Compensatory afforestation for pipelines and linear projects

This guide adds pipeline-specific points. For the full process, NPV and CAMPA funds, read compensatory afforestation and CAMPA explained.

Are pipelines treated differently under forest rules?

Yes, in some ways. The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023 define a "linear project" to include roads, pipelines, railways, transmission lines, slurry pipelines and conveyor belts.

Linear projects can get "working permission" to mobilise before final approval, as the rules specify. The 2025 amendment links this to the in-principle approval stage.

What land must be given for compensatory afforestation?

Rule 13 sets the default. The user agency provides non-forest land, equal in area to the forest land diverted, and pays to afforest it.

Rule 13(4) lists proposals eligible for the degraded forest land dispensation. These include transmission line projects and states with more than 33% forest cover.

The August 2025 amendment rewrote one clause of that list. It now covers "aerial cabling of telephone, optical fibre lines, pipelines, and other public utility projects".

The clause applies "with or without felling of trees not falling within the right of way of roads". Check with the State Forest Department whether your alignment fits.

What standard must the plantation meet?

• Start: work must begin within two years of the diversion order.
• Density: reach a canopy density of at least 0.4 in the fifth year, with enough stock to mature toward 0.7.
• Small parcels: CA land under ten hectares is not accepted unless the requirement itself is smaller. Then the user agency bears protection costs for twenty years.
• Land status: CA land is handed to the Forest Department and notified or mutated as forest before final approval.

Pipeline-specific points to plan for

Linear land is hard to match

A pipeline crosses many small forest patches across districts. Finding one contiguous non-forest block for CA takes time, so start land search early.

Plan the right of way separately

The CA site is not the pipeline corridor. Over the buried line, deep-rooted trees are usually kept off. Shallow-rooted grasses and shrubs can stabilise soil, subject to your safety rules.

Use land banks and earlier plantations

The 2025 amendment lets states create land banks of degraded forest land with canopy density up to 0.4. Afforestation raised under central schemes may also be used to meet CA needs, as admissible.

Check the Green Credit route

Under the Green Credit Programme, credits come after five years and 40% canopy density. They can be used once for compensatory afforestation, CSR or statutory plantation. See our Green Credit Programme guide.

Does compensatory afforestation count toward CCTS?

No. CA is a forest-law obligation. It does not reduce a refinery's or petrochemical unit's emission intensity under the CCTS. Read why plantation does not count toward CCTS targets.

Common mistakes on pipeline CA

• Searching for CA land only after the forest proposal is filed, which delays approval.
• Offering small scattered parcels that fall below the accepted block size.
• Treating CA as a one-time planting instead of a five-year care commitment.
• Planting species that suit the nursery, not the soil and rainfall of the CA site.

A practical sequence for pipeline teams

1. Map every forest crossing early and note each state's land position.
2. Ask the State Forest Department about land banks and dispensations for your project type.
3. Shortlist CA land with soil, water and access checked on the ground.
4. Agree the CA plan, species and care schedule with the Forest Department.
5. Track survival and canopy with geo-tagged records through year five.

Use our mandate checker to see which duties apply to your project.

How Grow Billion Trees helps

We support pipeline teams with land assessment, nursery planning, planting and multi-year care. We work alongside the State Forest Department on compensatory and Green Credit plantations. See our oil and gas page and government mandates. We geo-tag every tree, report on GreenTrack, and hold to 85% survival across our programmes. Projects are priced per project after a site survey; you can plan a programme with our team.

Further reading: Transmission lines through forest: CA and corridor planting · Compensatory Afforestation and CAMPA Explained for Project Developers

Sources: Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023 and Amendment Rules, 2025 · PIB: Green Credit Programme plantation rules. Last updated: October 2026. Rules change; check the latest notification before you rely on any detail.