Forest Survey of India

Forest Survey of India (FSI) is a government organization in India under the union Ministry of Environment and Forests for conducting forest surveys and studies. The organization came into being in June, 1981.[1] It is headquartered at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. The objective of the organization is monitoring periodically the changing situation of land and forest resources and present the data for national planning; conservation and management of environmental preservation and implementation of social forestry projects.[1]

History

Forest Survey of India is the successor of "Preinvestment Survey of Forest Resources" (PISFR), a project initiated in 1965 by the government of India with the sponsorship of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).[2] In its report in 1976, the National Commission on Agriculture (NCA) recommended the creation of a National Forest Survey Organization for a regular, periodic and comprehensive forest resources survey of the country, leading to the creation of the FSI.

Objectives

The objectives of Forest Survey of India are:[3]

  1. To prepare State of Forest Report biennially, providing assessment of latest forest cover in the country and monitoring changes in these.
  2. To conduct inventory in forest and non-forest areas and develop database on forest tree resources.
  3. To prepare thematic maps on 1:50,000 scale, using aerial photographs.
  4. To function as a nodal agency for collection, compilation, storage and dissemination of spatial database on forest resources.
  5. To conduct training of forestry personnel in application of technologies related to resources survey, remote sensing, GIS, etc.
  6. To strengthen research & development infrastructure in FSI and to conduct research on applied forest survey techniques.
  7. To support State/UT Forest Departments (SFD) in forest resources survey, mapping and inventory.
  8. To undertake forestry related special studies/consultancies and custom made training courses for SFD's and other organisations on project basis.

Forest Survey of India assesses forest cover of the country every 2 years by digital interpretation of remote sensing satellite data and publishes the results in a biennial report called 'State of Forest Report'(SFR).Beginning in 1987, 13 SFRs have come so far.

Since 2004, FSI has been monitoring forest fires across the country using MODIS(Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) and GIS based technology.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Forest Survey of India, Dehradun". Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  2. "Brief History". About Us. orest Survey of India. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  3. "Objectives of FSI". About Us. orest Survey of India. Retrieved 2008-04-06.


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