18th India State of Forest Report 2023,Know its Main Points

The 18th India State of Forest Report 2023 was released by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The first India of the state of Forest Report was released in 1987 and since then it has been released biennially.

Who Compiles and Releases the India State of Forest Report?

The India State of Forest Report is brought by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun under the Union Ministry of Environment Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 

The Forest Research Institute uses Remote Sensing Satellite data and the field-based National Forest Inventory to assess the forest and tree cover in the country.

Definition of Forest Cover in India?

Forest cover is defined as all lands more than or equal to one hectare in area, with a tree canopy of more than or equal to 10 % of the area. The ownership of the area could be with the government, private, community-owned, etc. The tree canopy includes orchids, bamboo, and palm plantations. 

Tree Cover is defined as tree patches outside the forest areas exclusive of forest cover and on land of less than one hectare.

Forest and Tree Covers in India at a Glance 2023 

Following is a snapshot of forest and tree covers in the country as per the 18th India State of Forest Report 2023.

Source; ISFR 2023

Main Highlights of the Report

• Forest and Tree cover is 8,27,357sq km which is  25.17 % of the geographical area of the country. 
• Increase of 1445 sq km (156 sq km increase in Forest and 1289 sq km in Tree cover) as compared to 2021.
• In 2023 the total Forest Cover- is 7,15,343sq km (21.76%) and Tree Cover - is 1,12,014 sq km (3.41%).

Performance of States/Union Territories

• Maximum increase in forest and tree cover areas - (1) Chhattisgarh (684 sq km) (2)  Uttar Pradesh (559 sq km) (3) Odisha (559 sq km) (4) Rajasthan (394 sq km).
• Maximum decrease in forest and tree cover- (1) Madhya Pradesh (612.41sq km), (2) Karnataka (459.36 sq km), (3)Ladakh (159.26 sq km ),(4) Nagaland (125.22 sq km). 
• Maximum increase in forest cover- (1) Mizoram (242 sq km), (2) Gujarat (180 sq km), and (3)  Odisha (152 sq km).

Tree Cover 

• Maximum tree cover - (1) Maharashtra (14,524.88 sq km) (2) Rajasthan (10,841.12sq km ), (3) Uttar Pradesh (8,950.92 sq km).
• The maximum positive change as compared to 2021- (1) Chhattisgarh (702.75 sq km ),(2) Rajasthan (478.26 sq km) (3) Uttar Pradesh (440.76 sq km).

State/UT having largest forest cover Area Wise and Percentage-wise

• State having the largest forest cover area wise- (1) Madhya Pradesh (85,724 sq km), (2)  Arunachal Pradesh (67,083 sq km) (3) Maharashtra (65,383 sq km).
• State/Union Territories having largest forest cover percentage-wise. - Lakshadweep (91.33 percent of its area is under forest cover)  (2)  Mizoram (85.34 percent) (3)Andaman & Nicobar Island (81.62 percent).

State/UT having 33% or more area under forest cover 

• 19 states and UT have forest cover of 33 %  or more in their geographical area.
• Eight states/UT  - Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur have forest cover above 75 percent.

Mangrove Forest in India 

• Mangrove cover in the country is 4,991.68sq km, which is 0.15 % of the country’s total geographical area.
• 7.43 sq km decrease in mangrove forest as compared to 2021. 
• Maximum decline in Gujarat( 36.39 sq km).
• Maximum increase in  Andhra Pradesh (13.01sq km ), followed by Maharashtra (12.39sq km). 

Bamboo Cover in India 

• Bamboo area- 1,54,670 sq km. An increase of 5,227 sq km as compared to 2021
• Maximum bamboo area - (1) Madhya Pradesh 20,421 sq km (2) Arunachal Pradesh 18,424 sq km (3) Maharashtra 13,572 sq km (4) Odisha 12,328 sq km.

Carbon Stock 

• The total carbon stock is estimated at 7,285.5 million tonnes in 2023, an increase of 81.5 million tonnes as compared to 2021.
• The annual increase of carbon stock is estimated at 40.75 million tonnes, which is 149.42 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. 
• Carbon stock refers to the capacity of a system (here forest) to store or release carbon.