The first assessment in 1987 was done visually on 1:1 million scale. Thereafter, upto 1999 the assessment was done on 1:250,000 scale. On this scale, the country was covered by 363 toposheets of SOI. To enrich the information on forest cover and to make it more useful, assessment on 1:50,000 scale is desirable and has been taken up since the 2001 assessment for the forest cover assessment to be done on 1:50,000 scale, the quantum of work increase manifold as the country is covered by 5,200 sheets on this scale. However, the application of DIP reduces the time taken in interpretation significantly.
DIP technique offers a
more objective assessment of
forest cover at a larger
scale and better
cartographic presentation,
thus overcoming the
limitations of visual
interpretation to a large
extent. Advantages of the
forest cover mapping on
larger scale would be
evident from Fig. which
shows that the details, not
discernable on 1:250,000
scale, are highlighted on
1:50,000 scale. In case of
fragmented forest, the area
of forest cover decreases as
the openings which were not
clearly discernible on the
smaller scale are picked up
on the larger scale.
Conversely, the scattered
small patches of
forests/plantations, not
discernible at smaller
scale, are included in the
assessment on larger scale
thus adding to forest cover. |
