As per Forest Survey of India – State of Forest report 2021 (ISFR 2021 ), Rajasthan has Recorded Forest Area (RFA) of about 32,863 square kms. This forest area forms 9.60% of state’s geographical area and abxout 4.23% of India’s forest area.
| Rajasthan | Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in Sq. Kms | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Reserved Forest | 12,176 | 37.0 % of RFA |
| Protected Forest | 18,543 | 56.4 % of RFA |
| Unclassed Forest | 2,144 | 6.5 % of RFA |
| Total RFA | 32,863 | 9.60 % of GA |
| Total Geographical Area (GA) | 3,42,239 |
Forest Cover & Recorded Forest Area:
Both Forest Cover and Recorded Forest Area (RFA) describe the extent of forest but have different meanings. The ‘Forest Cover‘ refers to all tree patches that have canopy density of more than 10% and area of one hectare or more in size, irrespective of land use, legal status and ownership. It may include orchards, bamboo, and palms etc. and is assessed through remote sensing.
The ‘Recorded Forest Area‘ or ‘Forest Area‘ refers to all the geographical areas recorded as ‘Forests’ in government records irrespective of the actual trees growing on such lands. RFA mainly comprises of Reserved Forests (RF) and Protected Forests (PF) and Unclassed Forests notified under Indian Forest Act, 1927 or respective State Forest Acts. Additionally, RFA may also include all such areas, which have been recorded as ‘Forest’ in the revenue records or have been constituted so under any State Acts or local laws.
Therefore, RFA may have blank areas with tree canopy density of less than 10% such as degraded lands, wetlands, rivers, creeks in mangroves, snow covered areas, glaciers and other snow covered areas, alpine pastures, cold deserts, grasslands etc.
As per the definition of ‘Forest cover’ used in ISFR, such blank areas in RFA are excluded from the assessment of Forest cover. On the other hand, there are areas outside the RFA comprising tree patches of more than one hectare in area, with canopy density of 10% and above. Such areas include plantations on the private and community lands, road, rail, and canal side plantations, rubber, tea and coffee plantations etc. and are included in assessment of Forest cover. Thus, RFA and Forest cover overlap with each other but the two are not coterminous with each other.
Forest Cover in Rajasthan
According to ISFR 2021, the Forest Cover in the State is 16,654.96 square kms, which is about 4.87% of State’s Geographical Area. In terms of forest canopy density classes, the State has:
| Class | Area is Sq Kms | Percentage of GA |
|---|---|---|
| Very Dense Forest (VDF) | 78.15 | 0.02 % |
| Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) | 4,368.65 | 1.28% |
| Open Forest (OF) | 12,208.16 | 3.57% |
| Total | 16,654.96 | 4.87% |
| Scrub | 4,808.51 | 1.41% |
Altitude-wise Forest Cover in Rajasthan
| Altitude Zone (m) | Geographical Area | VDF | MDF | OF | Total | Scrub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-500 | 3,24,954 | 27 | 2,567 | 9,384 | 11,978 | 4,065 |
| 500-1000 | 17,070 | 51 | 1,688 | 2,776 | 4,515 | 739 |
| 1000-2000 | 215 | 0 | 114 | 48 | 162 | 5 |
| Total | 3,42,239 | 78 | 4,369 | 12,208 | 16,655 | 4,809 |
District Wise Forest Cover in Rajasthan
ISFR 2021 also ranks districts of Rajasthan in terms of their forest cover. Accordingly,
Rajasthan’s District with Maximum total forest area:
| Ranking | District | Forest Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Udaipur | 2753.39 |
| 2 | Alwar | 1195.91 |
| 3 | Pratapgarh | 1033.77 |
| 4 | Baran | 1010.05 |
| 5 | Chittorgarh | 990.05 |
Rajasthan’s District with Maximum Percentage of Forest area:
| Ranking | District | Percentage of Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Udaipur | 23.49% |
| 2 | Pratapgarh | 23.24% |
| 3 | Sirohi | 17.49% |
| 4 | Karauli | 15.28% |
| 5 | Baran | 14.45% |
Rajasthan’s District with least total forest area:
| Ranking | District | Forest Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Churu | 77.69 |
| 2 | Hanumangarh | 92.97 |
| 3 | Jodhpur | 109.25 |
| 4 | Ganganagar | 115.09 |
| 5 | Dausa | 116.60 |
Rajasthan’s District with Least Percentage of Forest area:
| Ranking | District | Percentage of Area |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Jodhpur | 0.48% |
| 32 | Churu | 0.56% |
| 31 | Jaisalmer | 0.84%% |
| 30 | Bikaner | 0.92% |
| 29 | Hanumangarh / Nagaur | 0.96% |
