As per the Kyoto Protocol, the forest can be defined by any country depending upon the capacities and capabilities of the country.

According to Kyoto definition, forest is a minimum area of land of 0.05-1 hectare with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10-30 per cent with trees with the potential to reach a minimum height of 2-5 metres at maturity in situ. 

India’s definition of forest

India’s definition of forest has been taken on the basis of above three criteria only and very well accepted by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for their reporting/communications. 

Forest is defined structurally on the basis of:

1) Crown cover percentage: Tree crown cover - 10 per cent

2) Minimum area of stand: one hectare

3) Minimum height of trees: Potential to reach a minimum height at maturity in situ of 2m.

The forest cover is defined as ‘all land, more than one hectare in area, with a tree canopy density of more than 10 per cent irrespective of ownership and legal status. Such land may not necessarily be a recorded forest area. It also includes orchards, bamboo and palm’. The definition of forest cover has clearly been defined in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR).

In ISFR 2021, the forest cover figures are divided as ‘Inside Recorded Forest Area’ and ‘Outside Recorded Forest Area’. Those ‘Inside Recorded Forest Area’ are basically natural forests and plantations of the forest department. The forest cover ‘Outside Recorded Forest Area’ are mango orchards, coconut plantations, block plantations of agroforestry. 

Thus, data of mango plantations, etc is automatically getting separated out as Forest Survey of India is reporting the figures of ‘Outside Recorded Forest Area’ separately.

The Interpretation of satellite data for classifying Very Dense Forest (VDF) is also supported by the ancillary data like field inventory data of FSI, ground truthing data and high resolution satellite imagery wherever required.

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