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Forest Cover in India






๐ŸŒณ Chapter 04 ยท Topic 02 ยท Forest Cover in India

Forest Cover in India โ€” State-wise Data & ISFR

ISFR 2021 data, FSI categories, state-wise rankings, and National Forest Policy 1988 target โ€” complete UPSC & PSC notes.

80.9 Mha
Total Forest & Tree Cover
24.62%
% of Geographic Area
33%
NFP 1988 Target
Biennial
ISFR Publication Frequency
India State of Forest Report (ISFR)
  • Published by: Forest Survey of India (FSI), headquartered at Dehradun
  • Frequency: Biennial (every 2 years)
  • Uses satellite remote sensing to assess forest and tree cover across India
  • ISFR 2021 is the 17th report in the series (started 1987)
  • Covers: forest cover, tree cover outside forests, mangroves, carbon stock, bamboo resources
๐ŸŒฟ ISFR 2021 Key Data: Total forest and tree cover = 80.9 million hectares = 24.62% of India’s geographic area. Forest cover alone = 71.61 million ha = 21.71%. An increase of 1,540 sq km compared to ISFR 2019.
Forest Cover Categories (FSI Definition)
CategoryCanopy DensityDescription
Very Dense Forest (VDF)>70%Closed canopy; minimal light penetration; pristine forests
Moderately Dense Forest (MDF)40โ€“70%Semi-closed canopy; most productive forests
Open Forest (OF)10โ€“40%Open canopy; degraded or dry forests; largest category by area
Scrub<10%Highly degraded; not counted as forest cover
Tree Coverโ€”Trees outside recorded forest areas (farms, roadsides, etc.)
๐Ÿ“Œ Note: FSI defines forest cover as all land with tree canopy density of 10% or more and area of 1 hectare or more, regardless of ownership or legal status. Scrub (<10%) is NOT counted as forest cover.
State-wise Forest Cover Rankings (ISFR 2021)
RankStateBasisKey Note
1stMadhya PradeshLargest forest area (sq km)~77,482 sq km; “Heart of India’s forests”
2ndArunachal PradeshLargest forest area~66,431 sq km
3rdChhattisgarhLargest forest area~55,611 sq km
4thOdishaLargest forest area~52,156 sq km
5thMaharashtraLargest forest area~50,778 sq km
1st %MizoramHighest % forest cover~84.53% of state area
2nd %Arunachal PradeshHigh % forest cover~79.33%
3rd %MeghalayaHigh % forest cover~76.00%
๐ŸŒฟ NE India: The North-Eastern states (Seven Sisters + Sikkim) have the highest percentage of forest cover in India. Mizoram leads with ~84.53%. These states are part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.
National Forest Policy 1988 โ€” Key Provisions
  • Target: Achieve 33% forest cover of India’s geographic area (currently ~24.62% โ€” well below target)
  • Emphasis on environmental stability over commercial exploitation
  • Priority: ecological security > revenue generation
  • Promote people’s participation in forest management (basis for JFM)
  • Develop social forestry and farm forestry
  • Protect forests from encroachment, fire, grazing, and illegal felling
  • Maintain minimum 60% forest cover in hilly and mountainous regions
  • Replaced the earlier National Forest Policy of 1952
Forest Cover vs Tree Cover โ€” Distinction
ParameterForest CoverTree Cover
LocationWithin recorded forest areasOutside recorded forest areas
Canopy densityโ‰ฅ10%Any density
Minimum area1 hectare0.1 hectare (patch)
ExamplesReserved forests, protected forestsFarm trees, roadside trees, orchards
ISFR 202171.61 million ha (21.71%)9.26 million ha (2.91%)
Quick Revision Checklist
โ˜ ISFR published by FSI, Dehradun โ€” biennial report
โ˜ ISFR 2021: Total forest + tree cover = 80.9 Mha = 24.62%
โ˜ Forest cover alone = 71.61 Mha = 21.71%
โ˜ VDF (>70%), MDF (40โ€“70%), Open Forest (10โ€“40%), Scrub (<10%)
โ˜ Largest forest area: Madhya Pradesh
โ˜ Highest % forest cover: Mizoram (~84.53%)
โ˜ Top 5 by area: MP, Arunachal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra
โ˜ NE states have highest % forest cover overall
โ˜ NFP 1988 target: 33% forest cover โ€” current: ~24.62%
โ˜ NFP 1988 replaced NFP 1952; emphasises ecological security
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