Geography Ch09 – Natural Vegetation

🌳 5 Major Forest Types of India

🌲 Tropical Evergreen

Rainfall >200 cm | Temp >22°C | Trees >60m | W.Ghats, NE India, A&N

🍂 Tropical Deciduous

Rainfall 70–200 cm | Largest spread (413.8 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 moist + dry deciduous FTGs)) | Sal, Teak | Most commercial timber

🌵 Tropical Thorny

Rainfall <50 cm | Rajasthan, Gujarat | Khejri, Babool, Neem | Only for fuel

🏔️ Mountain Forests

Himalayan + Nilgiri/Palani Hills | Deodar, Oak, Pine | Shola forests in S.India

🌊 Mangrove Forests

Tidal/coastal | Sundarbans (world's largest) | Hard wood for boats & tanning

📊 Forest Cover 2023

25.17% of India | 8,27,357 sq.km | MP = largest forest state

🏆 Key Forest Facts

25.17%

India's Total Forest & Tree Cover (2023)

21.76%

Forest Cover Only

413.8 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 moist + dry deciduous FTGs)

Moist + Dry Deciduous FTGs (ISFR 2023)

23.9 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 wet evergreen FTG)

Wet Evergreen FTG Area (ISFR 2023)

33%

Target Forest Cover (Policy 2018)

🚨 Top Forest Records

World's largest mangrove forest → Sundarbans
Major global biodiversity hotspot → Western Ghats
Max forest cover (state) → Madhya Pradesh (77,073 sq.km)
Max forest % of total area → Lakshadweep (91.33%)
Max deciduous forest → Madhya Pradesh (41,017 sq.km)
State with max mangrove → West Bengal
Chipko Movement → Sunderlal Bahuguna, Uttarakhand
Arid Forest Research Institute → Jodhpur

🚨 EXAM TRAP

Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area, while Lakshadweep has the highest forest cover as a percentage of geographical area in the figures used here.
Deciduous = largest spread (413.8 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 moist + dry deciduous FTGs)) | Evergreen = only 23.9 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 wet evergreen FTG)
The Chipko Movement is associated with Sunderlal Bahuguna, while Medha Patkar is associated with the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
Forest policy: 1952 post-Independence policy → 1988 replacement policy → 2018 draft

🌲 Tropical Evergreen & Semi-Evergreen Forests

🌲 Key Features

Rainfall

>200 cm

Avg Annual Temp

>22°C

Humidity

>70%

Tree Height

>60 m

Area

~23.9 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 wet evergreen FTG)

Spread:

Western Ghats

Assam

Kerala

West Bengal

Andaman & Nicobar

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Manipur

Tripura

Arunachal Pradesh

Major Trees:

Rosewood

Mahogany

Bamboo

Cinchona

Ebony

White Cedar

Cane

Rubber

Coconut (coastal/plantation tree; not diagnostic of natural evergreen forests)

⚡ SPECIAL NOTE

Major Biodiversity Hotspot → Western Ghats (UNESCO World Heritage Site 2012)

🚨 EXAM TRAP

Evergreen = rainfall >200 cm | trees >60 m height
Cinchona = source of Quinine (anti-malaria drug) — evergreen forest
Western Ghats = major biodiversity hotspot strongly associated with evergreen forests
Evergreen forests = 23.9 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 wet evergreen FTG) only — much less than Deciduous (413.8 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 moist + dry deciduous FTGs))

🍂 Tropical Deciduous (Monsoon) Forests — Most Important

🍂 Key Features — Forests of Greatest Importance

Rainfall

70–200 cm

Avg Temp

>27°C

Area

~413.8 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 moist + dry deciduous FTGs)

Max Spread

MP (41,017 km²)

Forests of greatest importance
Abundance of commercial timber
Trees less tall and open forests
Maximum spread in Madhya Pradesh

🗺️ Spread — States

Foothills of Himalayas

Madhya Pradesh

Chhattisgarh

Karnataka

Maharashtra

E. slopes W.Ghats

Odisha

West Bengal

Jharkhand

Uttar Pradesh

Bihar ★

🌳 Major Trees

Sal ★

Teak ★

Shisham (subtropical foothill/riverine tree)

Sandalwood

Mango

Saakhu

Amla

Mahua

Haldu

Harad

Baheda

Tendu (Bidi leaves)

⚡ TENDU LEAVES

Tendu leaves → used for making Bidi (important for Central India economy — MP, CG, JH)

🔄 Sub-types of Deciduous Forest

Type	Rainfall	Feature
Moist Deciduous	100–200 cm	Denser, taller trees; Teak, Sal dominant
Dry Deciduous	70–100 cm	More open; Grasses underneath

🚨 EXAM TRAP

Deciduous = largest spread (413.8 lakh ha (ISFR 2023 moist + dry deciduous FTGs)) — most important forests commercially
Bihar lies mainly in the tropical deciduous forest zone, where sal, mahua and tendu are also found.
Tendu leaves, used for making bidis, support livelihoods in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
MP = max deciduous forest = 41,017 sq.km
Deciduous forests shed their leaves during the dry season after the monsoon.

