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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 61
TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.01.2026
Forest restoration and carbon concerns
61. SHRI AYODHYA RAMI REDDY ALLA:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT,FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:
(a) the manner in which the identified gaps in global satellite maps of forests impact the
accuracy of climate funding allocations and conservation efforts, and what innovative
geospatial technologies or data-sharing frameworks could be leveraged to address these gaps
and ensure more effective forest restoration and carbon sequestration initiatives; and
(b) whether the novel approach of sinking boreal trees into Arctic Ocean for carbon dioxide
removal raises questions about the scalability and ecological implications of such
geoengineering techniques and the details of potential trade-offs between carbon removal
efficacy and ecosystem disruption risks?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change, carries out biennial assessment of forest and tree cover, carbon stock and publishes the
findings in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The assessment is a wall-to-wall remote sensing
exercise supported by intensive ground verification and National Forest Inventory data.
The inputs of ISFR are integrated into FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment process,
ensuring India’s forest statistics contribution to this global dataset on forest resources. The above
contribution is in terms of India’s forest cover, growing stock, and carbon estimation, which are
standardized, ensuring comparability with other nations. This critical input from India becomes part
of global datasets.
(b) The concept of sinking boreal trees into the Arctic Ocean for CO₂ removal involves Arctic-
bordering countries and does not relate to the Republic of India.
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