Himachal’s forest cover up by 25% in 24 years: Study

Kinnaur is the only district which has recorded a negative growth (4.6%) in forest cover; report also denotes a decline in the dense forests of 5 districts

Plantation drives and conservation initiatives have led to 25% increase in the total forest cover of Himachal Pradesh (HP) in 24 years from 1991 to 2015, says an analytical study conducted by the state centre on climate, Shimla.

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All districts of the state, barring Kinnaur, recorded a substantial increase in the forest cover during this period, mentions the report titled ‘An analysis of the temporal changes in the forests of Himachal Pradesh -- A review’. The report was released in January this year. Prepared by Pankaj Sharma, Abhay Mahajan, Kiran Lata, Harish Bharti and SS Randhawa, the report is based on the analysis of biennial assessments of the forest cover by the Forest Survey of India.

Lahaul-Spiti takes the lead

As per the report, the total forest cover of the state increased from 11,780 sq km in 1991 to 14,696 sq km in 2015 -- a spike of 24.8%. The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti saw the maximum increase of 1,047% with its total forest cover amplifying from just 17 sq km to 195 sq km during the period of 24 years. The forest cover of Bilaspur was up by 118% from 166 sq km to 362 and Solan witnessed an increase of 104.8% from 415 sq km to 850 sq km.

Among other districts with a considerable increase in forest cover are Kangra (44.3%), Sirmour (35.9%), Una (32.4%), Mandi (28.8%) and Chamba (20.8%). Hamirpur, Shimla and Kullu saw a slight increase of 13.4%, 7.7% and 0.6%, respectively.

Kinnaur bears the brunt of hydro-power projects

The only district which has recorded a negative growth in the forest cover is Kinnaur. The forest cover in the tribal district was down from 633 sq km to 604 sq km -- a decline of 4.6%. The report states that the ‘dense forest cover’ in Kinnaur decreased by 39% from 565 sq km to 344 sq km during this period. “The declining trend was due to the construction of a number of hydropower projects and various anthropogenic activities in the last two decades,” noted the report.

The district of Kinnaur has the maximum number of power projects in the state. Presently, at least 30 are operational, while 50 others are in various stages of execution.

5 dists witness decline in dense forests

Meanwhile, the report has also highlighted a matter of concern -- decline in dense forest and scrubs. Though the state has recorded an increase of 7% in the overall dense forest cover, five districts have witnessed a decline in the same. Kinnaur recorded a maximum decrease of 39% followed by Kullu (-24.5%), Hamirpur (-16.7%), Shimla (-7.6%) and Sirmour (-5.7%). Overall, the number of scrubs declined by 83.7% in the state.

Concern over monoculture plantation

The report also highlights that forests of the state come under Himalayan resources and suffer from “tremendous” pressure. “Intensified cultivation, indiscriminate removal of timber, fuelwood, fodder and other forest produce, forest fire and encroachment have led to forest degradation and deforestation,” states the report. “Rising population pressure and inappropriate government policies have further threatened forest sustainability and are contributing to deforestation and forest degradation.”

The report also raises concern over monoculture plantation and recommends intensification and diversification of the forest cover to save the state’s natural resources.