Forest Survey of India
Also called: FSI · Topic: Natural Vegetation and Forests of India · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation"
Meaning
The Forest Survey of India (FSI) is a government body under the environment ministry (MoEFCC). It is based in Dehradun and was set up in 1981. It maps forest and tree cover from satellite data. Since 1987 it has published the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) every two years. FSI counts any land over 1 ha with canopy density above 10 per cent as forest cover. Canopy density is the share of the ground shaded by tree crowns.
Example
ISFR 2023, released in December 2024, found that forest and tree cover together were about 25 per cent of India's area. Madhya Pradesh had the largest forest cover by area (verify current).
Don't confuse with
- Forest area (recorded forest): land listed as forest in government records, whether or not trees grow on it. FSI's forest cover is what the satellite actually sees, whoever owns the land.