Chandigarh: To ensure clearer demarcation of forest land and curb future disputes, the Punjab forest department has launched a large-scale scientific mapping drive using advanced technologies such as LiDAR and drone surveys. The exercise seeks to precisely identify and document forest boundaries, especially in ecologically sensitive zones and the scattered forest patches across the state.Officials say the project is expected to address long-standing challenges in forest demarcation, which traditionally relied on raw satellite imagery and old ‘Shajra’ maps. In many places, these records are decades old, and the lack of precise ground references made it difficult to clearly distinguish forest land from nearby private or agricultural holdings.To overcome these limitations, the department has started two parallel surveys. An airborne LiDAR survey is being carried out to map nearly 3,900 sq km of forested terrain in the Shivalik hills, while preparations are underway for drone-based mapping of forest areas in the plains. The twin initiatives are part of the project titled ‘Delineation of Forest Boundary in Punjab using Geospatial Technology (UAV and LiDAR)’, being executed by the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre in Ludhiana.Punjab’s forests are not concentrated in large continuous tracts but are scattered across districts in small patches, often along rivers, roads, canals and drains. Under the drone survey, geo-tagged images will be collected over nearly 1,918 sq km of forest areas in the plains to help create highly accurate digital maps.Authorities have initiated the process of hiring a specialised firm for the drone survey. The firm will be required to capture images across multiple spectral bands and produce extremely high-resolution imagery, with a spatial resolution of 10 cm or finer. The survey must also generate orthorectified images, highly accurate ground control points, contour maps, and GIS-compatible datasets that can be used for planning, monitoring and legal purposes.The drones used for the survey will have to comply with all regulations of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and obtain clearances from relevant authorities, including the ministry of civil aviation, ministry of defence and district administrations.At the same time, the airborne LiDAR survey over the Shivalik hills will capture detailed terrain information even beneath dense forest canopies. The technology works by sending laser pulses from an aircraft to the ground and measuring the reflected signals, creating dense point cloud datasets that reveal ground features hidden under vegetation. The survey is designed to achieve boundary accuracy of about 15 cm, allowing precise mapping of forest land.The LiDAR survey will generate digital elevation models, contour maps, high-resolution orthophotos and shapefiles identifying key land features such as agricultural fields, settlements, roads, water bodies and transmission lines. Officials believe this level of detail will help strengthen forest management and improve the monitoring of encroachments.The department is also examining whether high-resolution satellite imagery could complement these efforts. With improvements in satellite technology and falling costs, the state is exploring the possibility of acquiring imagery with a spatial resolution of about 50 cm for the entire state as a potentially cost-effective option alongside aerial surveys.Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Dharminder Sharma asserted that scientifically verified and clearly defined forest boundaries will help minimise overlapping claims between forest land and private holdings, thereby reducing land disputes. Accurate demarcation is also expected to strengthen monitoring on the ground and enable more effective legal enforcement against encroachments.MSID:: 128947682 413 |