🌵 Tropical Thorny / Desert Forests

🌵 Thorny Forests — <50 cm Rainfall

Rainfall

<50 cm

Spread

Rajasthan, Gujarat, SW Punjab/Haryana, dry UP

States:

Rajasthan

SW Punjab

SW Haryana

Gujarat

Madhya Pradesh

Dry UP

Major Trees:

Ber

Khair

Neem

Khejri ★

Palash

Babool

Trees: small, thorny, thick bark
Use: Mainly fuel
Khejri = State tree of Rajasthan

🏔️ Mountain Forests

🏔️ Northern India — Himalayan

Deodar — Temperate Belt of Western Himalayas
Bhojpatra tree — found in Himalayas (alpine category)
Source of medicines, herbs, raw materials

Major Trees:

Deodar

Oak

Maple

Chestnut

Pine

Spruce

Silver Fir

Shisham (subtropical foothill/riverine tree)

Cedar

Magnolia

Laurel

🏔️ Southern India — Nilgiri Region

Spread on: Nilgiri, Annamalai, Palani Hills
Shola Forests (unique to S.India hills)
Grasses, moss, lichens present
Predominance of precious timber

🚨 EXAM TRAP

Khejri = State tree of Rajasthan | Thorny forests = only for fuel
Deodar = W.Himalayas temperate belt | National tree of India = Banyan
Bhojpatra = Himalayan tree (ancient manuscripts written on its bark)
Shola forests = Southern India hills (Nilgiri, Annamalai, Palani)

🌊 Mangrove Forests

🌊 Mangrove — Key Features

Spread: Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta, Mahanadi, Krishna, Kaveri Deltas
Also in: Kutch region, Andaman-Nicobar
Major trees: Rhizophora, Avicennia, Phoenix, Nipa, Sundari; Casuarina is a coastal associate, not a true mangrove
Salt-tolerant tidal/intertidal forests adapted to brackish coastal conditions
Wood: Many species have dense, hard wood; bark of several species is tannin-rich
Uses: Boat making, tanning leather, dyeing

4,991.68 km²

Total Mangrove Cover (2023)

-7.43 km²

Change vs 2021 (Decrease)

✅ Mangrove Increased

Andhra Pradesh
Maharashtra

❌ Mangrove Decreased

Gujarat

🌿 Sundarbans — World's Largest Mangrove

Location: Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta
Named after: Sundari tree
State: West Bengal (India's max mangrove state)
Also extends into Bangladesh
Home of Royal Bengal Tiger
UNESCO World Heritage Site

📜 National Forest Policy

📜 Forest Policy Timeline

Year	Event
1952	First post-Independence National Forest Policy
1988	New National Forest Policy replaced 1952 policy
2018	Draft National Forest Policy; not formally adopted as a replacement for 1988; hills/mountains objective about two-thirds forest-and-tree cover

Draft Forest Policy 2018 target: 33% forest cover of total country area
Current cover: 25.17%
Chipko Movement: Prominent environmentalist associated with Chipko — Sunderlal Bahuguna, Uttarakhand
Arid Forest Research Institute: Jodhpur

🚨 EXAM TRAP

The Sundarbans are named after the sundari tree; the name is not derived from the words sun and guard.
Max mangrove state = West Bengal (NOT AP or Odisha)
Mangrove 2023 = overall decrease of 7.43 km² vs 2021
Forest/tree cover target ≈ 33%; total forest + tree cover (2023) = 25.17%; gap ≈ 7.83 percentage points
Chipko = tree hugging movement = Uttarakhand = Sunderlal Bahuguna

📊 India's 18th Forest Status Report — 2023

📈 Key Data Points

8,27,357 km²

Total Forest & Tree Cover (25.17%)

7,15,343 km²

Forest Cover Only (21.76%)

1,12,014 km²

Tree Cover (3.41%)

+1,445 km²

Increase vs 2021 (Total)

+156 km²

Forest Cover Change

+1,289 km²

Tree Cover Change

🏆 State Rankings — Forest Cover

📏 Total Forest & Tree Cover (Area)

Rank	State	Area (km²)
1	Madhya Pradesh	85,724
2	Arunachal Pradesh	67,083
3	Maharashtra	65,383

🌲 Forest Cover Only (Area)

Rank	State	Forest Cover (km²)
1	Madhya Pradesh	77,073
2	Arunachal Pradesh	65,882
3	Chhattisgarh	55,812

📈 Max Increase in Forest & Tree Cover

Rank	State	Increase (km²)
1	Chhattisgarh	684
2	Uttar Pradesh	559
3	Odisha	559
4	Rajasthan	394

📈 Max Increase in Forest Cover Only

Rank	State	Increase (km²)
1	Mizoram	242
2	Gujarat	180
3	Odisha	152

% Forest Cover vs Geographical Area

Rank	State/UT	% Cover
1	Lakshadweep	91.33%
2	Mizoram	85.34%
3	Andaman & Nicobar	81.62%

⚡ MASTER QUICK RECALL — Ch09

Max forest area → MP | Max forest % → Lakshadweep (91.33%)
Max forest increase → Chhattisgarh (684 km²)
Forest cover only increase → Mizoram (242 km²)
India forest + tree cover 2023 → 25.17%
World's largest mangrove → Sundarbans (WB)
Major biodiversity hotspot → Western Ghats
Chipko → Sunderlal Bahuguna, Uttarakhand
Bihar = Tropical Deciduous forest zone → Sal, Mahua, Tendu

🚨 EXAM TRAP — FSR 2023

Total cover 25.17% includes Forest + Tree cover both
Forest cover only = 21.76% (3rd = Chhattisgarh, NOT Maharashtra)
Max increase (total) = Chhattisgarh | Max increase (forest only) = Mizoram
Mangrove overall = decreased 7.43 km² (2021→2023)

🌿 Indian Geography — Chapter 09