Yamunanagar and Panchkula are key districts in Haryana state, which are not only enriched with natural forests along the Shiwaliks, but also full of agro-forestry activities in the plains. The agro-forestry has become popular in these districts due to better returns and easier marketing facilities of farm grown wood. Hence a precise assessment of tree cover and its growing stock, especially in the light of its role in carbon sequestration is essential, as an important climate change mitigation strategy. Indian high resolution remote sensing sensors e.g., Cartosat-1 Panchromatic (Carto PAN) and LISS IV multispectral sensor, offer scope to assess TOF with high precision.
A Study was conducted to prepare spatial database using orthorectified Carto PAN data involving detailed classification of TOF configurations. Spatial structure of TOF was considered under three categories, viz., individual trees (scattered), linear and patch. Patches ≤ 1 ha in size were considered as constituting tree cover. Trees outside forests included tree cover as well as planted areas of ≥ 1ha. Spatial distribution of TOF was prepared at 1:10000 scale, with detailed classification of configuration corresponding to origin or association of the vegetation. Grid based scheme was prepared at 5 km spacing, for each major TOF configuration and geographical coordinates representing strata were chosen for field measurement. GIS tools were used for estimating strata volumes based on spatially explicit plot wise volumes.
Satellite data oriented interpretation showed that Yamunanagar and Panchkula districts showed tree covers of 111 km2 (6.3 %) and 44 km2 (4.8%) for respectively. Based on stratified random sampling approach and stratum wise extrapolation we estimated that Yamunanagar district comprised of 41.9 lakh trees where as Panchkula district had 27.9 lakh trees, with growing stock of 7.6 and 2.7 lakh Cu M respectively.