Forest cover by state in India

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List of how many forests and percentage of forest cover in India by state.

Contents

Tree density

Tree density is the quantification of how closely the trees are growing in a hectare area. It is not the exact number of trees in the forest but, serves as an estimate to the foresters. [1] .The tree density of an area should be mentioned by the working Plan officer (WPO) or Divisional Forest Officer (Working Plan) after his field inspection of the lowest possible forest unit or compartment in the CH-4 form of compartment history. The compartment history forms are to be maintained at the Forest range and Forest division offices. The working Plan code-2014 mentions in para 105 that the density should also be mentioned on the stock map prepared by the WPO/DFO in decimal figures. The crown density is similar to the tree density. A forest area with a density of more than 0.4 is considered a good forest area and a forest area with less than 0.4 tree density is considered degraded forest.

Forest cover

Forest cover is the total geographical area declared as forest by the government. As of 2021, the total forest cover in India is 80.9 million hectares, which is 21.71 per cent of the total geographical area. [2] There is a 1,540 sq.km increase in forest cover over 2019. Madhya Pradesh has the highest forest cover by area followed by Arunachal Pradesh. Mizoram has the highest forest cover in terms of percentage of total geographical area.

Ministry of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change used the mid-resolution satellite data on LISS-III data from Indian remote sensing satellite. Minister of environment forest and climate change Bhupendra Yadav released the Indian forest survey report 2021-22 on 13 January 2022.

As per the report, 17 Indian states have a forest cover of over 33%.

Forest cover over the years

Indian forest cover map as of 2015 Indian Forest Cover.png
Indian forest cover map as of 2015
YearTotal forest area (in sq km)% of forested area%change
2021 [2] 713,78921.71%Increase2.svg0.04%
2019 [3] 712,24921.67%Increase2.svg0.13%
2017 [4] 708,27321.54%Increase2.svg0.20%
2015 [5] 701,67321.34%Increase2.svg0.11%
2013 [6] 697,89821.23%Increase2.svg0.18%
2011 [7] 692,02721.05%

2021

Density of forest cover in 2021 in India by state and union territory.png

The forest cover in 2021 in India by state and union territory as published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) is shown in the table below. [2]

Very Dense= All lands with tree canopy density of 70 percent ( 0.7 tree density) and above.

Moderately Dense= All lands with tree canopy density of 40 percent and more but less than 70 percent ( 0.4 to 0.7 tree density).

Open Forest= All lands with tree canopy density of 10 percent and more but less than 40 percent (0.1 to 0.4 tree density). (Area in square kilometers)

