Kerala Forests

The Kerala forest is divided into four types. They are Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests, Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests and Mountain Sub Tropical Plantations. The recorded forest area is 11,125.59 square km which is 28.90% of the total land area of the state. 9157.10 sq. km were reserve forests, 214.31 sq.km were proposed reserve and 1754.18 sq.km wew vested forest.

The Western Ghats represent one of the World's eighteen hot spots of bio-diversity. It is considered to be a repository of endemic, rare and endangered flora and fauna. In Kerala, grasslands are generally found above 1500 m. 51% of the total forest cover is in the southern districts and the remaining 4.9 percent is in the central and northern regions. The largest area under forest cover is Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts. The district with no forest area is Alappuzha.

Kerala Forest Department (KFD)

Kerala Forest Department is one of the oldest and most important administrative organs of the State. Its headquarters is Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala Forest department is headed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. The Forest Department is subdivided into Circle, Division, Range and Section. Kerala Forest Department was formed in 1956. The first Forest Minister of Kerala is K.C. George. The first Chief Conservator of Forest is Las Redo (Madras).

Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI)

KFRI was founded in 1975. It is situated at Peechi. It conducts research in tropical forestry and biodiversity. KFRI became a part of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) was in 2003 along with five other Research and Development Centers.

Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE)

KSCSTE is constituted in 2002. KSCSTE is an autonomous body under the Science, Technology & Environment Department of State Government.

Industries related to Forestry

■ Travancore Plywood Industries, Punalur. It was established in 1962. It produces quality plywood.

■ Kerala State Wood Industries Ltd, Nilambur. It was established in 1981.

■ Federation of SC/ST Societies, Thiruvananthapuram was established in 1981. It functions as marketing of minor forest products collected by the SC/ST Societies from the forest.

■ Kerala Forest Development Corporation, Kottayam was established in 1975. They promote the production of raw materials for the forest based industries.

■ Plantation Corporation, Kottayam was established in 1962. It is the largest Plantation company in public sector.

■ Bamboo Corporation, Angamaly was established in 1971.

■ State Farming Corporation, Punalur was established in 1972.

■ Forestry Industries (Travancore) Ltd, Aluva was established in 1960.

■ Rehabilitation Plantation Ltd, Punalur started as a government rubber plantation scheme in 1972 for the settlement of Sri Lankan repatriates as per the Sirimavo - Shastri Agreement of 1964.

■ Oil Palm India Ltd, Kottayam is established in 1977. It is a Joint venture of Government of Kerala and Government of India.

Mangrove Forest

Mangroves are wetland ecosystems formed by the assemblage of specialized plants and animals adapted to semi saline swamps along coasts. It is confined to the upper reaches of estuaries, lagoons, backwaters and creeks. In Kerala, mangroves are distributed in all the districts except Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad and Wayanad. The maximum extent is reported from Kannur district.

Community Reserve

The first community reserve in India is Kadalundi Vallikunnu Community Reserve. It is the only community reserve in Kerala. It has an area of 1.5 square kilometers. Kadalundi is famous for its bird sanctuary.

Forest Area in Kerala districtwise

■ Thiruvananthapuram - 989 sq.km

■ Kollam - 1215 sq.km

■ Pathanamthitta - 1551 sq.km

■ Alappuzha - 21 sq.km

■ Kottayam - 294 sq.km

■ Idukki - 3719 sq.km

■ Ernakulam - 469 sq.km

■ Thrissur - 918 sq.km

■ Palakkad - 1571 sq.km

■ Malappuram - 1212 sq.km

■ Kozhikode - 631 sq.km

■ Wayanad - 1677 sq.km

■ Kannur - 753 sq.km

■ Kasaragod - 57 sq.km

Important Forest Regions

■ Wayanad : Ambalavayal, Ambukuthimala, Pakshipathalam, Pulpalli, Mananthawadi, Thirunelli

■ Idukki: Chinnar, Devikulam, Thekkady, Mattupetty

■ Malappuram: Nilambur

■ Pathanamthitta: Sabarimala, Konni, Ranni, Nilakkal

■ Palakkad: Nelliyambathi, Silentvalley, Parambikkulam

■ Thiruvananthpuram: Kulathupuzha, Palode, Paruthippalli