Forests & Vegetation of India: Types, Policy, and Conservation

Forest types and forest policy are regularly tested in Kerala PSC geography sections. Questions focus on classification, area coverage, national policies, and important schemes. The tables below cover all exam-relevant content.

1. Forest Cover in India — Key Statistics

Parameter	Value
Total geographical area of India	32,87,263 sq km
Total forest cover (ISFR 2023)	8,27,357 sq km (25.17% of geographical area)
Very Dense Forest	99,779 sq km (3.04%)
Moderately Dense Forest	3,06,890 sq km (9.33%)
Open Forest	4,20,688 sq km (12.80%)
Target (National Forest Policy 1988)	33% of geographical area
State with highest forest cover (area)	Madhya Pradesh
State with highest forest cover (% of area)	Mizoram
UT with highest forest cover (%)	Lakshadweep (90.33%)

2. Classification of Indian Forests by Champion and Seth (1968)

Forest Type	Rainfall	Region	Key Species
Tropical Evergreen	More than 200 cm	Western Ghats, NE India, Andaman Islands	Rosewood, Mahogany, Ebony
Tropical Semi-Evergreen	200-250 cm	Western Ghats fringe, Assam	Laurel, Rosewood, Cedar
Tropical Moist Deciduous	100-200 cm	Eastern slopes of Western Ghats, Jharkhand, Odisha	Teak, Sal, Bamboo
Tropical Dry Deciduous	70-100 cm	Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh	Teak, Sal, Neem, Peepal
Tropical Thorn	Less than 70 cm	Rajasthan, Gujarat, SW Punjab	Babool, Khejri, Cactus
Montane Wet Temperate	150-300 cm (high altitude)	Nilgiris, Palani Hills, NE hills above 1800m	Magnolia, Rhododendron
Montane Dry Temperate	Low rainfall at high altitude	Ladakh, Himachal (dry inner valleys)	Juniper, Deodar
Alpine	Above 3600m	Higher Himalayas	Birch, Rhododendron, Moss
Mangrove	Tidal/coastal	Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika, Pichavaram	Sundari, Rhizophora
Littoral/Swamp	Brackish/freshwater swamps	Coastal Kerala, Odisha	Casuarina, Coconut Palm

3. Most Commercially Important Species

Species	Forest Type	Key Producing States
Teak (Sagwan)	Moist and Dry Deciduous	Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka
Sal	Moist Deciduous	Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, UP
Sandalwood	Dry Deciduous	Karnataka (Mysore region)
Rosewood	Tropical Evergreen	Kerala, Karnataka
Deodar	Himalayan Temperate	Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

4. National Forest Policies

Policy	Year	Key Provisions
First Forest Policy	1894	Forests for state revenue; commercial exploitation
Indian Forest Act	1927	Classified forests into Reserved, Protected, Village forests
National Forest Policy	1952	Target: 33% forest cover (60% in hills, 20% in plains)
National Forest Policy	1988	Environmental stability over revenue; joint forest management; peoples participation
Forest Conservation Act	1980 (amended 2023)	Prior Central approval needed for diversion of forest land for non-forest use
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act	2006	Recognises rights of tribals and traditional forest dwellers over forest land

5. Social Forestry and Agro-Forestry

Programme	Details
Social Forestry	Planting on common village lands, roadsides, canal banks for community benefit
Farm Forestry	Planting trees on private farmland
Agro-Forestry	Integration of trees with crops and/or livestock on the same land
Joint Forest Management (JFM)	Community-government partnership for forest protection; started in 1990
Van Mahotsav	Tree-planting festival; started by K.M. Munshi in 1950; observed in July

6. Important National Parks and Tiger Reserves (Forest Context)

Reserve/Park	State	Forest Type
Jim Corbett	Uttarakhand	Moist Deciduous + Sal
Bandipur	Karnataka	Dry Deciduous
Silent Valley	Kerala	Tropical Evergreen (Rainforest)
Sundarbans	West Bengal	Mangrove
Kaziranga	Assam	Tropical Semi-Evergreen + Grassland

7. Forests in Kerala

Feature	Detail
Forest cover (ISFR 2023)	21,253 sq km (54.72% of state area)
Forest type dominant	Tropical Evergreen and Moist Deciduous
Important species	Teak, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Bamboo
Silent Valley	Tropical rainforest in Palakkad; saved from hydroelectric project by protest movement (1970s-80s)
Nilambur Teak Plantation	Oldest teak plantation in the world (established 1842)
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve	Kannimara Teak — world’s tallest and largest teak tree
Mangroves	Found in Kadalundi, Kannur, and Vembanad areas

8. Forest Classification by Ownership

Type	Description
Reserved Forest	Fully protected by government; no public entry without permission
Protected Forest	Government-controlled but certain activities allowed with regulation
Village Forest	Community forest for local use; managed by village panchayat
Private Forest	Owned by individuals or corporations

9. Important International Conventions

Convention	Year	Focus
CITES	1973	Trade in endangered species
Ramsar Convention	1971	Wetland conservation
Earth Summit (UNCED)	1992	Statement of Forest Principles; Convention on Biological Diversity
Kyoto Protocol	1997	Greenhouse gas reduction; forests as carbon sinks
Paris Agreement	2015	Climate targets; India pledged additional forest/tree cover of 2.5-3 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent

10. Previous Year Question Patterns

• “National Forest Policy target for forest cover?” — 33%
• “Van Mahotsav was started by?” — K.M. Munshi (1950)
• “Oldest teak plantation in the world?” — Nilambur
• “State with largest forest area?” — Madhya Pradesh
• “Forest Conservation Act was passed in?” — 1980
• “Silent Valley is in which district?” — Palakkad
• “Joint Forest Management started in?” — 1990
• “Forest Rights Act year?” — 2006