Mind Blowing Facts about Indian Forests

In these times of foreign travels and increased mobility, we sometimes forget the treasures lying at our own doors. For example did you know that India is not just a culture rich behemoth of history but also one of the ten most forest rich countries of the world? We sure didn’t! At Treed, we believe that awareness is the first step towards conservation. To that end, we have collected some exciting facts about Indian forests. Read on and prepare to have your mind blown.

• The forest topography of India is rich and varied. From the alpine forests of Ladakh to the tropical forests of Kerela, the landscape is dotted with diversity.
• A dedicated festival for forests the Van Mahotvsa is celebrated every year in the first week of July.
• In 1973, a group of brave villagers and environmentalists launched the Chipko movement to rally against destruction of Himalyan forests.
• India is ranked as the 10th most forested country in the in world. 24.4% of land area under in India is under forest and tree cover
• Fifteen states/UTs have above 33% of geographical area under forest cover. About 40% of country’s forest cover is present in 9 large contiguous patches of the size of 10,000 sq.km, or more.
• The state of Karnataka is well known for its Sandalwood Forests. The city of Mysore produces products from sandalwood and is sometimes called the sandalwood city of Karnataka.
• The Palakkad district of Kerela is home to Silent Valley, an evergreen tropical forest.

• The forests of India are classified into: Taiga type (consisting of pines, spruce, etc.) the mixed temperate forests with coniferous and deciduous trees, the temperate forests, the sub-tropical forests, the tropical forests, and the equatorial rainforests. But there are mainly six groups of forest in India which are- moist tropical, dry tropical, montane sub-tropical, montane temperate, sub alpine and alpine.
• Evergreen forests are found on the eastern and western slopes of the Western Ghats in states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. They are also found in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Tropical Evergreen forest in India are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Western Ghats, which fringe the Arabian Sea, the coastline of peninsular India, and the greater Assam region in the north-east.
• The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world, located in the Ganges River delta in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India.

• The Pichavaram mangroves in Tamil Nadu is also one of India’s largest mangrove forests.
• The Sunderban Delta derives its name from the Sundari trees (the mangrove species Heritiera fomes) that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers
• As per State of Environment Report 2017, about 45 percent of India's land is degraded due to erosion, soil acidity, alkalinity and salinity, water logging and wind erosion. The prime causes of land degradation are deforestation, unsustainable farming, mining and excessive groundwater extraction. However, over two-thirds of the degraded 147 million hectares can be regenerated quite easily. India's forest cover is also gradually increasing (currently about 21%).
• Despite deforestation and human encroachment, the country’s forest cover has remained stable around 20% since Independence. But much of what is forestland on paper has little or no forest on it. Millions of tiny plots are what are being put into the forest category. In reality, less than half of India’s forestland is dense forest.
• As per India State of Forest Report 2017 (ISFR), mangrove forests have increased by 181 sq. kms. Maharashtra (82 sq. kms), Andhra Pradesh (37 sq.kms) and Gujarat (33 sq. kms) are the top three gainers in terms of mangrove cover. Seven out of the twelve mangrove states have shown an increase in mangrove cover and none of them show any negative change.

At Treed, we firmly believe that each one of us is responsible for the planet we live in. And practicing what we preach. From the beginning of our journey, we have given back through our partnership with One Tree Planted. With every watch purchased from Treed, the customer will help plant one tree. This is just our small way to aid in global reforestation and preserve the glory of India’s lush biodiversity.

Our watches are crafted with sustainable materials with extreme respect for the sourced wood. A Treed timepiece carries the stamp of the hand that created it and exquisite detailing. The timepieces can also be customized with engraving on demand. Check out the story behind our one of a kind wooden watches. And maybe get your very own piece of forest for your wrists.