Forests of India – Complete GK Capsule for Railway Exams
1. India’s Forest Wealth at a Glance
- Total Geographical Area: 3,287,263 km²
- Recorded Forest Area (RFA): 7,67,419 km² (23.34 %)
- Forest & Tree Cover (ISFR 2021): 8,09,537 km² (24.62 %)
- Forest Cover: 7,13,789 km² (21.71 %)
- Tree Cover: 95,748 km² (2.91 %)
- Carbon Stock: 7,204 million tonnes (2021)
- Growing Stock: 5,914 million m³
2. Classification of Forests
A. Legal Classification (Champion & Seth 1968)
| Class |
Area (km²) |
% of RFA |
| Reserved |
4,34,853 |
56.6 |
| Protected |
2,18,271 |
28.4 |
| Unclassed |
1,14,295 |
14.9 |
B. Density Classes (ISFR 2021)
| Density |
Area (km²) |
% of Forest Cover |
| Very Dense (≥70 %) |
99,779 |
14.0 |
| Moderately Dense (40-70 %) |
3,06,890 |
43.0 |
| Open (10-40 %) |
3,07,120 |
43.0 |
3. Forest Types (Champion & Seth Revised 2011)
| Group |
Area (km²) |
Example States |
| Tropical Moist Deciduous |
1,35,890 |
MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha |
| Tropical Dry Deciduous |
1,86,620 |
Jharkhand, Maharashtra |
| Tropical Thorn |
16,540 |
Rajasthan, Gujarat |
| Sub-tropical Pine |
42,150 |
Himachal, Uttarakhand |
| Montane Wet Temperate |
23,000 |
Nilgiris, NE Hills |
| Alpine |
4,350 |
Ladakh, Sikkim |
4. State-wise Top Forest Cover (2021)
| Rank |
State |
Area (km²) |
% of State GA |
| 1 |
Madhya Pradesh |
77,493 |
25.14 |
| 2 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
66,964 |
79.96 |
| 3 |
Chhattisgarh |
55,586 |
41.18 |
| 4 |
Odisha |
52,156 |
33.50 |
| 5 |
Maharashtra |
50,778 |
16.50 |
5. Important Dates & Events
- 1854 – First Forest Charter (Lord Dalhousie)
- 1864 – Brandis appointed 1st Inspector-General of Forests
- 1865 – Indian Forest Act (repealed 1878)
- 1878 – Indian Forest Act – classification into Reserved/Protected/Village
- 1927 – Revised Indian Forest Act (still in force)
- 1936 – Hailey National Park (now Corbett) – India’s first NP
- 1952 – National Forest Policy (target 33 %)
- 1980 – Forest (Conservation) Act
- 1988 – New Forest Policy (people participation)
- 2002 – Joint Forest Management (JFM) nationwide
- 2006 – Forest Rights Act (FRA) – tribal rights recognition
- 2019 – ISFR 2019 released – bamboo area jumps 49 %
- 2021 – ISFR 2021 released – 17th biennial assessment
6. Protected Area Network (2023)
| Category |
Number |
Area (km²) |
| National Parks |
106 |
44,403 |
| Wildlife Sanctuaries |
567 |
1,22,564 |
| Conservation Reserves |
101 |
4,330 |
| Community Reserves |
214 |
1,566 |
| Biosphere Reserves |
12 notified, 18 included in MAB list |
59,000+ |
7. UNESCO Man & Biosphere (MAB) Reserves (12)
- Nilgiri (2000) – 1st in India
- Gulf of Mannar
- Sunderbans
- Nanda Devi
- Pachmarhi
- Simlipal
- Achanakmar-Amarkantak
- Great Nicobar
- Agasthyamalai
- Khangchendzonga
- Dihang-Dibang
- Manas
8. Key Species & Forest Links
- Sandalwood – Karnataka (max 3,800 tonnes/yr)
- Red Sanders – Seshachalam hills (Andhra) – Appendix-II CITES
- Deodar – Western Himalaya – State tree of Himachal
- Sal – Central India – fire-resistant hardwood
- Rosewood – Western Ghats – ITC limited export
9. One-Liner Rapid Revision Facts
- Largest mangrove: Sunderbans (4,263 km² forest cover)
- Highest forest %: Mizoram (84.53 %)
- Only floating NP: Keibul Lamjao (Manipur) – Sangai deer
- Tree with highest carbon storage: Sal (Shorea robusta)
- India’s 1st green rail corridor: Rameswaram-Manamadurai (2017)
