New Delhi – Himachal Pradesh has sought policy-level recognition for Trees Outside Forest (ToF) in ecological and financial calculations, stating that the current assessment undervalues the State’s actual contribution to environmental conservation.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu raised the issue during his meeting with Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in New Delhi. He highlighted a discrepancy between the officially recorded forest and tree cover of 27.99 percent and the State’s actual green cover of 29.5 percent.
The Chief Minister said the gap exists because Trees Outside Forest are not included in the consolidated representation of forest and tree cover, despite the State exercising strict regulatory control over tree harvesting on private lands. He pointed out that even with such controls in place, Himachal Pradesh does not receive due credit from the Centre for conserving trees beyond notified forest areas.
Sukhu emphasised that Trees Outside Forest play an important role in maintaining green cover and preventing ecological degradation in the fragile Himalayan region. He said the exclusion of this 1.5 percent component presents an incomplete picture of the State’s ecological performance.
He urged the Centre to recognise the full 29.5 percent forest and tree cover for all calculations related to forest, ecology and environmental performance, particularly under the Finance Commission and other Central allocations.
The Chief Minister also demanded that Trees Outside Forest be acknowledged as a legitimate and policy-relevant contribution to ecosystem services, conservation efforts and environmental governance.
He said undervaluing Trees Outside Forest ultimately undermines Himachal Pradesh’s role in providing national ecosystem services and creates a bias against States that actively protect and regulate tree cover outside traditional forest boundaries.
