamboo belongs to the grass family Poaceae ( Gramineae )
Therefore, Bamboo is a non wood forest resource.
India has 125 indigenous, 11 exotic species of bamboo.
in terms of Bamboo diversity rank: (1) China, (2) India
Bambo is fast growing, wide spread, renewable, versatile, low cost natural resource.
Therefore, known as poor man s timber .
[Act 3] Forest Growth factors
#1: Forest fire
Period: 3rd week of Feb to 1st week of May
Most vulnerable Least vulnerable
Dry deciduous forests
1. Evergreen
2. semi-evergreen
3. montane temperate forests
Forest survey divides districts into three categories: highly, moderately and low vulnerable
districts
Ranking: highest forest fire vulnerability: Madhya Pradesh (24 districts), Maharashtra
(18), Andhra Pradesh (15)
Forest fire: why bad?
1. Destroys humus, nitrogen and other nutrient elements= soil fertility declined= regeneration
difficult.
2. Destroys grass= less infiltration of water = more runoff of water=regeneration difficult.
3. As such cattle grazing is considered a threat to forest cover, but controlled grazing
reduces grass density and thereby reduces forest fire risk.
#2: Forest regeneration
Process of replacing old crop/trees with younger ones.
either via natural or artificial methods
Assertion Grazing reduction, lopping and plantation can help in forest regeneration.
Reason
These activities influences carbon storage through changes in tree biomas both
above and below ground.
Correct
Answer
both right, R explains A
#3: Soil depth
Assertion Soil depth is an important factor for forest growth
Reason
Soil holds necessary space, nutrients and water required for plant growth and
stability
Correct
Answer
both right, R explains A
Soil depth: more factoids
1. climate and topography affect soil depth
2. Hills have less soil depth than valleys.
3. Black cotton soil= deepest sedentary soil
4. Alluvial soil = deepest secondary soil.
5. Rockiness is related to soil depth. Where rockiness is more, the soil depth is less.
6. Therefore, in rocky soils, crop density is less and vegetation is sparse.
#4: Humus
Assertion Humus is regarded as the life blood of soil mass.
Reason Humus improves the physical and chemical properties of soil
Correct Answer both right, R explains A
Humus=decomposed organic matter in soil.
Includes both plant and animal litter, tissues.
appearance: amorphous, brownish black
[Act 4] Agroforestry
Agroforestry = inclusion of perennial trees within farm.
States with max. agroforestry area: Maharashtra > Gujarat > Rajasthan
Benefits of Agroforestry
1. Bio-fertilizer trees enrich soil and helping in land regeneration.
2. They provide nutrient recycling, increase organic matter.
3. They provide fruits, fodder, medicines, non-timber forest produce and shelter.
Steps by Government
Planning commission report: we can bring 3 crore people out of Poverty, by implementing
Agroforestry in rainfed areas.
Therefore, Government spends sizable fund on agroforestry- under MNREGA, watershed
Management, Green India mission, horticulture mission etc.
Following emphasized on agro forestry
1952 National Forest Policy
1988 National Forest Policy
2000 National Agriculture Policy
2001 Task Force on Greening India
2002 National Bamboo Mission 2002
2007 National Policy on Farmers
[Act 5] Urban forestry
Population projections
2013: Top 5 2050: Top 5
1. China
2. India
3. USA
4. Indonesia
5. Brazil
1. India
2. China
3. Nigeria
4. USA
5. Indonesia
By 2050: India will have the largest population of world.
Ranking: states with maximum urban population- Maharashtra >UP > TN>..>(lowest)
Sikkim
Urban forestry benefits
1. In India, Urbanization is synonymous with slums, transport congestion, poor sanitation and
airpollution.
2. Urban trees can directly meet basic needs including food, fuel, fodder and timber products
for poor
3. They improve air quality, energy savings, noise abettment, conversation of soil and water
4. Ranking: states with max. urban trees: Taminadu > Maharashtra > Karnataka > Kerala
[Act 6] Misc. factoids
Growing Stock
It is the volume of all living trees in a given area, above than a certain diameter at breast
height.
Growing stock measured in m
3
.
Benefit of finding Growing stock?
1. provides information on existing wood resources
2. We can estimate the amount of carbon contained in the area.
3. REDD+ mechanism requires India to keep this record under National Forest Monitoring
System (NFMS)
Ranking as per Growing stock
(cost benefit bad for MCQ, but putting it for public record)
Total Growing Stock of wood in the country ~ 5600 m
3
Max GS within forest areas is found in Western Himalayas > East Deccan > Eastern
Himalayas
Highest GS in forest area Sal>Teak>Pine>Laurel
Highest GS in Trees Outside Forests (TOF) : Mango, Neem, Coconut, Palm
Highest GS among states, UTKHND > Arunanchal Pradesh > CHHTSGRH > HP
Highest GS in TOF J&K > MH > GJ > AP
Physiographic zones
India is divided into 14 physiographic zones based on altitude, location, soil, precipitation,
temperature, etc
1. Western Himalayas 2. Eastern Himalayas
3. North East 4. Northern Plains
5. Eastern Plains 6. Western Plains
7. Central Highlands 8. North Deccan
9. East Deccan 10. South Deccan
11. Western Ghats 12. Eastern Ghats
13. West Coast 14. East Coast
URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2014/08/forest-survey-2013-resourcesat-mangroves-
agroforestry-urban-forestry-ranking.html
Posted By Mrunal On 08/08/2014 @ 20:59 In the category Economy