Indian State of Forest Report 2019 (ISFR)

Indian State of Forest Report 2019 (ISFR)

Part of: GS Prelims and GS II- Governance; GS-III- Environment

In News

• The ISFR is a biennial publication of Forest Survey of India (FSI) an organization under the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change Government of India
• The report assesses the forest and tree cover, bamboo resources, carbon stock and forest fires. 
• At 7,12,249 sqkm, the forest cover constituted 21.67% of the nation’s geographical area or 0.12% more than last year.
• The forest cover in the country increased by 3,976 square kilometres (sqkm) but with the sharpest declines in the northeastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram.
• However, these states have higher proportion of forest than most States — Mizoram (85.4%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%) and Nagaland (75%
• The top three States showing an increase in forest cover are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
• Tree cover, defined as patches of trees less than 1 hectare and occurring outside the recorded forest area, grew by 1,212 sqkm
• Tree and forest cover together made up 25.56% of India’s area. In the last assessment it was 24.39%.
• Quality of forest — in terms of the canopy density of the trees comprising forest patches — is wavering.
• National Forest Policy, 1988 had envisaged 33% of total area to be under tree and forest cover.
• Ujjwala scheme, which provides free cooking gas to extremely poor families, has had a positive impact on reducing the demand for fuelwood.