India's forest and tree cover increased by 1,445 sq km from 2021 to 2023: Govt report

Together, the forest and tree cover amount to 8,27,357 sq km or 25.17% of India's geographical area. This marks an overall increase of 1,445 sq km from 2021, with forest cover alone rising by 156 sq km.

New Delhi: India's total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, reaching 25.17 per cent of the total geographical area in 2023, according to the latest government data.

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released on Saturday, also said that India has achieved an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes compared to 2005 levels.

As part of its climate plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet the Paris Agreement goals, the country has committed to creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

The country's total forest cover increased from 7,13,789 sq km in 2021 to 7,15,343 sq km in 2023, reaching 21.76 per cent of its geographical area, the report stated.

The tree cover increased by 1,289 sq km and now constitutes 3.41 per cent of the country's geographical area, it said.

Together, the forest and tree cover amount to 8,27,357 sq km or 25.17 per cent of India's geographical area. This marks an overall increase of 1,445 sq km from 2021, with forest cover alone rising by 156 sq km.

According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), forest cover refers to all land that has a tree canopy density of more than 10 per cent and spans over an area of one hectare or more, regardless of the type of ownership or legal status.

This includes natural forests as well as man-made plantations, orchards and tree patches in urban and rural areas that meet the size and canopy density criteria.

Tree cover is defined as patches of trees and isolated trees outside the Reserved Forest Area (RFA) that are less than one hectare.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the most positive finding of the report is that India has already created an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes compared to 2005 levels.

India's carbon stock in 2023 is estimated at 7,285.5 million tonnes, which is an increase of 81.5 million tonnes compared to 2021.

The fast-growing South Asian country is estimated to have 31.71 billion tonnes of carbon stock in forest and tree cover by 2030.

FSI Director General Anoop Singh said bamboo cover has also been estimated and included in the tree cover.

India's total bamboo-bearing area is now estimated at 1,54,670 sq km, an increase of 5,227 sq km compared to 2021.

Among states, Chhattisgarh (+684 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (+559 sq km), Odisha (+559 sq km) and Rajasthan (+394 sq km) recorded the highest increases in combined forest and tree cover.

For forest cover alone, the largest gains were seen in Mizoram (+242 sq km), Gujarat (+180 sq km) and Odisha (+152 sq km).

In terms of the total area, Madhya Pradesh leads with the largest forest and tree cover (85,724 sq km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (67,083 sq km) and Maharashtra (65,383 sq km).

For forest cover specifically, Madhya Pradesh remains on top (77,073 sq km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65,882 sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km).

When considering forest cover as a percentage of the geographical area, Lakshadweep ranks first (91.33 per cent), followed by Mizoram (85.34 per cent) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (81.62 per cent).

The FSI also analysed forest cover changes in the Western Ghats and Eastern States Area (WGESA) over the past decade and found an overall loss of 58.22 sq km in forest cover.

During this period, very dense forests increased by 3,465.12 sq km while moderately dense forests and open forests decreased by 1,043.23 sq km and 2,480.11 sq km respectively.

In the hill districts of the country, the forest cover is 2,83,713.20 sq km, which makes up 40 per cent of the total geographical area of these districts. The latest assessment shows an increase of 234.14 sq km in forest cover in hill districts.

The latest ISFR report showed a decrease of 327.30 sq km in forest cover in the northeastern region.

The total forest and tree cover in the region stands at 1,74,394.70 sq km, accounting for 67 per cent of the region's geographical area.

The country's total mangrove cover stands at 4,991.68 sq km, a net decrease of 7.43 sq km since 2021, according to the report.

Moderately dense forest and open forest categories saw declines of 1,043.23 sq km and 2,480.11 sq km, respectively, over the last decade, despite gains in very dense forest, the report stated.

The FSI has been assessing forest cover since 1987 and tree cover since 2001.

The National Forest Policy 1988 mandates that 33 per cent of the geographical area of India should be under forest or tree cover.