State / UTZoneGeographical AreaVery denseModerately denseOpen forestTotal forest area % of the forested area % change since 2019
Andhra Pradesh Southern162,9681,99413,92913,86129,78418.28%2.22%
Arunachal Pradesh North Eastern83,74321,05830,17615,19766,43179.33%-0.39%
Assam North Eastern78,4383,0179,99115,30428,31236.09%-0.05%
Bihar Eastern94,1633333,2863,7627,3817.84%1.03%
Chhattisgarh Central135,1927,06832,27916,37055,71741.21%0.19%
Delhi Northern1,4836.7256.6131.6819513.15%-0.23%
Goa Western3,7025385761,1302,24460.62%0.31%
Gujarat Western196,2443785,0329,51614,9267.61%0.46%
Haryana Northern44,212284451,1301,6033.63%0.06%
Himachal Pradesh Northern55,6733,1637,1005,18015,44327.73%0.06%
Jharkhand Eastern79,7162,6019,68911,43123,72129.76%0.47%
Karnataka Southern191,7914,53320,98513,21238,73020.19%0.4%
Kerala Southern38,8521,9449,4729,83721,25354.7%0.52%
Madhya Pradesh Central308,2526,66534,20936,61977,49325.14%0.01%
Maharashtra Western307,7138,73420,58921,47550,79816.51%0.04%
Manipur North Eastern22,3279056,2289,46516,59874.34%-1.48%
Meghalaya North Eastern22,4295609,1607,32617,04676%-0.43%
Mizoram North Eastern21,0811575,71511,94817,82084.53%-1.03%
Nagaland North Eastern16,5791,2724,4496,53012,25173.9%-1.88%
Odisha Eastern155,7077,21320,99523,94852,15633.5%1.04%
Punjab Northern50,362117931,0431,8473.67%-0.11%
Rajasthan Northern342,239784,36912,20816,6554.87%0.15%
Sikkim North Eastern7,0961,1021,5516883,34147.08%-0.03%
Tamil Nadu Southern130,0603,59311,03411,79226,41920.31%0.21%
Telangana Southern112,0771,6249,11910,47121,21418.93%3.07%
Tripura North Eastern10,4866475,2121,8637,72273.64%-0.05%
Uttar Pradesh Central240,9282,6274,0298,16214,8186.15%0.08%
Uttarakhand Central53,4835,05512,7686,48224,30545.44%0.01%
West Bengal Eastern88,7523,0374,2089,58716,83218.96%-0.41%
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Southern8,2495,6786833836,74481.75%0.01%
Chandigarh Northern1141.3613.518.0122.8820.07%3.86%
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Western6021.485.56140.79227.7537.83%0.04%
Jammu and Kashmir Northern54,6244,1558,1179,11521,38739.15%0.14%
Ladakh Northern168,05525121,7582,2721.35%0.8%
Lakshadweep Southern30016.0911.0127.190.33%0%
Puducherry Southern490017.5335.7753.310.88%1.7%
Total3,287,46999,779306,890307,120713,78924.45%0.22%

2017

The forest cover in 2017 in India by state and union territory as published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) is shown in the table below. [8] [9]

Very Dense= All lands with tree canopy density of 70 percent ( 0.7 tree density) and above.

Moderately Dense= All lands with tree canopy density of 40 percent and more but less than 70 percent ( 0.4 to 0.7 tree density).

Open Forest= All lands with tree canopy density of 10 percent and more but less than 40 percent (0.1 to 0.4 tree density).

Scrub= All forest lands with poor tree growth mainly of small or stunted trees canopy density less than 10 percent (Less than 0.1 tree density).

(Area in square kilometers)

State / UTGeographical AreaVery denseModerately denseOpen forestTotal forest area % of forested area % change since 2015
Andhra Pradesh 162,9681,95714,05112,13928,14717.27%+1.31%
Arunachal Pradesh 83,74320,72130,95515,28866,96479.96%-0.23%
Assam 78,4382,79710,19215,11628,10535.83%+0.72%
Bihar 94,1633323,2603,7077,2997.75%+0.05%
Chhattisgarh 135,1927,06432,21516,26855,54741.09%-0.01%
Delhi 1,48375612919220.6%+0.25%
Goa 3,7025385761,1152,22960.21%+0.51%
Gujarat 196,2443785,2009,17914,7577.52%+0.02%
Haryana 44,212284521,1081,5883.59%+0.02%
Himachal Pradesh 55,6733,1106,7055,28515,10027.12%+0.71%
Jammu and Kashmir 222,2364,0758,57910,58723,24110.46%+0.11%
Jharkhand 79,7162,5989,68611,26923,55329.55%+0.04%
Karnataka 191,7914,50220,44412,60437,55019.58%+0.57%
Kerala 38,8521,6639,4078,25120,32152.30%+2.68%
Madhya Pradesh 308,2526,56334,57136,28077,41425.11%-0.00%
Maharashtra 307,7138,73620,65221,29450,68216.47%-0.01%
Manipur 22,3279086,5109,92817,34677.69%+1.18%
Meghalaya 22,4294539,3867,30717,14676.76%-0.52%
Mizoram 21,0811315,86112,19418,18686.27%-2.52%
Nagaland 16,5791,2794,5876,62312,48975.33%-2.71%
Odisha 155,7076,96721,37023,00851,34532.98%+0.57%
Punjab 50,36288061,0231,8373.65%+0.13%
Rajasthan 342,239784,34012,15416,5724.84%+0.14%
Sikkim 7,0961,0811,5756883,34447.13%-0.13%
Tamil Nadu 130,0603,67210,97911,63026,28120.21%+0.06%
Telangana 112,0771,5968,73810,0852696918.22%+0.50%
Tripura 10,4866565,2461,8247,72673.68%-1.56%
Uttar Pradesh 240,9282,6174,0697,99314,6796.09%+0.12%
Uttarakhand 53,4834,96912,8846,44224,29545.43%+0.04%
West Bengal 88,7522,9944,1479,70616,84718.98%+0.02%
Andaman and Nicobar Islands 8,2495,6786843806,74281.73%-0.11%
Chandigarh 11411462218.91%-0.09%
Dadra and Nagar Haveli 49108012720742.16%+0.20%
Daman and Diu 11116132018.46%+0.79%
Lakshadweep 30017102790.33%0.13%
Puducherry 490018365410.95%-0.67%
Total3,287,46998,158308,318301,797708,27321.54%+0.21%

