J&K’s 23% Forests Destroyed By Fire In Two Decades

Jammu and Kashmir faces rising forest fire threats as 23% of tree cover has been lost in two decades, reports Parvez Ud Din.

Srinagar:The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been issuing periodic forest fire warnings for Jammu and Kashmir, where the risk is highest between November and February due to prolonged dry spells.

The forests of Jammu and Kashmir, which make up about 11% of the region’s total land, are facing a rising number of forest fire threats. The union territory had 10.15 lakh hectares of forest cover in 2020. However, by 2023, 112 hectares of forest had been destroyed, releasing an estimated 68.8 kilotons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

According to official data, fires have destroyed a total of 952 hectares of forests, while other reasons have caused damage to 3,230 hectares of forests. In 2004, fires destroyed 240 hectares of forest, which was 27% of the total forest loss for that year. This was the most significant loss.

Between 2021 and 2023, Rajouri district in the Jammu region, recorded the highest annual tree loss due to fires, averaging 8 hectares, followed by Reasi (6 hectares), Kishtwar (5 hectares), Doda (5 hectares), and central Kashmir’s Budgam (4 hectares). Overall, between 2001 and 2023, 23% of J&K’s forests have been lost to fire.

The number of fire incidents has increased in recent years, according to the data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), a system that tracks the location, timing, and intensity of fires.

As of January 23, at least 20 fire warnings have been recorded in 2025. However, the ongoing dry spell and warnings from NDMA indicate the risk of forest fires in the region remains high.

Between January 21, 2024, and December 22, 2024, a total of 117 fire alerts were reported in Jammu and Kashmir—higher than in previous years. The highest number of fire alerts was recorded in 2016, with 167 incidents. According to available data, a total of 4,061 VIIRS fire alerts were recorded between January 25, 2021, and January 20, 2025.