Forests are vital natural assets contributing significantly to industrial development, defence, agriculture, exports, and employment across primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. They provide direct materials such as fuelwood, timber, and fodder, and offer ecological, hydrological, and recreational services.
Trees and forests are major natural resources that convert solar energy via photosynthesis into usable forms like food, fuel, industrial raw materials, and renewable energy. Forests meet nearly 40% of India’s energy needs.
Forests provide crucial hydrological benefits by reducing soil erosion and retaining soil and atmospheric moisture through dense foliage.
Forests meet basic needs of the rural poor, supplying 30% of the country’s fodder. A large population, referred to as ‘eco-system people’ by Ignacy Sachs, depend on firewood for survival. Lack of forest access would burden millions of rural women collecting daily firewood.
Forests generate significant rural employment. The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) estimated forests could provide an additional 15 million man-days or 2.5 lakh man-years of direct employment. Indirect employment would also rise, particularly in rural, backward, and hilly areas.
Forests supply pure oxygen, help prevent environmental and sound pollution, maintain ecological balance, and support biodiversity, all while enhancing the country’s natural beauty.
According to the World Watch Institute, 40% of prescription drugs globally are derived from active ingredients found in wild plants, animals, or micro-organisms—many of which are forest-based, earning forests the title "great chemical factory of the natural world".
Investing in forest development yields high returns, even surpassing similar investments in agriculture. The economic justification for forest expansion is strong.
To the ‘silent majority’ of conservation-minded individuals, forests are not only sources of livelihood and biodiversity but also treasure houses of traditional knowledge and sanctuaries of peace—an antidote to modern urban chaos or the so-called “concrete jungle”.
Forests occupy approximately 783.7 lakh hectares, which accounts for 23.84% of India's geographical area. Of this, around 58% falls under the dense forest category (40% or more tree cover).
Roughly 433 lakh hectares (61%) are classified as exploitable forests, while an additional 178 lakh hectares (25%) are considered potentially exploitable.
Among the Indian states, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area at 77,265 sq. km, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (68,045 sq. km) and Chhattisgarh (56,448 sq. km).
India’s forest coverage is significantly lower than that of several other countries—Japan (64%), Sweden (66%), South Korea (63%), Canada (27%), and USA (25%).
This figure is also far below the National Forest Policy target of 1952. India’s per capita forest land stands at only 0.06 hectares, compared to the global average of 2.06 hectares.
The productivity of Indian forests is quite low, at only 1.2 cubic meters per hectare per year, while the global average is 2.1 cubic meters.
Given the projected rise in demand for forest products, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive review of the national forest policy to ensure sustainability and economic viability.
The National Forest Policy was first enunciated in 1952 and was based on six paramount national needs:
Balanced land use: Evolving a system of balanced and complementary land use.
Soil conservation: Checking denudation in mountain regions, erosion along treeless riverbanks, ravine formation, and sea invasion of coastal tracts.
Afforestation: Establishment of tree lands wherever possible.
Supply of forest produce: Ensuring progressively increasing supplies of grazing fields, small timber for agriculture, and firewood to release cattle dung for manure.
Industrial needs: Sustained supply of timber and forest produce for defence, communication, and industry.
Revenue generation: Realisation of maximum annual revenue in perpetuity, consistent with the above priorities.
The policy was revised in 1988 due to significant economic, social, and political developments, most notably rapid population growth. The ratio of population to forest land increased from 6.6 persons per hectare in 1961 to 16 in 2011.
Greater integration with the monetary economy and market forces in a liberalized setting increased resource extraction. Culturally, tree conservation remained underemphasized, and forests continued to be viewed as wood factories, leading to widespread deforestation instead of afforestation.
Over 20 million hectares of land have turned into a virtual desert.
Climatic patterns have been adversely affected.
The run-off rate of rainwater has increased due to a lack of trees, leading to less percolation, rapid drying of soil, and greater crop vulnerability to monsoons.
In response to the changing economic and environmental needs, the National Forest Policy was revised and a new policy was announced in December 1988. This policy marked a significant departure from the 1952 framework.
Conservation focus: Emphasis was placed on forest conservation and meeting the needs of tribal and rural populations. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 was enacted in alignment with this policy.
Tribal involvement: Tribals were to be actively involved in the protection, regeneration, and development of forests. Co-operatives run by them or the government were to replace the existing contractor system, which had led to unchecked forest destruction.
Regulation of forest-based industries: Recognizing the threat of overexploitation, the policy introduced strict guidelines:
No large forest-based industries (except small-scale or cottage units) would be permitted unless raw material was sustainably available.
Industries should aim to generate their own raw materials.
Natural forests would not be allocated to industries for plantations or other uses.
Forest produce would not be provided at concessional rates to industries.
The policy differentiates between protected forests and reserved forests:
In protected forests, community rights (e.g., timber and fuel collection) are suspended for periods not exceeding 30 years.
In reserved forests, the local community retains privileged forest rights, albeit with restrictions.
(See: Roger Jeffery and Nandini Sundar, eds. A New Moral Economy for India’s Forests?, Sage, New Delhi, 1999.)
Initial outcomes were encouraging, particularly in terms of forest regeneration, community participation, and reduced industrial pressure on natural forests.
NFAP is a comprehensive plan designed to manage India’s forests sustainably. It includes the following five strategic goals:
Protection of existing forest resources of the country.
Increasing productivity of forests to meet current and future demands.
Reducing demand for forest products through substitutes and efficiency.
Expansion of existing forest areas through afforestation and reforestation.
Strengthening policy and institutional framework for long-term sustainability.
Launched in 1999, the NFAP aimed to bring 25% of India's land under tree cover by 2007 and 33% by 2012. This would be achieved through:
Afforestation on 76.5 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands.
Bringing over 29 million hectares of non-forest area under tree cover via forestry, farm forestry, and urban forestry efforts.
Community involvement: Local communities and NGOs living near forests would be directly involved in afforestation and forest management.
Use of foreign funding: For the first time, international financial support was allowed to aid reforestation and greening efforts.