11.

29
UTTARAKHAND
11.29.1 Introduction

The predominantly mountainous State of Uttarakhand covers an area of 53,483 sq km, which is 1.63% of
the geographical area of the country. The State lies between 28°43' N to 31°28' N latitude and 77°34' E to
81°03' E longitude and shares borders with Himachal Pradesh in north & Uttar Pradesh in south. It also
shares International borders with Nepal and China. As the State lies in the Himalayan range, the climate
and vegetation vary greatly with altitude, from glaciers at the highest elevations to subtropical forests at
the lower elevations. Ice and bare rocks cover the higher elevations. The average annual rainfall is 1,500
mm and the annual temperature varies from 0°C to 43°C. Many major rivers including Ganga, Yamuna,
Ramganga & Sharda drain the State along with their tributaries. The State has 13 districts; all of them are
hill districts. The State does not have any tribal districts. As per the 2011 census, Uttarakhand has a
population of 10.09 million, which is 0.83% of India's population. The rural and urban population of the
State constitute 69.77% and 30.23% respectively. The Tribal population is 2.89%. The population
density of the State is 189 per sq km, which is lower than the national average. The 19th Livestock Census
2012 has reported a total livestock population of 4.79 million.

TABLE 11.29.1 Land Use Pattern

Land Use Types Area (in 000' ha) Percentage
Geographical Area 5,348
Reporting area for land utilization 5,993 100.00
Forests 3,800 63.41
Not available for land cultivation 452 7.54
Permanent pastures and other grazing lands 192 3.21
Land under misc. tree crops and groves 388 6.47
Culturable wasteland 317 5.29
Fallow land other than current fallows 87 1.44
Current fallows 57 0.96
Net area sown 700 11.68
Source: Land Use Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI, (2014-15)

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Uttarakhand
11.29.1.1 A Brief Overview of Forestry Scenario
Uttarakhand is rich in forest resources. As per the Champion & Seth Classification of Forest Types (1968),
the forests in Uttarakhand belong to nine Forest Type Groups, which are further divided into 43 Forest
Types. Physiographically, the State can be divided into three zones namely, the Himalayas, the Shiwalik
and the Terai region. The human and livestock population is largely dependent on forests due to
agrarian economy and pastoralism.

Van Panchayats in Uttarakhand are unique institutions of community forest management which came
into existence in 1921. At present there are 12,167 Van Panchayats in the State which manage an area of
7,32,688 hectares of forest. Occurrence of forest fires at regular intervals is a major problem in the State.

Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in the State is 38,000 sq km of which 26,547 sq km is Reserved Forest, 9,885 sq
km is Protected Forest and 1,568 sq km is Unclassed Forests. In Uttarakhand, during the period 1st
January 2015 to 5th February 2019, a total of 2,850.87 hectares of forest land was diverted for non-
forestry purposes under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (MoEF & CC, 2019).

Six National Parks, seven Wildlife Sanctuaries and four Community Reserves constitute the Protected
Area network of the State covering 3.24% of its geographical area. The Corbett National Park is located in
the State.

11.29.2 Forest Cover

Based on the interpretation of IRS Resourcesat-2 LISS III satellite data of the period Oct 2017 to Oct 2018,
the Forest Cover in the State is 24,303.04 sq km which is 45.44 % of the State's geographical area. In terms
of forest canopy density classes, the State has 5,046.76 sq km under Very Dense Forest (VDF), 12,805.24
sq km under Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) and 6,451.04 sq km under Open Forest (OF). Forest Cover in
the State has increased by 8.04 sq km as compared to the previous assessment reported in ISFR 2017.

TABLE 11.29.2 Forest Cover of Uttarakhand FIGURE 11.29.1 Forest Cover of Uttarakhand
(in sq. km)
Non-forest
Class Area % of GA 53.84%

VDF 5,046.76 9.44

Scrub
MDF 12,805.24 23.94 0.72%

OF 6,451.04 12.06
Total 24,303.04 45.44 OF
12.06% VDF
Scrub 383.17 0.72 9.44%

MDF
23.94%

VDF MDF OF Scrub Non-Forest

11.29.2.1 Forest Cover inside and outside Recorded Forest Area (or Green Wash)
The State has reported extent of recorded forest area (RFA) 38,000 sq km which is 71.05% of its
geographical area. The reserved, protected and unclassed forests are 69.86%, 26.01% and 4.13% of the
recorded forest area in the State respectively. However as the digitized boundary of recorded forest area
from the state covers 25,494.46 sq km and the analysis of forest cover inside and outside this area is given
below.

