‘Restoring tree cover may lead to global warming but only in some places’

Forest restoration scientist Susan Cook-Patton on albedo change due to restoring tree cover and ideal places for climate-positive reforestation 

Paper forests: India’s missing stretches of green

The most bad news is what the biennial forest survey report leaves unsaid

Half of global cropland expansion replaced natural vegetation and tree cover: Study

The largest cropland expansion was observed in Africa which was 34 per cent

Ireland has lost almost all of its native forests — here’s how to bring them back

Around 80% of the island of Ireland was once green

Over 57k hectares of forest land diverted in Odisha, says new report

Most of the forest land (28,409 hectares) was diverted for 186 mining projects

Climate change may reduce carbon dioxide uptake by forests: Study

Tree growth in Arizona will decline 22-117% under future climatic conditions

UNCCD CoP: Centre unclear how states are spending money allotted for forests

The 14th Finance Commission had given 7.5 per cent weightage to forest cover

Every northeastern state reports loss in forest cover: State of India’s Forest Report 2021

Manipur recorded the largest loss in forest cover

India among top 10 countries gaining forest area in the world: FAO

Half of people employed in forestry in the world are in India  

Forest Survey Report 2021: 11 states have lost forest cover; 21 have lost good forests

India’s forest cover has increased by just 1,540 sq km in two years, mostly due to plantation and agroforestry

Phasi wood for Jagannath chariot this year entirely from private lands; forest loss, climate change affecting natural supply

Phasi and Dhaura trees take 50-100 years to mature; this poses a challenge to the annual construction of chariots in the Puri Jagannath Yatra

Why increase in global tree cover does not call for celebration

Much of it could be due to the increase in planted forests, which are more vulnerable to extreme climatic events

Extreme weather, land-use change drive animal movement

A recent study says that land-use change interacts with climate to determine species redistribution

North East India saw largest share of the country's tree cover loss : Study

Assam contributed over 14% to India’s overall decrease in forest area — the highest for any state

Tree rings can predict climate change

Researchers present papers that show impact of climate change on trees at the ongoing 6th Asian Dendrochronology Conference

Achieving targeted sequestration from green cover seems impossible

India cannot achieve this Paris Agreement target without political commitment at both central and state government levels

10 most popular stories of 2018

As the year nears its end, here is a list of stories covered by Down To Earth that caught the most attention online

Missing: One-third of India’s recorded forests

25.87 million hectares: That is the size of forest missing from the latest assessment of India’s green cover. Does this land exist? Is it …

India’s forest cover increased during 2019-2021. Is it really as good as it sounds?

Moderately dense forests declined between 2021 and 2019. In 2021-2011, the country lost 4.3% of area under moderately dense forests

Outbreak of infectious diseases linked to change in forest cover, finds study

Outbreaks of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases linked to deforestation increased between 1990 and 2016

Nasa satellite imagery finds tremendous changes in Amazon in last 40 years

The scale of losses in forests land, increase in pasture land, shift in land use policy driven by economic forces are seen nowhere else in the world

Missing forests: A third of recorded forest area not assessed in latest govt survey

India has a forest cover of 77.53 million ha. But recorded forests—the area under the forest department— with forest cover are only 51.…

Planet greening negated global warming, show NASA maps

Since 2000, at least 30% of areas with more leaf coverage were cooled by it, the research noted

How schoolchildren are 'seed-bombing' Bihar

A unique initiative by an NGO is helping the state increase its green cover while also spreading awareness

Sikkim best prepared to tackle drought, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh the least

All four districts of the northeastern state are resilient to drought, but that’s not the case with any of the districts in Rajasthan and …