India’s forest, tree cover grows by 1,445 sq km in 3 years: Report

India’s total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, primarily due to the inclusion of 115 additional districts in the assessment, according to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2023, released by the Forest Survey of India on Saturday.

The country’s total forest and tree cover now stands at 8,27,356.95 sq km. Of this, forest cover accounts for 7,15,342.61 sq km, representing 21.76 per cent of India’s geographical area. The remaining 1,12,014.34 sq km is classified as tree cover, making up 3.42 per cent of the geographical area.

Although the ISFR is typically published every two years, the 2023 report faced a delay of more than a year. This edition expanded its scope to assess 751 districts, up from 636 districts in previous reports.

The maximum increase in forest and tree cover has been observed in Chhattisgarh (683.62 sq km ), followed by Uttar Pradesh (559.19 sq km ), Odisha (558.57 sq km ) and Rajasthan (394.46 sq km ).

The maximum decrease in forest and tree cover has been noticed in Madhya Pradesh (612.41 sq km), followed by Karnataka (459.36 sq km), Ladakh (159.26 sq km) and Nagaland (125.22 sq km).

This is the first time that the report included a detailed assessment of the ecologically fragile Western Ghats, revealing an overall loss of 58.22 sq km of forest cover over the past decade.

Mangroves, which act as a barrier against storms and hurricanes in coastal regions, have seen a decrease of 7.43 sq km in the country, compared to 2021. The country’s total mangrove cover is 4,991.68 sq km, accounting for 0.15 per cent of the country’s total geographical area. A prominent decrease was recorded in Gujarat at a loss of 36 sq km, followed by a 4.65 sq km decrease in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The report showed a decline of 327.30 sq km in forest cover in the northeastern region. In the present assessment, the total carbon stock in the country’s forest is estimated to be 7,285.5 million tonnes, an increase of 81.5 million tonnes as compared to the last assessment.

Chhattisgarh sees max green expansion

• The maximum increase in forest and tree cover has been observed in Chhattisgarh (683.62 sq km), followed by UP (559.19 sq km), Odisha (558.57 sq km) and Rajasthan (394.46 sq km)
• The maximum decrease in forest and tree cover has been noticed in Madhya Pradesh (612.41 sq km), followed by Karnataka (459.36 sq km), Ladakh (159.26 sq km) and Nagaland (125.22 sq km)
• Meanwhile, mangroves, which act as a barrier against storms and hurricanes in coastal regions, have seen a decrease of 7.43 sq km in the country, compared to 2021
• Forest carbon stock is up by 81.5 million tonnes