International Forest Day: 10 Important Facts About Forests In Assam

Assam has held its forests dear, revising conservation efforts regularly since independence

Digital Desk: When Ahoms first came to Assam and saw the abundance of forest area and diversity, they started calling the land “Nung Dun Chun Kham,” or the “Country of Golden Gardens.” However, after Britishers entered here, they exploited the forest and biodiversity through means of forcing farmers to clear forests and do forced monocultures, etc. Despite many odds, Assam always loved its forests, and conservation efforts were regularly revised after independence. 

To recognise and raise awareness of the value of forests around the world, the UN General Assembly declared March 21 to be the International Day of Forests in 2012. The Assam government, with the support of AFD, launched the APFBC in the same year to restore forest ecosystems, protect wildlife, and enhance the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. 

As we celebrate Forest Day today and acknowledge Assam's remarkable forest density, boasting 18 distinct forest types, let's delve into some captivating facts about this land of Golden Gardens.

The Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, has created a special strategy for the North East region due to its unique status as a region with rich heritage. The issues facing Assam's forestry industry are primarily internal; the main cause of the state's steadily declining forest cover over the past few decades has been the unrelenting violation. Despite these challenges, Assam has held its forests dear, revising conservation efforts regularly since independence.

Area

Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in the State (based on 2019 survey) is 26,832 sq km of which 17,864 sq km is Reserved Forest and 8,968 sq km is Unclassed Forest. 

Molai Forest 

Molai Forest is the world's largest single-handedly man-made forest created by Padmashree Jadhav Payeng.

Forest type

As per this assessment, the state has 18 forest types belonging to five forest type groups viz Tropical Wet Evergreen, Tropical Semi Evergreen, Tropical Moist Deciduous, Tropical Dry Deciduous, and Sub Tropical Pine Forests.

Percentage of forest

The recorded forest area of Assam is 26,832 sq km, accounting for 34.21% of its geographical area.

Most useful article

Timber, bamboo, cane, etc are the main useful products from the forests of Assam. For instance, the Cane furniture of Assam was world famous but due to serious over-exploitation, it has become almost extinct. Assam has become a net importer of cane from an erstwhile exporter.

Biggest forest

Kaziranga is the biggest National Park of Assam.

Tallest tree

Hollong (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus), the tallest tree of Assam and also the “State Tree” is the most predominant constituent of these forests. The associated species are Borpat, Jutuli, Sam, Dewa sam, Nahar, Teeta chap, Bhelu, Mekai, etc.

National Parks

Assam's protected areas include Seven national parks (2.51% of Assam's area), 17 wildlife sanctuaries (1.88% of Assam's area), and two proposed wildlife sanctuaries.

Names of the National Parks

The national parks of Assam are Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nameri National Park, Rajiv Gandhi-Orang National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Raimona National Park, And Dihing Patkai National Park.

Smallest National Park

Orang National Park is a national park in Assam located on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam.