India’s forest cover increases by 1,445 square kilometres, says India State of Forest Report 2023

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2023’ (ISFR 2023) at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun yesterday.

According to the latest assessment, the total forest and tree cover in India stands at 8 lakh 27 thousand 357 square kilometers, representing 25.17 percent of the country’s total geographical area. Of this, 7 lakh 15 thousand 343 square kilometers is classified as forest cover, while 1 lakh 12 thousand 14 square kilometers is tree cover.

Mr. Yadav expressed satisfaction over the increase in the country’s forest



and tree cover, which has grown by 1,445 square kilometers since the 2021 assessment.

This includes an increase of 156 square kilometers in forest cover and 1,289 square kilometers in tree cover. He also emphasized the advanced technology used by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) for real-time fire alerts and forest fire services, which help in better forest management.

This report, published biennially by the Forest Survey of India, offers a comprehensive assessment of India’s forest and tree resources, based on satellite data and field-based surveys.