India's green book: Forest growth decelerates as tree cover rises

The India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023), released on Saturday, revealed a significant deceleration in the growth of the country’s forest cover. The report also flagged a troubling development in the Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area (WGESA), a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, where a net loss of 58.22 sq km of forest cover has been recorded over the last decade.  

Published biennially by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, the ISFR relies on remote sensing satellite data and field surveys to assess forest and tree resources across the country. The latest report painted a mixed picture. Between 2021 and 2023, India’s forest cover grew by 156 sq km — a decline from the 1,540 sq km gain recorded between 2019 and 2021, reflecting a nearly 90 per cent slowdown. Tree cover, on the other hand, showed an increase of 1,289 sq km versus 2019-21. 

India’s total forest and tree cover stood at 8,27,357 sq km in 2021-23, representing 25.17 per cent of the country’s geographical area. Of this, forest cover accounted for 7,15,343 sq km (21.76 per cent), while tree cover made up 1,12,014 sq km (3.41 per cent). Among trees outside forests, mango trees dominate, contributing 13.3 per cent of the total volume, followed by neem (7 per cent), mahua (4.4 per cent), and coconut (4.2 per cent).     

The Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep led the country in forest cover as a percentage of total geographical area, with 91.33 per cent, followed by the state of Mizoram (85.34 per cent) and the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands (81.62 per cent). Overall, 19 states and UTs boasted forest cover exceeding 33 per cent of their geographical area, with eight states — including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Meghalaya — surpassing 75 per cent.  

The survey found that total mangrove cover stood 4,991.68 sq km in the country, which accounted for 0.15 per cent of the country’s total geographical area. Gujarat recorded a “notable decrease” of 36.39 sq km, while “notable increase” was observed in Andhra Pradesh (13.01 sq km), followed by Maharashtra (12.39 sq km). 

Bamboo-bearing areas expanded, with a total estimated area of 154,670 sq km — an increase of 5,227 sq km since ISFR 2021. Madhya Pradesh led in bamboo cover with 20,421 sq km, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (18,424 sq km). Notably, Arunachal Pradesh saw the largest increase, gaining 2,685 sq km, while Karnataka and Manipur reported declines of 1,290 sq km and 860 sq km, respectively. 

The report also estimated the potential timber production from trees outside forests at 91.51 million cubic meters annually, an increase of 22.47 million cubic meters since ISFR 2017. Agroforestry witnessed a marked expansion, with tree green cover under this practice reaching 127,590.05 sq km in 2023 — a 20.02 per cent increase over ISFR 2013 figures.    

Forest cover in India’s hill districts spanned 283,713.20 sq km, accounting for 40 per cent of total geographical area of these regions, with a modest increase of 234.14 sq km in the latest assessment. However, the Northeastern region, home to 67 per cent forest cover of its geographical area, saw a decrease of 327.30 sq km.