LauriTym702628 at 23:41, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T23:41:34Z

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{{More citations needed|date=June 2022}}

[[Odisha]], one of the 28 [[states of India]],
has two basic kinds of [[forest]]: in the northeast region of the state the forest is classified as the tropical-moist-deciduous type, blanketing hills, plateaus and other high-altitude isolated areas; in the southwest the tropical-dry-deciduous variety dominate.
[[File:India Odisha relief map.svg|thumb|Geographical map of Odisha]]

[[File:Forrest Odisha.jpg|thumb|Tropical-moist-deciduous forests in Odisha]]
[[File:Dry Evergreen Forests during Monsoon at Madhavadhara.JPG|thumb|Dry evergreen forests during monsoon]]

==Features ==

Odisha's forests are vast. Out of the total geographical area of 155,707 km2, the State records 52,472 km2 (~33.50%) as some version of forest. The actual forest cover may be less, according to the [[Forest Survey of India]], [[rosewood]], [[Sal tree|sal]], [[Pterocarpus marsupium|piasal]], [[teak]] and [[Turmeric|haldi]]. The forests' naturally vigorous growth accounts for a tremendous wealth of [[biodiversity]], filling many catalogues of the wild [[plant]] and [[animal]] species dwelling within.

The state has declared large parcels of land as [[protected land|protected areas]] with the purpose being to allow animals and plants who are sensitive to cohabitation with humans places of relative freedom from interference and habitat loss. These protected areas constitute 10.37% of the total forest area and 4.1% of the total geographical area of the state.



===Forest flora===
The state is home to 3000 plant species including 120 [[orchid]] species and 63 varieties of [[Mangrove|mangrove tree]] which make the state second largest mangrove ecosystem in India.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://halia.meccahosting.com/~a00028f9/Resource%2003.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326210221/http://halia.meccahosting.com/~a00028f9/Resource%2003.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A vast variety of other plants is also found in the state, as in the following:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*''[[Acorous calamus]]''
*''[[Aegiceras corniculatus]]''
*''[[Alpinia galanga]]'' - greater galingal
*''[[Androgaphis paniculata]]''
*''[[Asparagus racemosus]]'' - shatavari
*''[[Cathraranthus roseus]]''
*''[[Celastrus paniculatus]]''
*''[[Centella asiatica]]''
*''[[Cissus quadranggularis]]''
*''[[Clerodendrum]]'' ssp.
*''[[Colchicum autumnale]]'' - autumn crocus
*''[[Commiphora wightii]]'' - Mukul myrrh
*''[[Croton roxburghjii]]''
*''[[Curcuma angustifolia]]''
*''[[Digitalis purpurea]]'' - common foxglove
*[[Diogenin]]
*[[Emetin]]
*''[[Ephedra (genus)|Ephedra]]'' ssp.
*''[[Erythroxylon coca]]'' - coca
*''[[Excoecaria agallochi]]''
*''[[Gloriosa superba]]''
*[[Gugulipid]]
*''[[Hemidesmus indicus]]''
*''[[Ocimum basilicum]]''
*''[[Plumbago zeylanica]]''
*''[[Pongamia pinnata]]''
*''[[Rauvolfia serpentina]]'' - Indian snakeroot
*''[[Salvadora persica]]''
*[[seagrass]]
*''[[Taxus brevifolia]]'' - Pacific yew
*''[[Toddalia asiatica]]''
*''[[Vinblastim areteminsinine]]''
*''[[Whighina somenifera]]''
{{div col end}}

===Forest fauna===
The [[IUCN Red List]] has recorded a total of 473 species of [[bird]], 86 species of [[mammal]], 19 species of [[amphibian]] and 110 species of [[reptile]] including three [[crocodile|crocodilian]] species. Out of these around 54 species are considered endangered. Home to a variety of wild animals, the state has declared considerable tracts of land as areas protected for these animals only. These protected areas constitute 10.37% of the total forest area and 4.1% of the total geographical area of the state. Not only this, the state also has the distinction of possessing three mass nesting beaches of endangered olive ridley sea turtles which makes it the largest nesting ground of the species.




