The State is basically an agricultural State. It has a total geographical area of 22,429 sq. kms. with a population of 17,74,778 (as per the 1991 Census). The total estimated forest area of the State is 8,514 sq. kms. of which only 722.36 sq. kms. are directly under the control of the State Forest Department. The remaining areas are managed by the respective District Councils of Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills as per provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Except the reserved forest areas and protected forests in and around Shillong (being managed by the department in arrangement with the District Councils), the rest of the forest areas are subjected to the primitive agricultural practice of shifting cultivation or slash and burn method especially in Garo Hills. However, there are few pockets of undisturbed natural forests still in existence, comprising about 1000 sq. kms. being protected by the tribals as 'Sacred Groves'. Essentially they are located in strategic watershades and still play an important role.

The State, however, contain areas of very beautiful scenery with evergreen forests and waterfalls as well as areas of unique floral and faunal varieties. The reserve forests are managed under prescriptions of the working plan prepared for such forests by the Working Plan Unit of the Department. The protected forests are managed for preservation of the catchment areas of water sources.

The forests, which are not reserved forests are managed by the respective Councils. Under them, they have three kinds of forests, the old unclassed state forests which are directly under their control, the forests owned by the clans or communities and the private forests. For the and third categories, the District Councils have very little control except for collection of royalty when they export the timber outside their own area for trade.

Forest administration came to these areas,now constituted into the State of Meghalaya, sometime in the 1870s. As per records available, the first reserved forest to be notified was the Saipung Reserved Forest which was declared vide Notification No. 26 dated 25^th July, 1876, and the last Reserve to be notified, after Meghalaya has come into being, is the Tura Peak Reserved Forest which was notified vide Notification No. FOR. 10/75/32 dated 23^rd June, 1982. Following is the list of existing reserved forests and the date of their Notification alongwith the present area.

Total area: 22,429sq. km

The forests of Meghalaya can broadly be grouped under the tropical type and the temperate type, mainly based on the altitude, rainfall and dominant species composition.

These forests are met within areas upto an elevation of 1200m and with an average rainfall of about 100-250cm. There are numerous subtypes within this category such as evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist and dry deciduous forest, etc.

These forests usually occur in high rainfall areas as well as near catchment areas. They seldom form continuous belts due to various exogenous factors. But still, they harbour very rich species diversity, where nature is at its extravaganza forming a closed evergreen canopy. The trees exhibit clear zonation with dense and impenetrable herbaceous undergrowth.

This category of forests occupies the north-eastern and northern slopes of the State, typically upto elevations of 1200m, where annual rainfall is 150-200cm with a comparatively cooler winter. The numbers of species here are fewer than the evergreen zone. There are also a few species in these forests which are deciduous in nature, such as Careya arborea, Dillenia pentagyna and Callicarpa arborea. Again there is a clear stratification of the trees in these forests.

This type of forests occurs where annual rainfall is below 150cm and at comparatively low elevations. Typical natural deciduous forests do not occur anywhere in Meghalaya but are only subclimax or man-made forests. These forests are characterised by seasonal leaf shedding and profuse flowering of the trees. Recurrent forest fires are a common phenomenon here. Deciduous forests are much more extensive in their distribution in the State and include a host of economically important trees like Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Terminalia myriocarpa, Sterculia villosa, Logerstroemia flos-reginae, L. Porviflora, Morus laevigatus, Artocarpus chaplasha, and Gmelina arborea both as natural and as plantations. Schima wallichii, Artocarpus gameziana, Tetrameles mudiflora, Lannea coromandelica, Salmalia malabarica Erythrina stricta, Premna milliflora, Vitex peduncularis, Albizia lebbeck. Lucida, Terminalia bellirica etc is also in abundance. These trees of the deciduous canopy are always lofty and straight bole and with spreading crown.

Grasslands of Meghalaya are also not a climax type but are only as a result of removal of original forest cover. The rolling grasslands covering large areas can be seen throughout the Shillong plateau, around Riangdo, Ranikor, Weiloi, Mawphlang, Mawsynram, Cherrapunji, Shillong, Jowai, Jarain, and Sutnga in Khasi and Jaintia Hills and major parts of west Garo Hills.

The temperate forests occupy the higher elevations about 1000m, mostly along the southern slope of Khasi and Jaintia Hills. The rainfall here is very high 200-500cm with a severe winter during November to March. Ground frost is also common during December to January.

The scared groves of Meghalaya largely fall under the temperate type and are the relic type evolved through millions of years. These are rich storehouse of vegetation wealth incomparable to any other type of forests in the State. These isolated pockets are untouched due to the religious beliefs and myths attributed to them. Many of the endangered species of the State are presently confined to these pockets only. Fagacaea members dominate over others in these sacred forests. Epiphytic flora is quite abundant and again dominated over by ferns and orchids.