As per the forest survey of India, 2 % of global recorded forest cover is in India with 10 nth positions in the world. Russia has the highest forest wealth in the world with 20 % of global forest cover.
As per the forest survey of India, the 'forest cover' includes tree canopy density having more than 10 % and more than 1 hectares in areas, irrespective of ownership.
Importance of forest:
The following are the importance:
- Enhance the quality of the environment
- Forest modify local climate, temperature, and cause rainfall.
- Control soil erosion
- Regulate streamflow
- Provide a scenic view
- Provide humus to the soils
- Habitats to wildlife
- Support a variety of industries
- Provide fuel
- Control wind forces
- Control soil erosion.
Forest Area Vs Forest Covers:
- As per the state of forest report 2011:
- Actual Forest Cover: 21.05 % of India's land.
- Forest Areas: 23.28 %
Forest area and forest covers are not the same.
Forest areas are notified by the forest department under the forest record of the state revenue department whereas forest cover is occupied by forest with a minimum of 10 % canopy and it is a measure based on areal photographs and satellite images.
As per the state of forest report 2011:
- A total of 21.05 % is total forest cover and out of it
- Dense forest and moderately dense forest: 12.29 %
- A dense forest is a forest that has more than 70 % or more tree canopy
- Moderate dense forest having tree canopy between 40 to 70 %
- Open forest: 8.75 %:
- The open forest is a forest having a tree canopy of 10 to 40 % of the area.
Spatial distribution of Forest in India:
There is a lot of spatial variation in both forest areas and forest cover.
Forest areas variation in the states:
Lakshadweep has 0 % of forest area.
Andaman and Nicobar: 86.93 % forest areas.
North and northwestern states have 10 % forest areas; states are:
- Rajasthan
- Gujarat
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Delhi
- UP
- Bihar
10 to 20 % of forest areas states:
- Tamil Nadu
- West Bengal
20 to 30 % of forest areas states:
- Odisha
- Chhattisgarh
- Madhya Pradesh
- Jharkhand
- Maharashtra
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Telangana
- Kerala
More than 30 % of forest areas states:
- North-Eastern states
- Andaman and Nicobar island
15 states have more than 33 % forest which is a basic requirement for ecological balance.
Spatial variation of Actual forest cover in Indian states:
It can be categories into four regions:
- The region of high concentration having more than 40 % forest
- Medium Forest concentration having 20 to 40 % forest cover
- Low forest concentration having 10 to 20 % forest cover
- Very low forest concentration having less than 10 % forest cover
Types of vegetation in our country
- Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest
- Tropical Deciduous Forest
- Tropical thorny shrub forest
- Montane forest
- mangrove forest
Tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest:
- These forests are found in heavy rainfall areas ( more than 200 cm annual)
- Great height: 60 meters
- Since warm and wet climate all the year, hence luxurious vegetation of all types such as a tree, shrubs, creepers. It gives a multilayer structure of vegetation.
- Vegetation appears green all the year, as no definite time to shed their leaves.
- Vegetation such as Ebony, Mahogany, Rosewood, Rubber.
- Areas;
- Western Ghats
- Lakshadweep
- Andaman Nicobar
- Tamil Nadu coast
- The upper part of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and Nagaland.
Tropical deciduous forest:
- It is also known as the monsoon forest.
- Spread in a large part of India.
- Rainfall 200Cm to 70 cm
- Shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer.
- It further divided into:
- Moist tropical deciduous forest
- Dry deciduous forest
- Moist deciduous forest:
- Trees are:
- Teak, Bamboos, Sal, Shisham, Sandal Wood, Khair.
- Areas;
- Eastern part of India
- Northeastern states
- Foothills of Himalayan
- Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh
Tropical Thorn forest:
- rainfall area less than 70 cm
- Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan
- Babool, ber, date
Montane Forest:
- In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing height leads to a change in vegetation.
- The succession of natural vegetation belts in the same order as we see tropical (foothill of Himalayan) to the tundra region.
- 1000 to 2000 meters: wet temperate forest, evergreen broadleaf tree such as oaks.
- 1500 to 1750 meter: pine forest; deodar trees endemic
- 2000 to 3000 meters: Temperate grassland
- 1500 to 3000 meters: Temperate forest. Coniferous trees such as pines, deodar, silver for, cedar. These trees mostly covered the southern slope of the Himalayan.
- 3,000 to 4000 meters or more altitude: Alpine vegetation
- Higher altitude: Mosses and lichen's form parts of tundra vegetation.
Mangrove forest or littoral or Swamp Forest:
- The mangrove forest is found in coastal areas where the least influence of tides, Mud, and silt gets accumulated.
- Root if plants submerged under Water.
- Sundary trees are found in Ganga Brahmaputra delta.
For a detailed explanation, watch the below video:
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