Social Forestry

According to the National Forest Policy 1988, one - third of the geographical area of the country should be maintained as forest and tree cover. According to State of Forest Report (2018), Gujarat has only 11.18% of its geographical area declared as forest, which is much below the national average. Forest and tree cover is in the extent of 11.46 % (7.46 % forest cover and 4.00% tree cover outside forest-TOF) of its geographical area. More than half of the population of the state resides in the rural areas, which is directly dependent on forest resources for their fuel-wood, fodder, small timber and other requirements. Due to these reasons, regeneration, maintaining the productivity level and sustainability of the non-forest lands, particularly the common lands has become imperative for the state to meet the increasing rural needs.

Promotion of tree planting on non-forest land, through Social Forestry programme has, therefore, was considered to be the only answer to improve the green cover as well as to conserve the forests in Gujarat State. With this background, as early as in the year 1969-70, Gujarat Forest Department launched a "Social Forestry Programme" for planting trees on non-forest lands and since then the programme has been continuously strengthened and as a result of that the Gujarat State has become a pioneer as also a leading state in this field.