Tamil Nadu’s forest cover up 9.09% over the last decade: govt. report

Of the total 26,450.22 sq.km of forest cover in the State, only 13% (3,586.19 sq.km) is classified as very dense forest.

Tamil Nadu has seen a 9.09% increase in its forest cover over the last decade, adding 2,205.01 sq.km of greenery, according to the India State of Forest 2023 report released by the Government of India on December 21.

The report, which was released after nearly a year’s delay, states that in 2013, Tamil Nadu’s forest cover stood at 24,245.21 sq.km, and by 2023, it had expanded to 26,450.22 sq.km.

While this shows a slight improvement, the forest cover has seen a small decline over the past three years. A comparison between 2023 and 2021 shows a loss of almost 61 sq.km of forest cover in the State.

It’s important to note that the term “forest cover” includes all lands with at least one hectare in area and a canopy of 10% or more, regardless of ownership or legal status. This also accounts for orchards, bamboo, and palm plantations, a factor that experts argue may not accurately represent true forest health.

Furthermore, of the total 26,450.22 sq.km of forest cover in the State, only 13% (3,586.19 sq.km) is classified as very dense forest, while 41.7% (11,027.03 sq.km) is moderately dense, and 44.83% (11,837 sq.km) is categorised as open forest.

One significant trend noted in the report is the increase in forest cover outside the recorded forest area (RFA), which refers only to areas officially designated as forest in government records. Over the last decade, the State added 2,228.22 sq.km of forest cover outside the RFA. However, within the RFA, there has been a slight loss of 23.21 sq.km.

The RFA spans 23,188 sq.km of the State’s land, and according to the report, about 2% of this area is heavily degraded, nearly 25% is moderately degraded, and 55.04% is mildly degraded. Invasive species such as lantana camara, chromolaena odorata, prosopis juliflora, ageratum conyzoides, and cuscuta spp. continue to pose a threat to the biodiversity and health of the forests inside the RFA.

The report also highlights the increase in tree cover within agroforestry systems, with an additional 780.9 sq.km of tree green cover added from 2013 to 2023. However, it should be noted that the number of trees counted in 2023 also includes smaller trees (5 to 10 cm in diameter) that were not enumerated in 2013, contributing to the observed rise in tree cover.