Buildings and roads cover about half a per cent of Kullu district, and building area has more than doubled since 2000. About half of it still sits along the Beas, but the new growth is moving into the side valleys.

Government records say Kullu has about 37,000 hectares of sown land. Satellites find a few thousand. Where the gap comes from, and what it says about fields turning into orchards.

What covers Kullu district, how far different datasets agree, and what the Forest Survey of India and two satellite datasets say about tree cover over the last two decades.