Forest Survey of India (FSI)¶
India's biennial forest cover assessment — tracking every hectare of forest across the country since 1987.
What Is the India State of Forest Report?¶
The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) is published by FSI every two years using satellite imagery from IRS/ResourceSat. It classifies all vegetation cover into forest categories and tracks change.
Key finding from ISFR 2021: India has 80.9 million hectares of forest cover — about 21.71% of the country's geographical area.
Forest Classification¶
| Category | Canopy Cover | Area (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Very Dense Forest (VDF) | >70% | 20.0 Mha |
| Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) | 40–70% | 30.6 Mha |
| Open Forest (OF) | 10–40% | 30.3 Mha |
| Scrub | <10% (degraded) | 5.5 Mha |
| Tree Cover (outside forest) | Outside RF/PF boundary | 29.7 Mha |
What Counts as 'Forest'?
FSI's definition: any land with tree canopy cover >10% and area >1 hectare, irrespective of legal status. This includes plantations, orchards, and bamboo groves — not just natural forests.
State-wise Forest Cover (Top 10, ISFR 2021)¶
| State | Forest Cover (ha) | % of State Area |
|---|---|---|
| Madhya Pradesh | 77,493 km² | 25.14% |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 65,882 km² | 79.01% |
| Chhattisgarh | 55,717 km² | 41.09% |
| Odisha | 52,156 km² | 33.50% |
| Maharashtra | 50,798 km² | 16.47% |
| Jharkhand | 23,721 km² | 29.81% |
| Uttarakhand | 24,303 km² | 45.44% |
| Telangana | 20,582 km² | 18.17% |
How to Download FSI Data¶
Method 1: Full Reports (PDF) 🟢¶
- Go to fsi.nic.in
- Click "Publications" → "India State of Forest Report"
- Select ISFR year (2021, 2019, 2017, 2015...)
- Download PDF — each report has state and district-level tables
Method 2: District Forest Cover Tables (Excel) 🟢¶
- Visit fsi.nic.in/isfr21/vol1/isfr-2021-vol1.pdf
- Appendix section has state and district-wise forest cover tables in Excel
- Alternatively search data.gov.in for "forest cover district"
Python: Track Forest Cover Change Over Time¶
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Manual data from ISFR reports (you can expand this)
# Source: ISFR various years
isfr_data = {
'State': ['Maharashtra'] * 6,
'Year': [2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021],
'VDF_km2': [10145, 10215, 10259, 10231, 10260, 10247],
'MDF_km2': [15232, 15198, 15219, 14842, 14895, 14966],
'OF_km2': [25532, 25456, 25312, 25578, 25561, 25585],
'Total_km2': [50909, 50869, 50790, 50651, 50716, 50798],
}
df = pd.DataFrame(isfr_data)
fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(14, 5))
# Total forest cover trend
axes[0].plot(df['Year'], df['Total_km2'], marker='o', color='forestgreen',
linewidth=2.5, markersize=7)
axes[0].set_title('Total Forest Cover — Maharashtra')
axes[0].set_ylabel('Area (km²)')
axes[0].set_ylim(49000, 52000)
axes[0].grid(True, alpha=0.3)
# Stacked bar by forest type
axes[1].bar(df['Year'], df['VDF_km2'], label='Very Dense', color='darkgreen')
axes[1].bar(df['Year'], df['MDF_km2'], bottom=df['VDF_km2'],
label='Moderately Dense', color='forestgreen')
axes[1].bar(df['Year'], df['OF_km2'],
bottom=df['VDF_km2'] + df['MDF_km2'],
label='Open Forest', color='lightgreen')
axes[1].set_title('Forest Cover by Type — Maharashtra')
axes[1].set_ylabel('Area (km²)')
axes[1].legend()
axes[1].grid(True, alpha=0.3, axis='y')
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig('maharashtra_forest_trend.png', dpi=150)
plt.show()
✏️ Practice Exercise¶
Exercise 3.3 — Forest Change in Your State
Goal: Compare your state's forest cover between ISFR 2015 and ISFR 2021.
- Download ISFR 2015 and ISFR 2021 PDFs from fsi.nic.in
- Find your state's entry in the state-wise table (usually in the Appendix)
- Note: VDF, MDF, and Open Forest areas for both years
- Calculate: Did total forest increase or decrease?
- Which category (VDF/MDF/OF) changed the most?
Additional questions: - [ ] Which districts in your state have the highest forest cover? - [ ] Are there any districts with 0% forest cover? What does the land look like there? - [ ] How does your state's % forest cover compare to the national average (21.71%)?
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