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Uttarakhand
TABLE 11.29.3 Forest Cover inside and outside Recorded Forest Area or (Green Wash) in Uttarakhand (in sq km)
Forest Cover inside the Recorded Forest Area Forest Cover outside the Recorded Forest Area
(or Green Wash) (or Green Wash)
VDF MDF OF Total VDF MDF OF Total
4,261 9,269 3,260 16,790 786 3,536 3,191
25.38% 55.20% 19.42% 10.46% 47.07% 42.47%
*in case of Uttarakhand RFA boundaries have been used

FIGURE 11.29.2 Forest Cover inside and outside RFA in Uttarakhand

10,000
9,269

9,000

8,000

7,000

6,000
Area in sq km

Inside RFA
5,000
Outside RFA
4,000 3,260
4,261 3,536 3,191
3,000

2,000

786
1,000

0
VDF MDF OF

TABLE 11.29.4 District- wise Forest Cover in Uttarakhand (in sq km)

2019 Assessment Change
Geographical Very Mod. Open Total % wrt 2017
District Scrub
Area (GA) Dense Dense Forest of GA assessment
Forest Forest

AlmoraH 3,144 199.00 837.00 683.14 1,719.14 54.68 1.14 6.00

Bageshwar H 2,241 162.39 761.61 338.69 1,262.69 56.34 1.69 1.00
H
Chamoli 8,030 443.00 1,580.00 686.43 2,709.43 33.74 0.43 1.00
H
Champawat 1,766 367.00 593.00 265.55 1,225.55 69.40 1.55 7.00
H
Dehradun 3,088 659.77 601.56 347.36 1,608.69 52.09 3.69 86.28
Garhwal H 5,329 574.26 1,902.03 918.70 3,394.99 63.71 0.99 95.97
Haridwar H 2,360 74.74 276.42 234.09 585.25 24.80 -2.75 6.00
H
Nainital 4,251 773.06 1,728.93 539.57 3,041.56 71.55 -6.44 9.63
H
Pithoragarh 7,090 505.00 965.00 609.80 2,079.80 29.33 1.80 39.00
H
Rudraprayag 1,984 252.00 580.00 310.17 1,142.17 57.57 1.17 9.00
Tehri Garhwal H 3,642 272.71 1,084.08 709.19 2,065.98 56.73 0.98 97.44
Udham Singh Nagar H 2,542 149.16 188.75 93.88 431.79 16.99 -4.21 3.85
H
Uttarkashi 8,016 614.67 1,706.86 714.47 3,036.00 37.87 8.00 21.00
Grand Total 53,483 5,046.76 12,805.24 6,451.04 24,303.04 45.44 8.04 383.17

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Uttarakhand
TABLE 11.29.5 Forest Cover Change Matrix for Uttarakhand (in sq km)
2019 Assessment Total ISFR
Class
VDF MDF OF Scrub NF 2017
Very Dense Forest 4,968 0 0 0 1 4,969
Moderately Dense Forest 79 12,787 6 0 12 12,884
Open Forest 0 18 6,406 2 16 6,442
Scrub 0 0 1 379 3 383
Non Forest 0 0 38 2 28,765 28,805
Total ISFR 2019 5,047 12,805 6,451 383 28,797 53,483
Net Change 78 -79 9 0 -8

Main reasons for the increase in forest cover in the State are plantation and conservation activities.

TABLE 11.29.6 Altitude-wise Forest Cover in Uttarakhand (in sq km)

Altitude Zone (m) Geographical Area VDF MDF OF Total Scrub

0-500 7,937 628 1,636 620 2,884 (11.87%) 9
500-1000 5,703 1,196 1,865 898 3,959 (16.29%) 104
1000-2000 17,560 1,569 5,165 3,306 10,040 (41.31%) 238
2000-3000 7,248 1,548 3,099 1,128 5,775 (23.76%) 20
3000-4000 4,193 106 1,039 494 1,639 (6.74%) 11
>4000 10,842 0 1 5 6 (0.03%) 1
Total 53,483 5,047 12,805 6,451 24,303 383
(based on SRTM, Digital Elevation Model, 30 m, 2016)

TABLE 11.29.7 Forest Cover in different slope classes in Uttarakhand (in sq km)

