SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the highest increase in growing stock across the country, indicating an improvement in forest health and productivity, as per official documents.
The documents read, “In absolute terms, Jammu and Kashmir has the highest increase in growing stock, followed by Madhya Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.”
In terms of percentages, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lead with a 132.50% increase in growing stock in the Recorded Forest Area (RFA), followed by Jammu and Kashmir at 62.16% and Telangana at 56.30%.
Among states, Maharashtra recorded the highest growing stock in agroforestry, with 136.45 cubic metres, followed by Karnataka with 98.31 cubic metres, Odisha with 88.53 cubic metres, and Rajasthan with 86.26 cubic metres.
“Among Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir has the highest growing stock at 29.59 cubic metres, followed by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 0.90 cubic metres and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu,” the document reads.
Regarding carbon stock, Arunachal Pradesh ranks highest with 1,021 metric tonnes, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 608 metric tonnes, Chhattisgarh with 505 metric tonnes, and Maharashtra with 465 metric tonnes. Jammu and Kashmir leads in per-hectare carbon stock contribution, with 174.10 tonnes per hectare, followed by Sikkim with 169.20 tonnes per hectare, Himachal Pradesh with 163.68 tonnes per hectare, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with 161.62 tonnes per hectare.
The report also highlights advancements in forest fire management. A key initiative is generating Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS) data for fire detections and sharing them with state forest departments for integration into their portals.
“FSI has provided these services to states including Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Goa, and Delhi, as requested by their respective State Forest Departments,” the document concludes. (KNO)
