The very dense forest (VDF) and moderately dense forest (MDF) cover in Odisha has declined by 86 sq km, according to the latest report of India State of Forest Report (ISFR)-2013 compared to 2011.
All lands with tree canopy density of 70 per cent and above are categorised as VDF while land with tree canopy density of 40 per cent and more but less than 70 per cent is taken as MDF.
The report which contains information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover and growing stock inside and outside the forest areas based on the interpretation of the satellite data recorded during October 2010 and January 2012 reveals that the VDF coverage has dropped by 18 kms and MDF has declined by 68 kms from the 2011 assessment.
While VDF in the state decreased from 7,060 sq kms in 2011 to 7,042 sq kms in 2013, the MDF area has come down from 21,366 sq kms to 21,298 sq kms during the same period. The biennial report, however, says 1,530 sq km of open forest has been added, taking the net gain of forest by 1,444 sq km an increase of meager 0.93 per cent compared to 2011.
The state has a total geographical area of 155,707 sq kms. As per the report, its total forest area stood at 50,347 sq kms, which is 32.33 per cent of the total geographical area.
"Main reason for the change in forest cover in the state is due to conservation initiatives by the forest department and through Van Sanrakshan Samiti (VSS) along with availability of better quality satellite data," said the report.
There is total increase of 5,871 sq km in the forest cover in the country compared to the previous assessment of 2011. The states and Union territories which have shown considerably positive changes in forest coverage are West Bengal (3,810 sq km), Odisha (1,444 sq km), Kerala (622 km ), Tamil Nadu (219 sq km) , Gujarat (34 sq km) whereas the forest area has declined in states like Nagaland (274 sq km), Andhra Pradesh (273 sq km), Madhya Pradesh (178 sq km), Tripura (111 sq km), Manipur (100 sq km ), Arunachal Pradesh (89 sq km), Mizoram (63 sqkm), Karnataka (62 sq km) and Chhatishgarh (53 sq km).
