Forest Types and Forest Cover of Chhattisgarh

Prerequisites

• Physical Geography of Chhattisgarh: the northern hills, the central plain and the Bastar plateau decide where forests survive
• Natural Vegetation and Soils of India: the all-India forest types used here
• Environment and Ecology: basic ideas of ecosystems and biodiversity

The Hook: The Report That Put Chhattisgarh on Top

Why it matters: Prelims loves ISFR numbers and the difference between “forest cover” and “recorded forest area”. Mains GS-III asks about forest resources and their trends. Quote the report year every time.

How India Measures Forests

The Forest Survey of India (FSI, भारतीय वन सर्वेक्षण), Dehradun, under the Union Environment Ministry, publishes the India State of Forest Report every two years using satellite data. ISFR 2023 is the 18th edition.

Canopy Density Classes

Chhattisgarh in the Numbers

The state’s geographical area is 1,35,192 sq km.

Forest Types

Under the Champion and Seth classification (1968), Chhattisgarh’s forests fall into three type groups:

By dominant species, foresters group the state’s forests as sal, teak and miscellaneous (mixed) forests including bamboo. Chhattisgarh has some of the finest sal forests in India.

graph TD
    F["Forests of Chhattisgarh"] --> S["Sal forests (moist deciduous)"]
    F --> T["Teak forests (dry and moist deciduous)"]
    F --> M["Mixed forests with bamboo"]
    S --> S1["Bastar plateau and the northern hills"]
    T --> T1["Patches across the state, e.g. Indravati landscape"]
    M --> M1["Widespread; source of most minor forest produce"]

Where the Forests Are

• South (Bastar division): the Bastar plateau and Dandakaranya hills carry dense sal and mixed forests, with Indravati and Kanger Valley national parks.
• North (Surguja division and Korba): the northern hills carry large, contiguous sal forests, including Hasdeo Arand (हसदेव अरण्य), Guru Ghasidas National Park and the elephant reserves.
• West (Maikal range): forests of Kabirdham and Mungeli link to Kanha (MP) and Achanakmar.
• Centre (Mahanadi plain): largely cleared for paddy, the “rice bowl”. Forest here survives in patches such as Barnawapara.

Sal: the State Tree

• Sal (Shorea robusta), called sarai (सरई) locally, is the state tree.
• Sal seeds are a valuable minor forest produce. The leaves are stitched into plates (dona-pattal), and the resin gives dhoop (incense).
• Sal forests regenerate poorly under heavy grazing and fire. That makes protection and community management important.

Analysis for Mains: Why the Forest Matters

1. Livelihoods: minor forest produce (tendu, mahua, lac, tamarind, sal seed) is a main cash income for forest-dwelling households. See Minor Forest Produce.
2. Water: forested catchments feed the Mahanadi, Indravati, Hasdeo and Sheonath systems.
3. Climate: dense forests are large carbon sinks, part of India’s NDC goal of a 2.5–3 billion tonne additional carbon sink.
4. Biodiversity: wild buffalo, tiger, elephant and hill myna habitats.
5. Pressures: mining (coal in the north, iron ore in the south), encroachment, forest fires, Left-Wing Extremism long limiting management in parts of Bastar (declared Naxal-free May 2026), and human-elephant conflict.
6. Positive trend: ISFR 2023 shows the biggest gain in forest plus tree cover of any state, largely from trees outside forests. That suggests agroforestry and plantations are working, though plantations do not replace natural forest.

Memory Tricks

Don’t Confuse

Common Mistakes

Practice

These are original practice questions in CGPSC style, not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

1. The India State of Forest Report is published every ________ years by the ________, Dehradun.
2. A forest with canopy density between 40% and 70% is classified as ________.
3. The state tree of Chhattisgarh is ________, locally called ________.

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements about Chhattisgarh in the India State of Forest Report 2023:

1. Its forest cover is about 41% of its geographical area.
2. It recorded the highest increase in forest and tree cover among all states.
3. It has the largest forest cover by area among all states.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. In the classification used by the Forest Survey of India, “Open Forest” means land with tree canopy density of:

(a) 10% to below 40% (b) 40% to below 70% (c) below 10% (d) 70% and above

Q3. Match List-I (Term) with List-II (Description):

(a) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3 (b) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3 (c) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (d) A-4, B-1, C-3, D-2

Q4. Which one of the following forest type groups (Champion and Seth) is not found in Chhattisgarh?

(a) Tropical Moist Deciduous (b) Tropical Dry Deciduous (c) Subtropical Broad-leaved Hill Forest (d) Littoral and Swamp Forest

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. Distinguish between “forest cover” and “recorded forest area” with reference to Chhattisgarh. (60 words)

Q2. “Chhattisgarh’s forests are both an ecological asset and an economic lifeline.” Discuss, with reference to the trends shown in recent forest reports. (150–200 words)

Quick Revision Table

Key Takeaways

What’s Next

• Minor Forest Produce: what these forests yield for people
• National Parks of Chhattisgarh: the best-protected forest blocks
• Biodiversity and Conservation: the science behind conservation
• Minerals, Energy and Industry: the mining pressure on the same forests