- Forest Survey of India HQ: Dehradun (estd. 1981)
- REDD+ – Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & forest Degradation (UNFCCC)
- CAMPA – Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authority (2016)
- “Go Green” initiative – Indian Railways – 1 crore saplings (2020-21)
Quick Reference Tables
Table-1: Forest Cover % > 75 % (Small states/UT)
| State/UT |
% |
| Mizoram |
84.53 |
| Arunachal |
79.96 |
| Manipur |
75.46 |
| Meghalaya |
75.08 |
Table-2: Top 5 NPs by Area
| National Park |
State |
Area (km²) |
| Hemis |
J&K (Ladakh) |
4,400 |
| Desert |
Rajasthan |
3,162 |
| Gangotri |
Uttarakhand |
2,390 |
| Namdapha |
Arunachal |
1,808 |
| Khangchendzonga |
Sikkim |
1,784 |
Table-3: Important Tribal Forest Rights
| Act |
Provision |
| FRA 2006 |
Gram Sabha can protect & manage forest – 4.2 lakh ha diverted till 2023 under FCA 1980 |
15+ MCQs for Railway Exams
1. Which state has the largest area under forest cover as per ISFR 2021?
Answer: **Madhya Pradesh**
2. The Indian Forest Act that introduced the present classification of Reserved, Protected & Village forests was passed in?
Answer: **1878**
3. The first National Park of India is located in which state?
Answer: **Uttarakhand (earlier UP) – Corbett NP**
4. India’s first Biosphere Reserve included in the UNESCO MAB list is?
Answer: **Nilgiri BR (2000)**
5. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) publishes the ISFR report every?
Answer: **2 years (biennial)**
6. What is the minimum canopy density required to classify a forest as “Very Dense”?
Answer: **≥70 %**
7. Which tree species is associated with fire-resistant characteristics in Central Indian forests?
Answer: **Sal (Shorea robusta)**
8. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA) Act came into force in?
Answer: **2016**
9. Which state has the highest percentage of its geographical area under forest cover?
Answer: **Mizoram (84.53 %)**
10. The only floating National Park in the world, Keibul Lamjao, is situated in?
Answer: **Manipur (Loktak Lake)**
11. Who was appointed as the first Inspector-General of Forests in India?
Answer: **Dietrich Brandis (1864)**
12. The target of National Forest Policy 1988 for plains is to bring what percentage of area under forest/tree cover?
Answer: **33 %**
13. REDD+ is associated with?
Answer: **Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation**
14. India’s total carbon stock in forests as per ISFR 2021 is about?
Answer: **7,204 million tonnes**
15. The largest mangrove forest in India is?
Answer: **Sunderbans (West Bengal)**
16. Which schedule of the Forest Rights Act 2006 lists the forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes?
Answer: **Schedule I**
17. The Indian Railways’ “Go Green” mission aims to plant how many saplings annually?
Answer: **1 crore+**
Revision Checklist (One-Liners)
- 24.62 % of India under forest & tree cover (2021)
- MP > Arunachal > Chhattisgarh – top 3 forest area states
- 1878 Act – 3-fold legal forest classification
- 12 MAB, 106 NPs, 567 WLS – PA network
- CAMPA 2016 – ₹60,000 cr afforestation fund
- FRA 2006 – Gram Sabha empowered
- ISFR – Dehradun based – 17th report 2021
- Railways & forests – 1 crore saplings, green corridors, solar panels on 70,000 ha vacant land
All set to score full marks in Railways GK section on Forests India!
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