Monitoring India’s Forest Cover through Remote Sensing  Dr, J.K. Rawat IFS, Director, Forest Survey of India, Dehradun Tel: 0135 2756139, Fax: 0135 2759104 Email: fsidir@vsn.com  Dr. Alok Saxena IFS, Joint Director, Forest Survey of India, Dehradun Tel: 0135 2755037, Fax: 0135 2755037 Email: dr_aloksaxena@rediffmail.com  Sh. Sudhanshu Gupta Deputy Director, Forest Survey of India, Dehradun Tel: 0135 2755840, Fax: 0135 2759104 Email: sudhanshu64@rediffmail.com Forest Survey of India, Kaulagarh Road, P.O.:IPE, Dehradun – 248 195 Abstract Forests are ecological as well as socio-economic resource Maps showing distribution of forest cover are of immense value not only for management of forests and wildlife but also for environmental conservation. Use of remote sensing data for assessment of forest cover of the country was first demonstrated in 1982 by the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Department of Space. Subsequently, Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, started assessing forest cover of the country and monitoring changes therein using remote sensing data on a two-year cycle. Its first assessment based on satellite data pertaining to the period between 1983-85 was published in 1987 as State of Forest Report 1987 (SFR, 1987). The last assessment is SFR, 2001, based on digital interpretation of satellite data pertaining to the year. The latest assessment i.e., 2001 assessment shows a substantial increase of 38,245 km˛ compared to previous assessment. However, this increase is mainly due to use of improved quality of satellite data, use of digital image interpretation and change in scale from 1:250,000 to 1:50,00. Due to this many small patches of forests ranging between 1 and 25 ha, which could not be discerned earlier could be detected and added to the forest cover of the country. Forest Survey of India is also using satellite data for carrying out special forest related nation wide studies, a brief account of which is given in this paper. |