Vegetation that grows in a place in their natural climate and soil, without the intervention of human beings, is called the natural vegetation of that place. Natural vegetation is one of the most important resources for any country. The country turned into a desert due to a lack of natural vegetation. The topography, climate, and soil control the normal vegetation. Topographical variation, different types of climate especially variation in rainfall, and different types of soil of India contribute to the creation of forests here. The total forest cover in our country is 7,12,249 sq. km which is 21.67% of the total geographical area. On the other hand, according to the India state of forest report 2019, the total forest and tree cover is 8,07,276 sq. km which is 24.56% of the total geographical area of the country.
The Vegetation of India is divided into the following classes:
1. Tropical Vegetation Forests
These forests are found in those areas where more than 200 cm of rainfall takes place. The average temperature is lies between 25°C to27°C. These forests are very dense and high due to high temperature and relative humidity. In India, these forests are mainly found in Western Ghats (Sahyadri), Shillong Plateau (Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram), West Bengal, Assam, western coastal plain, and Andaman and Nicobar Island.
In the northern Sahyadri region, these forests are called Sholas forests. These forests include Cinchona, Rubber, Mahogany, Bamboo, Cane, Ebony, Coconut, Ironwood, Jarool, etc.
2. Tropical Wet Deciduous Forest
They are also called monsoon forests, where the annual rainfall occurs between 100 to 150 cm. These forests are mainly found in the Eastern slope of the Western Ghats, the northeast part of peninsular India, and in the areas of Bhabar and Terai with the help of Shivalik. These types of forests are dominated by Teak and Sal trees.
These forests include main trees such as Shawl, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Mango, Teak, Sakhua, Mahua, Triphala, Bamboo, etc. These trees have a great economic value.
3. Tropical Dry Forest
These forests are found in those areas where the annual rainfall occurs between 70 to 100 cm and the average annual temperature is lies between 16°C to 23°C. These forests are characterized by canopies. In this type of forest, sunlight can easily reach the ground which helps the growth of grasses. Basically, this type of forest is a degraded version of the moist deciduous forest. These forests are found in peninsular India, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh.
Sheesham, Acacia, Kikar, Mango, etc. are found in these forests. Woods of these forests are costly from an economical point of view.
4. Thorn Forests/Desert Forests
Desert forests are mostly started from the Western part of Aravalli mountain. These forests are found in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and the Rain Shadow area. Here, the average annual rainfall in this zone is less than 50 cm. Here the annual average day temperature is very high, at the same time the temperature at the night is comparatively very low. Acacia, Khejri, Haw Thoran, Cactus, Dates, and Khair in these trees are prominent.
5. Deltaic/Zachary / Tidal / Mangrove Forests
These forests are called Mangroves/Marshy forests. These forests grow in the area of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna rivers. Due to the abundance of Sundari trees in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta region, these are also called Sundarbans. These forests are found in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. It is also found in Kathiawar, Kachchh, and the Gulf of Khambhat. The main concentration of the forests is found where tides come frequently. Height of the trees in such a forest is up to 30m. Sundari, Garan, Gaowa, Coconut, etc. are the trees that are found in this forest frequently.
6. Mountain forests
These forests are found in the Himalayan region and on the high mountain according to the height they are known by different names.
- 1000 to 2000 m: Temperature Forest. Such types of forest are seen in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Northern hilly part of North Bengal. Oak and Chestnut’s trees are found in temperature forests. Oak, Pine, Silver, Spruce are important trees of temperature forests.
- 2000 to 3000 m: Humid Temperature Forest. Such forests are seen in the entire Himalayas, from Arunachal Pradesh to Jammu and Kashmir region. In such a forest, the temperature lies between 12°C to 15°C. And rainfalls between 100 cm to 250 cm. Oak, Deodar, Fir, etc. are found in this forest.
- 2800 to 4000 m: Alpine Forest/Angled Forest. Such types of forest are found in the high altitudes of the Himalayas region, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir region.
Percentages of different types of forests are discussed in the following chart:
Type of forest |
Percentage (Total forest area) |
|---|---|
| 1. Tropical Moist Deciduous |
37.0 |
| 2. Tropical Dry Deciduous |
28.8 |
| 3. Tropical Evergreen |
12.1 |
| 4. Subtropical |
9.5 |
| 5. Mountain Wet Temperate |
7.0 |
| 6. Alpine and Sub-Alpine |
2.9 |
| 7. Tropical Thorny |
2.6 |
| 8. Mangrove |
0.06 |
Distribution of Forest in India:
Peninsular India covers the maximum forest area. It is almost 57% of the total forest cover of India. The second-largest forest cover area in India is the Himalayan region. It is cover almost 18% area. The distribution of forest area in India is given in the following chart:
Geographical Region |
Percentage of the forest area of India |
|---|---|
| 1. Peninsular Plateau |
57.00% |
| 2. Himalayan Region |
18.00% |
| 3. Western Ghats |
10.00% |
| 4. Eastern Ghats |
10.00% |
| 5. Great Plain of India |
5.00% |
|
Total |
100.00% |
The average forest cover of India is much lower than the world average forest cover area, which is 34.5%. Similarly, Per head forest cover of India is very low which is 0.07 hector. Whereas forest cover of the USA per head of population is 3.4 hector.
Report of the Forest Survey of India:
- Indian state Forest Report (ISFR) under Ministry of Environment released 16th forest report 2019 which is published in 2020.
- ISFR released its 1st report in the year 1987.
- The government has established the National Forest inventory in 2019 to calculate forest Products.
- The total geographical area of India is – 3,287, 263 sq. km which is 2.4% of the world.
- Currently, the Forest and Tree cover about 8,07,276 sq. km (24.56%) which was 24.39% in 2019.
- Total forest cover area has been increased – 5,188 sq. km, in last 2 years.
- In North-East, the total forest cover area is 1,70,541 sq. km.
- Mangrove cover forest has been increased by 0.34%.
- The total Mangrove cover area in India is 4992 sq. km.
- Area wise maximum forest cover state in India is Madhya Pradesh, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha.
- Percentage-wise maximum forest cover state in India is Mizoram followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur.