Minister Reports 25% of National Territory Covered in Greenery
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New Delhi, Dec 21 (NationPress) Compared to 2021, there has been an increase of 1,445 sq km in the overall forest and tree cover of the nation, with 25.17% of its total geographical area now boasting greenery, stated the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, on Saturday.
The current evaluation shows that the total forest and tree cover spans 827,357 sq km, representing 25.17% of the country’s geographical area. The forest cover specifically accounts for around 715,343 sq km (21.76%), while the tree cover constitutes 112,014 sq km (3.41%), according to the minister.
The states with the largest forest cover are led by Madhya Pradesh (77,073 sq km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65,882 sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km).
During the release of the ‘India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023)’ at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, the minister also emphasized the near real-time fire alerts and forest fire management services provided by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) through advanced technology.
The ISFR has been published by the FSI every two years since 1987, making the 2023 edition the 18th in the series.
The report indicates that the top four states with the most significant increase in forest and tree cover are Chhattisgarh (684 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (559 sq km), Odisha (559 sq km), and Rajasthan (394 sq km). The states with the highest increase in forest cover are Mizoram (242 sq km), followed by Gujarat (180 sq km) and Odisha (152 sq km).
The total mangrove cover in the country is reported to be 4,992 sq km.
The FSI conducts comprehensive assessments of forest and tree resources nationwide, utilizing remote sensing satellite data and field-based National Forest Inventory (NFI) results, which are published in the ISFR.
This report includes critical information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock, carbon stock in India’s forests, occurrences of forest fires, and agroforestry.
To provide a thorough overview of forest health at the national level, the ISFR presents special thematic information regarding forest cover and notable characteristics of forests.