Slope (in degrees) Geographical Area VDF MDF OF Total Scrub

0-5 9,446 843 1,470 641 2,954 (12.16%) 26
5-10 4,069 486 976 346 1,808 (7.44%) 18
10-15 5,688 614 1,507 642 2,763 (11.37%) 37
15-20 7,028 728 1,933 921 3,582 (14.74%) 58
20-25 7,313 729 2,051 1,048 3,828 (15.75%) 69
25-30 6,683 649 1,874 1,021 3,544 (14.58%) 67
>30 13,256 998 2,994 1,832 5,824 (23.96%) 108
Total 53,483 5,047 12,805 6,451 24,303 383
(based on SRTM, Digital Elevation Model, 30 m, 2016)

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Uttarakhand
FIGURE 11.29.3 Forest Cover Map of Uttarakhand
78°00'E 79°00'E 80°00'E 81°00'E

HIMACHAL N
PRADESH
31°00'N

31°00'N
Uttarkashi CHINA

Chamoli
ag
ay
pr
dra
Ru
Dehradun
Tehri Garhwal Pithoragarh

HARYANA
30°00'N

30°00'N
Pauri Garhwal Bageshwar

Haridwar
Almora NEPAL

LEGEND
Champawat Very Dense Forest
Mod. Dense Forest
Open Forest
Scrub
Non-Forest
Nainital
29°00'N

29°00'N
Water-bodies
UTTAR PRADESH District boundary
State boundary
Capital

78°00'E 79°00'E 80°00'E 81°00'E

TABLE 11.29.8 Wetlands inside the Recorded Forest Area (or Green Wash) in Uttarakhand (in ha)

Wetland Category No. of Wetlands Total Wetland Area

Inland Wetlands - Natural
Lake/Pond 5 17
Ox-bow lake/Cut-off meander 5 14
High altitude Wetland 8 34
Riverine wetland 1 1
Waterlogged 1 9
River/Stream 75 38,932
Sub - Total 95 39,007
Inland Wetlands -Man-made
Reservoir/Barrage 9 14,998
Tank/Pond 1 8
Sub - Total 10 15,006
Wetlands (<2.25 ha) 116 116
Total 221 54,129

Total Recorded Forest (or Green Wash) Area (in ha) 25,49,446
% of Wetland area inside Recorded Forest (or Green Wash) Area 2.12%
(analysis based on the National Wetland Atlas: India, 2011)

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Uttarakhand
11.29.3 Forest Types & Biodiversity
Forest Type Maps of 2011 have been refined in the recently completed exercise by FSI. Percentage area
under different forest types of Uttarakhand as per the Champion & Seth classification (1968), according
to the latest exercise are presented in the following table.

Table 11.29.9 Percentage area under different forest types of Uttarakhand

SI.No. Forest Type % of Forest cover

1. 3C/C2a Moist Siwalik Sal Forest 14.05

2. 3C/C2c Moist Tarai Sal Forest 1.56
3. 3C/C2d (i) Western Light Alluvium Plains Sal Forest 0.62
4. 3C/DS1 Moist Sal Savannah 0.02
5. 3C/C3a West Gangatic Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest 4.04
6. 4C/FS2 Submontane Hill-Valley Swamp Forest 0.00
7. 5B/C1a Dry Siwalik Sal Forest 1.57
8. 5B/C1b Dry Plains Sal Forest 0.04
9. 5B/C2 Northern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest 3.59
10. 5/DS1 Dry Deciduous Scrub 0.16
11. 5/1S2 Khair-Sissu Forest 0.97
12. 9/C1a Lower Or Siwalik Chir Pine Forest 0.18
13. 9/C1b Upper Or Himalayan Chir Pine Forest 27.97
14. 9/DS1 Himalayan Subtropical Scrub 1.61
15. 9/DS2 Subtropical Euphorbia Scrub 0.11
16. 12/C1a Ban Oak Forest (Q.incana) 13.86
17. 12/C1b Moru Oak Forest (Q.dilatata) 0.47
18. 12/C1c Moist Deodar Forest (Cedrus) 1.55
19. 12/C1d Western Mixed Coniferous Forest (Spruce, Blue Pine, Silver Fir) 5.01
20. 12/C1e Moist Temperate Deciduous Forest 0.79
21. 12/C1f Low-Level Blue Pine Forest (P. wallichiana) 0.09
22. 12/C1/DS1 Oak Scrub 0.14
23. 12/C1/DS2 Himalayan Temperate Secondary Scrub 0.06
24. 12/C2a Kharsu Oak Forest (Q. semecarpifolia) 3.08
25. 12/C2b West Himalayan Upper Oak/Fir Forest 5.49
26. 12/C2c (Moist Temperate Deciduous Forest) 0.79
27. 12/DS2 Himalayan Temperate Parkland 0.03
28. 12/DS3 Himalayan Temperate Pastures 0.16
29. 12/1S1 Alder Forest 0.03
30. 12/2S1 Low Level Blue Pine Forest 0.09
31. 13/C2b Dry Deodar Forest (Cedrus) 0.73
32. 13/C5 West Himalayan Dry Juniper Forest (J. macropoda) 0.02
33. 13/1S1 Hippophae / Myricaria Scrub 0.26
34. 14/C1a West Himalayan Sub-Alpine Birch/Fir Forest (Betula/Abies) 0.71
35. 14/C1b West Himalayan Sub-Alpine Fir Forest 2.06
36. 14/1S1 Hippophae / Myricaria Brakes 0.08
37. 14/1S2 Deciduous Sub-Alpine Scrub 0.16
38. 14/DS1 Sub-Alpine Pastures 0.82
39. 15/C1 Birch/Rhododendron Scrub Forest 0.45
Contd.