The state has three mass nesting beaches of endangered [[olive ridley sea turtle]]s which when combined makes it the world's largest nesting ground for this species.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn87/mtn87p9.shtml|title=MTN 87:9-10 Fidelity of Male Olive Ridley Sea Turtles to a Breeding Ground|website=www.seaturtle.org}}</ref>

Indenting Orissa's ocean coast is [[Chilika|Chilika lagoon]], a semi-saline [[wetland]] used by many species of [[migratory bird]]s, and also which the endangered [[Irrawaddy dolphin]] uses as part of its range. In spite of considerable human interactivity here, the rare dolphin survives. The Orissa government is conducting various programmes to protect the species.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdcs.org/submissions_bin/dolphin-human_interactions_chilika.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-12-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319102122/http://www.wdcs.org/submissions_bin/dolphin-human_interactions_chilika.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-19 }}</ref>



Other animals that call Orissa home, or part-time home, are listed below.

==== ''Land animals'' ====

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Asian elephant]]s ହାଥି
*[[Barking deer]]
*[[Blackbuck]]sକୃଷ୍ଣ ସାର ମୁର୍ଗ
*[[african buffalo|Buffalo]]es
*[[Fishing cat]]s
*[[Flying squirrel]]s
*[[Four-horned antelope]]s
*[[Gaur]]s
*[[Green turtle|Green sea turtles]]
*[[Langur]]s
*[[Leopard]]s
*[[Mongoose]]s
*[[Monitor lizard]]s
*[[Pangolin]]s
*[[Porcupine]]s
*[[Pythonidae|Pythons]]
*[[Sambar (deer)|Sambars]]
*[[Sloth bear]]s
*[[Slow loris]]es
*[[Spotted deer]]
*[[Tiger]]s
*[[Turtle]]s
*[[Wild boar]]s
{{div col end}}

==== ''Avians'' ====

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Alexandrine parakeet]]s
*[[Asiatic dowitcher]]s
*[[Avocet]]s
*[[Black-headed ibis]]
*[[Brahminy duck]]s
*[[Brahminy kite]]s
*[[Collared pratincole]]s
*[[Coot]]s
*[[Dalmatian pelican]]s
*[[Dunlin]]s
*[[Egret]]s
*[[Gadwall]]s
*[[Geese]]
*[[Godwit]]s
*[[Goliath heron]]s
*[[Greater flamingo]]s
*[[Grey heron]]s
*[[Ocyceros|Grey hornbills]] ~ ''Ocyceros''
*[[Gelochelidon nilotica|Gull-billed terns]] ~ ''Gelochelidon nilotica''
*[[Gracula religiosa|Hill mynas]] ~ ''Gracula religiosa''
*[[Anthracoceros coronatus|Indian pied hornbills]] ~ ''Anthracoceros coronatus''
*[[Harpactes fasciatus|Indian trogons]] ~ ''Harpactes fasciatus''
*[[Jacanidae|Jacana]]s
*[[Jungle fowl]]s
*[[Kestrel]]s
*[[Kingfisher]]s
*[[Lapwing]]s
*[[Lark]]s
*[[Lesser flamingo]]s
*[[Little cormorant]]s
*[[Malabar pied hornbill]]s
*[[Marsh harrier]]s
*[[Moorhen]]s
*[[Night heron]]s
*[[Pallas's fish-eagle]]s
*[[Milvus migrans|Pariah kites]]
*[[Peacock]]s
*[[Peafowl]]s
*[[Peregrine falcon]]s
*[[Pintails]]s
*[[Plover]]s
*[[Common pochard|Pochard]]s
*[[Pond heron]]s
*[[Purple heron]]s
*[[Red jungle fowl]]s
*[[River tern]]s
*[[Coraciidae|Roller]]s
*[[Ruff (bird)|Ruff]]s
*[[Sandpiper]]s
*[[Shoveller]]s
*[[Snipe]]s
*[[Spoonbill]]s
*[[Eurynorhynchus pygmeus|Spoon-billed sandpipers]] ~ ''Eurynorhynchus pygmeus''
*[[Spot-billed pelican]]s
*[[Stilt]]s
*[[Stork]]s
*[[Teal bird|Teal]]s
*[[Wagtail]]s
*[[White-bellied sea eagle]]s
*[[Mallard|Wild ducks]]
{{div col end}}

