Forest Dept refutes reports of decrease in forest cover in J&K, cites significant increase in afforestation in last decade

Srinagar: Forest Department Kashmir has refuted reports of decrease in forest cover in J&K, maintaining that there has been a significant increase in afforestation in the last decade.

“The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 has brought good news for Jammu and Kashmir, revealing a substantial increase in forest cover. The report indicates a rise of 83.55 square kilometers in the region’s forest area compared to the 2021 assessment, with the Kashmir Valley contributing approximately 24 square kilometers to this growth. The report reveals that J&K has shown an increase of 398.12 Sq. Kms. in forest cover in last decade when compared to 2013 report”, Forest Department said in a statement to Ziraat Times.

Irfan Rasool, the Chief Conservator of Forests for Kashmir, highlighted these positive findings while addressing the media. He emphasized that J&K boasts the highest number of forest types in the country – an impressive 43 – along with the highest average growing stock of 296.22 cubic meters per hectare and the highest estimated carbon stock of 174.10 tons per hectare.

Wani strongly refuted recent media reports that claimed a decrease of 40.61 square kilometers in J&K’s forest cover. He termed these reports as inaccurate and not based on the quoted ISFR 2023. “These reports are misleading and do not reflect the actual findings of the ISFR,” he stated.

The Chief Conservator of Forests ‘stressed the importance of thoroughly studying the ISFR report’  before drawing any conclusions. He explained that understanding the methodology used in the assessment is crucial for accurately interpreting the results. He urged media outlets to exercise caution and ensure their reporting aligns with the official data and its proper context.

The Chief Conservator of Forests further emphasised the J&K Forest Department’s commitment to mitigating the impact of forest land diversion. The transfer of forest land for non-forest activities is regulated by the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. This legislation mandates that user agencies proposing to use forest land to provide compensation for the loss. The funds received from user agencies through compensatory afforestation and NPV charges are utilised to rehabilitate the degraded forests or carry out plantation on identified non-forestry land. As part of these efforts, the J&K Forest Department under the Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority (CAMPA), has till date successfully rehabilitated a total of 96,243 hectares of degraded forests and has planted 64.176 million trees to compensate for forest land diversions.