289
Uttarakhand
 SI.No. Forest Type % of Forest cover
40. 15/E1 Dwarf Rhododendron Scrub 0.06
41. 15/C3 (Alpine Pastures) 5.54
42. 16/C1 Dry Alpine Scrub 0.01
43. 16/E1 Dwarf Juniper Scrub 0.12
44. Plantation/ TOF 0.85
Total 100.00

11.29.3.1 Assessment of Biodiversity

Findings of the rapid assessment of Biodiversity carried out at the national level for natural forests
during September 2018 to May 2019 as part of the forest type mapping exercise is summarized below in
table 11.29.10 and table 11.29.11 in respect of Uttarakhand.

TABLE 11.29.10 No. of species observed during the rapid assessment

Plant Type Number of Species
Trees 112
Shrub 73
Herb 94

TABLE 11.29.11 Shannon-Wiener Index of Tree, Shrub and Herb species in different Type Groups of Uttarakhand
Shannon-Wiener Index
SI.No. Forest Type Group
Tree Shrub Herb
1. Group 3- Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests 2.51 2.08 *
2. Group 5- Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests 2.53 2.19 2.18
3. Group 9- Subtropical Pine Forests 1.84 1.90 2.41
4. Group 12- Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests 2.41 2.58 3.70
5. Group 13- Himalayan Dry Temperate Forests 0.65 1.76 1.85
6. Group 14- Sub Alpine Forests * 2.49 2.82
7. Group 15 - Moist Alpine Scrub 1.35 * *
8. Group 16- Dry Alpine Scrub * 1.36 1.10
* adequate number of sample plots were not available

11.29.4 Fire Prone Forest Areas

Geographical area under different classes of forest fire proneness are given in the following table.

TABLE 11.29.12 Forest Fire Prone Classes (in sq km)

Sl. Forest Fire Geo graphical % of Total
No. Prone Classes Area forest cover
1 Extremely fire prone 45.56 0.17
2 Very highly fire prone 443.12 1.60
3 Highly fire prone 2,689.15 9.32
4 Moderately fire prone 7,316.58 21.66
5 Less fire prone 32,275.70 67.25
Total 42,770.11 100.00

290
Uttarakhand
FIGURE 11.29.4 Fire prone forest areas under different fire prone classes

LEGEND

State Boundary
Extremely Fire Prone
Very Highly Fire Prone
Highly Fire Prone
Moderately Fire Prone
Less Fire Prone

11.29.5 Tree Cover

Forest cover presented in the section 11.29.2 accounts for tree patches of size 1 ha and more having
canopy density more than 10%. However, trees occurring in patches of size less than 1 ha including
scattered trees are assessed through sampling based methodology. Tree cover in Uttarakhand has been
estimated as given in table 11.29.13.

TABLE 11.29.13 Tree Cover in Uttarakhand

(in sq km)
Area
Tree Cover
841

Tree cover of Uttarakhand has increased by 74 sq km as compared to the previous assessment reported
in ISFR 2017.

11.29.6 Extent of Trees Outside Forest (TOF)

Trees outside Forests (TOF) refer to tree resources found outside the forests as defined in the
Government records. FSI maps forest cover using satellite data and assesses tree cover outside forests
using sampling based method. Forest Cover outside the recorded forest area is derived using
boundaries of RFA or Green Wash. Extent of TOF therefore may be estimated as the sum of extent of
forest cover outside the recorded forest areas (RFA) and tree cover as given in the preceding section.

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Uttarakhand
TABLE 11.29.14 Extent of TOF in Uttarakhand (in sq km)
Forest Cover outside the RFA/GW Tree Cover Extent of TOF
7,513 841 8,354

11.29.7 Growing Stock in Uttarakhand

Growing stock in the recorded forest areas (RFA) in Uttarakhand is given in the table 11.29.15. Diameter
class-wise distribution of top 5 species in numbers derived from the forest inventory data is presented in
the table 11.29.16 .

