Tree cover in Gujarat goes below 3 per cent, first time in 20 years

As per the India State of Forest Report 2021 released recently by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the tree cover in Gujarat is at 5,489 square kilometres (sqkms), which is just 2.80 per cent of the state’s total geographical area of 1.96 lakh sqkm. The tree cover was 6,912 sqkm or 3.52 percent of Gujarat’s total geographic area as per the 2019 FSI report.

An arm of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, FSI is the country’s premier organisation tasked with periodical assessment and monitoring of forest resources of the country. It maps the green cover of the country every two years with the help of remote-sensing satellites, other data sources and sample field verification.

The FSI report is based on mapping of green cover of the country with the help of remote-sensing satellites during October-December 2019.

Recorded or legally protected forest areas as well as plots larger than one hectare outside recorded forest areas but having at least 10 per cent tree canopy density are counted as forest cover by the FSI. Tree cover, on the other hand, refers to tree patches or isolated trees in plots of the size of 0.10 hectare to one hectare outside forest areas.

Trees outside forest include all trees outside protected forest areas, including plantations along highways, irrigation canals, as well as private premises.

It is for the first time in two decades that the tree cover has fallen below 3 per cent. The tree cover of 2.80 percent is also the second lowest since 2.06 per cent (4,036 sqkm) recorded in 2001.

The highest tree cover in the state over the past decades was reported in 2005 when it was estimated to be 5.40 per cent (10,586 sqkm). It remained over 4 per cent in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

The decrease in tree cover in Gujarat over the past four years goes against the national trend of increasing tree cover.  The country’s overall tree cover increased by 729 sqkm to go up to 95,748 sqkm between 2019 and 2021, the report states. Between 2015 and 2017, the tree cover increased by 1,212 sqkm to go up to 95,027 sqkm, data shows.

“It is a matter of concern and we will seek further data to identify the regions from where the decline is being reported and take corrective measures. The decrease could largely be on account of the state government exempting 86 tree species from the purview of Saurashtra Felling of Trees (Infliction of Punishment) Act, 1951 in year 2016, legal cutting down of trees along the highways as a number of highways are being widened and the aggressive removal of gando baval, an invasive species,” a senior forest official said on the condition of anonymity.

In another worrying sign for Gujarat, the area of moderately dense forest (MDF) decreased to 5,032 sqkm from 5,092 sqkm in 2017 whereas and that of open forest (OF) increased to 9,516 sqkm from 9,387 sqkm two years ago, indicating loss of tree canopy in forest area. “This indicates degradation of MDF into OF. However, it is difficult to convert OF into MDF or VDF (very dense forest) due to the climate in Saurashtra where large swathes of forest is located,” the officer said.

Cumulatively, the state’s total forest cover has registered an increase of 69 sqkm to go up to 14,926 sqkm or about 7.61 per cent of total geographical area of the state.