Forest carbon stock in Telangana increased by 6.68 per cent

Carbon stock plays a critical role in purifying air and water while serving as a tool for flood control and protecting natural resources

Hyderabad: Apart from green cover contribution, the forest department’s contribution to the State economy is also increasing steadily since last few years. In 2022-23, the forestry and logging sub-sector added Rs. 8,853 crore accounting for 3.60 per cent of the Gross Value Added (GVA) by the primary sector and 0.74 per cent of the total Gross State Value Added (GSVA) in the State at current prices.

The GVA at current prices by forestry and logging grew from Rs 2,465 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 8,853 crore in 2022- 23, this sub-sector experienced thrice the increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 17.33 per cent. Gross Value Added (GVA) is generally the productivity metric that measures the contribution of an organization or a department to the economy.

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Carbon storage, nutrient cycling, water and air purification, and maintenance of wildlife habitat are some of the major environmental benefits of forests. The produce of the forests of Telangana include timber, bamboo, teak poles, fuel firewood, charcoal, and beedi leaves, which support livelihood opportunities, particularly in the rural areas. Despite this temporary setback in 2019-20, the forestry and logging sub-sector has shown a significant increase by 1.32 percent between 2019-20 to 2022-23.

Forest carbon stock is the amount of carbon that has been sequestered from the atmosphere and stored within the forest ecosystem, mainly within living biomass, soil and to a lesser extent in dead wood and litter. Carbon stock plays a critical role in purifying air and water while serving as a tool for flood control and protecting natural resources.

The total forest carbon stock in the State increased by 6.68 per cent from 2019 to 2021. In this larger carbon pool, deadwood registered a 102.70 per cent increase during the same time period. The State has witnessed a carbon density of 76.36 tonnes per ha in 2021 marking a growth of 3.50 percent compared to 2019.

Harvesting of different species by Forest Development Corporation

The Telangana State Forest Development Corporation was established with the objective of raising plantations to meet the demand of wood-based industries. The corporation has been raising plantations of various species such as eucalyptus, bamboo, cashew, teak, medicinal plants etc., over 32,951.39 ha to meet the pulpwood demand of various paper mills in the State.