The rural people and the tribal inhabitants of the state depend largely on these forests. Much of their food security is based on forestry. The forests give them wood for fuel and timber. The forests also provide food for their livestocks. However continuous deforestation for all these processes and constant urbanization have cause serious threat of rapid degradation of forests in Orissa. The Orissa Forest and Environment Department has two wings under it – Forest and Wildlife Wing and Environment Wing. The wings have taken various plans like plantation and soil conservation to preserve the Orissa forests and creating environmental awareness among the people, especially the tribes and the village dwellers.
The total forest area in Orissa sums up to 58,136 square kilometers, which includes un-demarcated protected forests, reserved forests, village forests, un-classed forests and demarcated protected forests. Some of the very important forest products of Orissa are given below:
- Bamboo
- Honey
- Rubber
- Sal Seed
- Medicinal Plants
- Plywood
