This work examine the forest canopy density (FCD) in the Siwalik region of the Yamunanagar district in the northern part of India. The study area includes the lower and upper part of the Siwalik region constituting 6.33% (112.08 sq. Km) of the total geographical area of the district (1768 sq. Km). The Landsat 9 satellite images acquired on 15 December 2022 and Rikimaru's FCD model to estimate the density of forest canopy is used as an input. The result shows that 89.11% (99.88 sq. Km) of the Siwalik forest of the study area is covered with canopy of different density categories. The FCD classification result indicate that: i) 0.35% (0.39 sq. Km) area is moderately dense canopied forest having density 10-40%, ii) 86.22% (96.64 sq. Km) area is dense canopied forest having density 40-70% and iii) 2.55% (2.85 sq. Km) area is very dense canopied forest having density more than 70%. The field visit confirm the study area is rich in Sal, Khair, Papri, Dhak, Shisham and other important tree species of commercial and medicinal importance. The result shows a requirement of forest cover expansion through afforestation and afforestation activities.

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An official publication of Society for Environment and Development (SED India)