FSI: State forests shows low growth

The Statesman,1st March,2008

The latest report of Forest Survey of India ( FSI) has revealed a net addition of 21 square km of forest area in the state during 2004-05 and notes that the decline in forest cover has been checked."But the rate of addition is a only 0.04 per cent during the two years and when viewed in terms of the money spent on plantation and other measures the growth is meagre" , said Mr Biswajit Mohanty, secretary Wildlife Society of Orissa.Compared to this, there was a loss of an amazing 472 square km of forest during the previous year periods of 2002 and 2003. It is doubtful if the forest department can recover the previous loss since the addition is so low compared to the loss of 0.97 per cent suffered as per the previous survey.As per the FSI report, Orissa has added 51 square km of very dense forest, lost 56 square km of moderately dense forest and added 26 square km of open forest , thereby leading to a net increase of 21 square km .Every two years, the FSI conducts an assessment of the forest cover in the country with the help of remote sensing techniques. The state has a total area of 1,55,707 square km. As per the latest census only 31 per cent of area of the state has actual forest cover. However, only 18 per cent of the state's geographical area is covered by dense forests though ideally it should have been 33 per cent. The state has a recorded a forest area of 58,136 square km though actual forest area of the state is 48,374 square kms including scrub forest of 4,743 square km. The break up of forest cover as per the 2005 assessment: Very dense forest: 538 square km, Moderately dense forest: 27,656 square km, Open forest: 20,180 square km and Scrub forests: 4,743 square km. A total of 538 square km of very dense forests have been recorded only from four districts ~ Mayurbhanj, Balasore (Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary), Rayagada and Kandhamal, including 319 square km in Simlipal Tiger Reserve.The most forested district is Kandhamal with 68 per cent of its geographical area covered with forests, followed by Gajapati 58 per cent. Bhadrak district has only 0.35 per cent of its area covered by forests. Districts like Ganjam and Koraput have lost forests while there was no change in as many as 20 districts. Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Dhenkanal districts have recorded additions of 3 to 6 square km each. Mr Mohanty said that timber smuggling, rampant mining and unplanned industrialization has been the bane of forests in the state and the government is in no position to combat these menaces."Forest field staff are attacked in broad daylight even in cities like Bhubaneswar when they attempt to nab timber smugglers since the government has not vested firing powers to forest officers. The government is yet to provide funds to improve the existing poor infrastructure (patrol vehicles, guns, beat houses) and recruit forest guards to fill the huge vacancy of 40 per cent throughout the state, alleged Mr Mohanty.