2015

According to Forest Survey of India (FSI), the forest cover by State/UT in India in 2015 is listed below. [8]

Very Dense= All lands with tree canopy density of 70 percent and above.

Moderately Dense= All lands with tree canopy density of 40 percent and more but less than 70 percent.

Open Forest= All lands with tree canopy density of 10 percent and more but less than 40 percent.

(Area in square kilometers)

State / UTGeographical AreaVery denseModerately denseOpen forest
Andhra Pradesh 162,96842114,35211,233
Arunachal Pradesh 83,74320,80631,18115,167
Assam 78,4381,42511,25614,857
Bihar 94,1632483,3623,644
Chhattisgarh 135,1927,00132,30516,253
Delhi 1,4836.9457.15154.68
Goa 3,7025365801,094
Gujarat 196,2443785,1989,134
Haryana 44,212284441,108
Himachal Pradesh 55,6733,2256,3875,095
Jammu and Kashmir 222,2364,0618,81510,112
Jharkhand 79,7162,6019,69211,231
Karnataka 191,7911,78320,17714,489
Kerala 38,8521,5299,3288,421
Madhya Pradesh 308,2526,58634,83736,003
Maharashtra 307,7138,68520,79221,222
Manipur 22,3277295,96410,390
Meghalaya 22,4294179,5557,290
Mizoram 21,0811355,80012,782
Nagaland 16,5791,2844,6906,965
Odisha 155,7076,98521,47022,005
Punjab 50,36207331,038
Rajasthan 342,239774,41411,615
Sikkim 7,0964992,157697
Tamil Nadu 130,0603,00510,47212,731
Telangana 112,07746511,3408,049
Tripura 10,4861104,6993,111
Uttar Pradesh 240,9282,1714,0438,187
Uttarakhand 53,4834,80413,6625,806
West Bengal 88,7522,9434,1769,707
Andaman and Nicobar Islands 8,2495,686685380
Chandigarh 1141.3613.926.38
Dadra and Nagar Haveli 491080126
Daman and Diu 1111.45.8212.39
Lakshadweep 30017.229.84
Puducherry 490028.7828.17
Total3,287,46988,633312,739300,123

See also

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References

  1. "How to Calculate tree density - Hunker.com".
  2. 1 2 3 "India State of Forest Report 2021".
  3. "FSI 2019 Summary" (PDF).
  4. "FSI 2017 Forest Cover" (PDF).
  5. "FSI 2015 Summary" (PDF).
  6. "FSI 2013 Summary" (PDF).
  7. "FSI 2011 Summary" (PDF).
  8. 1 2 "India State of Forest Report, Forest Cover 2017" (PDF). Forest Survey of India. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  9. Jasjeev, G. "Forest department: Delhi's green cover doubled since 2001 | Delhi News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 January 2022.