More than 25% of India’s land mass is covered with forests and trees, with the world’s fastest-growing forest economy adding 1,445 square kilometres of forest and tree cover over the past two years—bringing its total forest and tree cover to more than 827,357 square kilometres. That is according to India’s State of Forest Report 2023, published on Sunday.
According to the report, India’s top four states that show an increase in total forest and tree cover include Chhattisgarh (684 sq km), followed by Uttar Pradesh (559 sq km), Odisha (559 sq km), and Rajasthan (394 sq km). Whilst Mizoram (242 sq km), Gujarat (180 sq km), and Odisha (152 sq km) showed the greatest increase in forest area. It also reveals that the country’s timber growing stock is 6430 million cubic metres, 4479 million cubic metres in traditional forests, and 1951 million cubic metres outside forest areas:
“There is an increase of 262 million cubic metres of total growing stock compared to the previous assessment, which includes an increase of 91 million cubic metres inside the forest and 171 million cubic metres outside the forest area.”
India’s State of Forest Report 2023
Identified as a major growth market, India is also increasing its bamboo estate—adding 5,227 square metres to the more than 154,670 square metres of established bamboo across the country. And on carbon, the total carbon stock is now estimated to be 7,285.5 million tonnes—an increase of 81.5 million tonnes compared to the last assessment. “This means India has reached 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink, close to its 2030 target of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes.”
Why India is emerging as a global power in forestry.
The latest State of the Forests report comes as a 5-year outlook published by New Forests last year revealed that timber demand in India will drive global consumption over the next 10-15 years: “For investors, the long game is gaining exposure to high-quality forestry plantations serving the rising demand for a circular bio-economy and urbanisation of the Indo-Pacific region,” New Forests said.
According to the World Bank, the Indo-Pacific region will drive a fourfold increase in demand for timber products over the next 30 years. Although India’s forest cover has increased steadily for nearly two decades, timber production is substantially less than consumption, with Indian traders crossing the seven seas to meet the shortfall of demand.
- To learn more about the Indian forest economy, and why the Indian government is looking to introduce a new certification system to (potentially) compete with FSC and PEFC International, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
