Forest Types of India
Forest & Wildlife · भारत के वन प्रकार · 18 facts
Champion and Seth Classification: India's forests classified into 16 major types (1936); still the standard classification used by FSI and government.
Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest: >200 cm annual rainfall; found in Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar, NE India; trees like rosewood, ebony; no dry season.
Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forest: 150-200 cm rainfall; transition between wet evergreen and moist deciduous; found in northeast India, Andamans.
Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest: Teak (Tectona grandis) dominant; MP, Odisha, Maharashtra, Jharkhand; 100-200 cm rainfall; second largest forest type in India.
Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest: Most common forest type (51% of India); Sal (Shorea robusta) and Teak dominant; 70-100 cm rainfall; large parts of UP, MP, AP, Bihar.
Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest: Tamil Nadu's Coromandel Coast; distinct type; found in belt 100 km wide along southeast coast; hard-leaved trees.
Littoral and Swamp Forests: Mangroves along coasts; freshwater swamp forests inland; Sundarbans, Andaman, Orissa, Andhra coast; halophytic plants.
Sub-tropical Broad-leaved Hill Forest: Lower Himalayas (1000-2000m); oaks, chestnuts, rhododendrons; found in Uttarakhand, HP, Darjeeling.
Sub-tropical Pine Forest (Chir Pine): Pinus roxburghii dominant; Himalayan foothills (1000-2000m); HP, Uttarakhand, J&K; resin extraction for turpentine.
Himalayan Moist Temperate Forest: Oaks, rhododendrons, conifers; 2000-3000m altitude; Uttarakhand, HP, Sikkim; rich in biodiversity.
Himalayan Dry Temperate Forest: Less rainfall; deodar (Cedrus deodara), blue pine, holly oak; 2000-3000m; J&K, Lahaul-Spiti.
Alpine Forest: Above 3000m; stunted growth due to cold; juniper, birch, rhododendron shrubs; treeline; transition to alpine meadows (Bugyals).
FSI Report 2021: Total forest cover = 7,13,789 sq km (21.71% of India's geographical area); increased by 1,540 sq km from 2019 report.
States with highest forest cover (FSI 2021): Madhya Pradesh (largest total), Arunachal Pradesh (largest percentage-wise), Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra.
Mangrove forests: India has 4,992 sq km of mangroves; 3rd largest in world; Sundarbans has largest concentration; West Bengal, Gujarat, A&N islands main areas.
Bamboo: India has 136 species of bamboo (most in Asia outside China); 13 million hectares bamboo coverage; NE India, MP, Maharashtra main areas; 'poor man's timber'.
NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Products): Honey, resin, gum, lac, bamboo, medicinal plants; tribal communities depend on NTFPs for livelihood; FRA protects collection rights.
Van Mahotsav: Annual tree planting festival launched in 1950 by K.M. Munshi; held in July; promotes forest conservation awareness across India.