TABLE 11.29.15 Growing Stock in Forest (in m cum)

Growing Stock (GS) % of Country's GS
Growing Stock in Recorded Forest Area 406.08 9.50
Growing Stock in TOF 19.13 1.16

TABLE 11.29.16 Diameter class distribution of top five species inside RFA in Uttarakhand (in '000)

Sl.No. Species Dia class (cm)

10-30 30-60 >60
1. Shorea robusta 43,087 28,380 4,250
2. Pinus roxburghii 1,10,278 52,652 4,344
3. Quercus leucotrichophora 1,19,542 21,968 3,082
4. Mallotus philippinensis 54,823 1,161 0
5. Rhododendron arboreum 76,339 14,212 651

11.29.8 Carbon Stock in Forest

The total Carbon stock of forest in the State including the TOF patches which are more than 1 ha in size is
370.91 million tonnes (1,360.00 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent) which is 5.21% of total forest carbon of
the country. Pool wise forest carbon in Uttarakhand is given in the following table

TABLE 11.29.17 Forest Carbon in Uttarakhand in different pools (in '000 tonnes)

AGB BGB Dead wood Litter SOC Total

1,52,540 40,975 2,948 4,904 1,69,545 3,70,912

11.29.9 Growing Stock of Bamboo

Bamboo bearing area and growing stock inside the recorded forest area (RFA)/ Green Wash which
include culms of 1 year age and above are given in the table 11.29.18

TABLE 11.29.18 Growing Stock of Bamboo in Uttarakhand

Growing Stock (GS) % of Country's GS of Bamboo
Bamboo bearing area inside RFA/Green Wash (in sq km) 1,489 0.93
Total number of culms (in millions) 384 0.97
Total equivalent green weight (in 000' tonnes) 1,390 0.50

11.29.10 Dominant tree species in Trees Outside Forests (TOF)

Top five species in numbers in Trees Outside Forests in Uttarakhand in Rural and Urban areas are given in
the table 11.29.19 and table 11.29.20 respectively

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Uttarakhand
TABLE 11.29.19 Top five tree species in TOF (Rural) TABLE 11.29.20 Top five tree species in TOF (Urban)
in Uttarakhand in Uttarakhand
Relative Relative
Sl. No. Species Sl. No. Species
Abundance (%) Abundance (%)
1. Pinus roxburghii 13.27 1. Quercus leucotrichophora 18.63
2. Grewia oppositifolia 13.05 2. Mangifera indica 14.33
3. Mangifera indica 12.61 3. Cedrus deodara 7.36
4. Quercus leucotrichophora 11.38 4. Cupressus species 5.63
5. Ficus species 6.03 5. Populus species 4.58

11.29.11 Major NTFP and Invasive Species

Major NTFP and invasive species as assessed from forest inventory data are presented in the table
11.29.21 and table 11.29.22 respectively.

TABLE 11.29.21 Major NTFP species in the State of Uttarakhand

Sl. No. Species Plant Type Relative Abundance (%)
1. Rhododendron arborium Tree 71.98
2. Myrica esculenta Tree 16.65
3. Lannea coromandelica Tree 3.35
4. Ehretia laevis Tree 3.15
5. Taxus baccata Tree 1.52

TABLE 11.29.22 Major invasive species in the State with RFA/Green Wash in Uttarakhand (in sq km)

Sl. No. Species Estimated Extent

1. Lantana camara 605
2. Ageratina adenophora 271
3. Saccharum spontanem 104
4. Cassia tora 42
5. Acacia farnesiana 30

Major NTFP species are given in terms of relative abundance whereas invasive species are given in terms
of their estimated extent.

11.29.12 Quantified estimation of Dependence of People living in forest fringe villages on forests in
Uttarakhand
Through a nation-wide study, FSI has done estimation of dependence of people living in the villages
close to forest for fuel wood, fodder, small timber and bamboo in quantified terms for each State & UT of
the country (Please refer to Chapter 10 in Vol. I for details). The estimated quantities of the four produce
for Uttarakhand is given in the table 11.29.23

TABLE 11.29.23 Estimation of Dependence of People in Forest Fringe Villages on Forests in Uttarakhand
Fuelwood Fodder Bamboo Small Timber
(tonnes) (tonnes) (tonnes) (cum)
40,75,981 3,21,18,736 2,427 38,801

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Uttarakhand