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Abstract
The Indian government is trying to increase forest areas that are close to human settlement and have degraded over the years due to human activities. Trees were to be planted in and around agricultural fields. Planting of trees along railway lines, roadsides, rivers and canal banks were carried out. They were planted in village common land, government wasteland, and Panchayat land. The social forestry scheme was initiated in India to increase fuel availability in rural areas and to prevent soil erosion. This programme was a failure because it lacked governance.It is important to know that social forestry includes maximum utilization of land for several purposes. Bihar has notified forest area of 6,764.14 km², which is 7.1 percent of its geographical area.The sub-Himalayan foothills of the Someshwar and Dun mountain ranges in West Champaran district are clad in a belt of moist deciduous forest. As well as trees, this consists of scrub, grass and reeds. Here the annual rainfall is above 1,600 mm and this promotes luxuriant sal forests (Shorea robusta) in the favoured areas. Bihar has 3,208 km2 (~3.41%) of Protected Forest Area and 76.30 km 2 of Protected Non-Forest Area. Bihar is one of the states that has taken "considerable" steps to implement the "Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006".