more-inIndia posted a marginal 0.21% rise in the area under forest between 2015 and 2017, according to the biennial India State of Forest Report (SFR) 2017. The document says that India has about 7,08,273 square kilometres of forest, which is 21.53% of the geographic area of the country (32,87,569 sq. The total tree cover, according to this assessment, was 93,815 square kilometres or a 2% rise from the approximately 92,500 square kilometres estimated in 2015. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala topped the States that posted an increase in forest cover. The forest survey for the first time mapped 633 districts and relied on satellite-mapping.

Source: The Hindu February 12, 2018 16:41 UTC