==Statistics==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Statistics of Forest Cover by District in Odisha, [[Forest Survey of India|FSI-2023]]<ref>{{cite report|title=India State of Forest Report - 2023 |volume=II |work=Forest Survey of India |year= 2024 |edition=18th |isbn= 978-81-950073-9-4 |url=http://fsi.nic.in/uploads/isfr2023/isfr_book_eng-vol-2_2023.pdf}}</ref>
! District
! Pct. of Forest Area in the District
! Total Aorest Area {{nobold|(km²)}}
! Very Dense Forest {{nobold|(km²)}}
! Modest Dense Forest Area {{nobold|(km²)}}
! Open Forest Area {{nobold|(km²)}}
|-
| [[Angul district|Angul]]
| 43.51
| 2773.94
| 371.48
| 1373.67
| 1028.79
|-
| [[Balangir district|Balangir]]
| 17.6
| 1157.28
| 69.07
| 227.59
| 860.62
|-
| [[Balasore district|Baleswar]]
| 10.3
| 392.18
| 22.63
| 132.14
| 237.41
|-
| [[Bargarh district|Bargarh]]
| 18.54
| 1082.25
| 175.97
| 374.94
| 531.34
|-
| [[Boudh district|Baudh]]
| 42.21
| 1307.52
| 266.01
| 569.03
| 472.48
|-
| [[Bhadrak district|Bhadrak]]
| 2.98
| 74.65
| 0.12
| 9.14
| 65.39
|-
| [[Cuttack district|Cuttack]]
| 20.81
| 818.29
| 51.98
| 233.51
| 532.8
|-
| [[Debagarh district|Deogarh]]
| 50.47
| 1483.96
| 193.13
| 672.19
| 618.64
|-
| [[Dhenkanal district|Dhenkanal]]
| 32.33
| 1439.27
| 172.6
| 436.89
| 829.78
|-
| [[Gajapati district|Gajapati]]
| 57.78
| 2498.8
| 328.49
| 722.53
| 1447.78
|-
| [[Ganjam district|Ganjam]]
| 29.44
| 2415.69
| 174.74
| 1114.2
| 1126.75
|-
| [[Jagatsinghpur district|Jagatsinghpur]]
| 8.45
| 140.94
| 0
| 4.83
| 136.11
|-
| [[Jajpur district|Jajapur]]
| 10.78
| 312.65
| 5.49
| 74.2
| 232.96
|-
| [[Jharsuguda district|Jharsuguda]]
| 15.8
| 328.89
| 2.75
| 169.72
| 156.42
|-
| [[Kalahandi district|Kalahandi]]
| 30.01
| 2376.91
| 368.1
| 713.87
| 1294.94
|-
| [[Kandhamal district|Kandhamal]]
| 67.35
| 5402.03
| 653.03
| 2598.55
| 2150.45
|-
| [[Kendrapara district|Kendrapara]]
| 12.45
| 329.18
| 81.55
| 86.53
| 161.1
|-
| [[Kendujhar district|Kendujhar]]
| 38.41
| 3189.08
| 290.04
| 1412.3
| 1486.74
|-
| [[Khordha district|Khordha]]
| 18.86
| 530.4
| 22.19
| 188.73
| 319.48
|-
| [[Koraput district|Koraput]]
| 23.79
| 2095.29
| 52.23
| 549.61
| 1493.45
|-
| [[Malkangiri district|Malkangiri]]
| 39.92
| 2311.5
| 159.66
| 707.4
| 1444.44
|-
| [[Mayurbhanj district|Mayurbhanj]]
| 39.34
| 4098.74
| 1329.22
| 1743.49
| 1026.03
|-
| [[Nabarangpur district|Nabarangpur]]
| 22.24
| 1176.53
| 154.08
| 424.95
| 597.5
|-
| [[Nayagarh district|Nayagarh]]
| 45.43
| 1767.13
| 191.33
| 981.82
| 593.98
|-
| [[Nuapada district|Nuapada]]
| 36.04
| 1388.25
| 106.25
| 536.46
| 745.54
|-
| [[Puri district|Puri]]
| 8.19
| 285.03
| 0
| 53.63
| 231.4
|-
| [[Rayagada district|Rayagada]]
| 46.46
| 3286.25
| 385.49
| 1185.77
| 1714.99
|-
| [[Sambalpur district|Sambalpur]]
| 49.88
| 3320.29
| 536.47
| 1724.59
| 1059.23
|-
| [[Subarnapur district|Subarnapur]]
| 17.23
| 402.77
| 43.08
| 195.52
| 164.17
|-
| [[Sundergarh district|Sundargarh]]
| 43.74
| 4247.87
| 1017.24
| 1847.75
| 1382.88
|-
! Total
! 33.67
! 52433.56
! 7224.42
! 21065.55
! 24143.59
|}

==See also==
* [[Geography of Odisha]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Coord |20.537416|84.528709|display=title}}

{{Odisha}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orissa Forestry}}
[[Category:Forests of Odisha| 01]]

[[Category:Geography of Odisha|F]]
[[Category:Forests of India]]

Forests in Odisha - Revision history

LauriTym702628 at 23:41, 2 February 2026