The recorded forest area in the state has increased over the last 23 years. This has been recorded in the State of Forest Report (SOFR) 2001 and SOFR 2023. However, the source of worry is that reserved forests and protected forests recorded a substantial decrease over the years in the state.
The recorded forest area in the state was 16,826 sq km in 2001 which increased to 17,435 sq km in 2023 according to SOFR 2001 and SOFR 2023, respectively.
While the total recorded forest area increased by 609 sq km, the same reports mentioned that the protected forest area reduced by 2,095 sq km: from 2425 sq km in SOFR 2001 to 330 sq km in SOFR 2023.
Despite this dip, what led to overall increase in the recorded forest area is an increase in the reserve forest area by 493 sq km from 11,078 sq km in SOFR 2001 to 11,571 sq km in SOFR 2023. Similarly, the rapid increase in unclassed forest from 3,323 sq km in SOFR 2001 to 5,534 sq km in SOFR 2023.
Head of the geology department at Lucknow University, senior prof Dhruvsen Singh said that in an ideal condition a country required 33% of its land under forest cover, and every category matters.
“Reserved forests are recording an increase as the forest fires activities have reduced over the years. Unclassed forests are expanding due to plantation drives and public awareness. If we increase forest area, it will lower local temperatures, act as a carbon sink, boost evapo-transpiration, and secure homes for fauna while also providing food and fuel for local communities.
“Social forestry was proposed in the 1990s and proved that forests also mean fodder for small animals and jobs for people. However, if the protected forest cover keeps shrinking, the temperature rise at local level is inevitable,” Singh said.
Head of the environmental science department at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, prof Venkatesh Dutta, said that while the deep forests – reserved and protected ones—act as a major carbon sink and are more resilient to climate change, the unclassed forests embed a lesser capacity for carbon sequestration when compared.
“The constant increase in city temperatures is due to reducing deep forest cover. It is also a great loss to indigenous species of birds, animals and micro-ecosystems due to disturbance in habitats. The pseudo-habitat created by human intervention are especially not good for indigenous species and they can never replace the natural forest covers,” said Dutta.
Director of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences (BSIP), Mahesh G Thakkar said that unclassed forests from social forestry, roadside plantations, and even household gardens now cover hundreds of sq km. “While satellite imagery counts them as green cover, they are not the same as the dense forests we’ve lost. An unclassed forest is not as efficient as a protected forest. It doesn’t have the same ecosystem, and its contribution to climate change mitigation is very limited — just 10% of the carbon capture compared to a protected forest. Social forestry helps, but it will not quantitatively add to climate action the way dense, protected forests do. Measures to protect the reserved and protected forests are required,” said Thakkar.
