Uttar Pradesh Forest Cover ISFR 2023

UP Green Cover

Detailed Analysis of Uttar Pradesh's Forest Cover Growth: ISFR 2023

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, has made significant progress in enhancing its green cover, the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. The 18th biennial edition released by the Forest Survey of India under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, provides a comprehensive assessment of India's forest and tree resources. This report, published on December 21, 2024, at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, highlights significant environmental progress in Uttar Pradesh (UP), a state with a geographical area of 2,40,928 sq km. The report underscores UP's efforts in increasing its green cover, positioning it as a leader in national forestry initiatives.

Key Points

Uttar Pradesh's forest cover increased from 14,927.37 sq km in 2021 to 15,045.80 sq km in 2023.
Tree cover rose from 8,510.16 sq km to 8,950.92 sq km, boosting overall green cover to 23,996.72 sq km.
The state saw the second highest increase in green cover nationally, at 559.19 sq km, after Chhattisgarh.
Massive plantation drives, planting over 210 crore trees in seven years, contributed to this growth.

Understanding Green Cover Definitions

To contextualize the data, it's essential to define the terms used:

Forest Cover: Defined as all lands more than one hectare with a tree canopy density of 10% or more, including orchards, bamboo, and palms, irrespective of ownership, legal status, or land use. These areas may not necessarily be recorded as forest areas (RFA).
Tree Cover: Comprises all tree patches outside the forest area, less than one hectare in extent, including scattered trees in rural and urban settings not captured under forest cover.
Green Cover: The sum of forest cover and tree cover, providing a holistic view of vegetated areas.

These definitions, sourced from the ISFR 2023 report (India State of Forest Report 2023), are crucial for understanding the data presented.

Detailed Statistics and Analysis of Uttar Pradesh's Forest Cover

The ISFR 2023 comparison with ISFR 2021 shows:

Forest Cover: Increased from 14,927.37 sq km (6.2% of geographical area) in 2021 to 15,045.80 sq km (6.24%) in 2023, an increase of 118.43 sq km.
Tree Cover: Rose from 8,510.16 sq km (3.53%) to 8,950.92 sq km (3.72%), adding 440.76 sq km.
Green Cover: Total green cover grew from 23,437.53 sq km (9.73%) to 23,996.72 sq km (9.96%), a net increase of 559.19 sq km, equivalent to 138,179 acres.

State Government Initiatives

The growth is attributed to the state government's proactive measures, including massive plantation drives and stringent tree protection policies. Over the last seven years, the Yogi government has planted more than 210 crore trees, a figure highlighted in the user's data, contributing extensively to the increase in tree cover. Sources from the forest department, as mentioned, emphasized both plantation and protection as key factors.

District-Level Contributions

The report also details district-wise increases, with the top five districts showing significant growth in green cover:

Jhansi: 8,597 acres
Amroha: 7,769 acres
Etawat: 7,127 acres
Kanpur City: 6,249 acres
Bijnor: 3,343 acres

These figures, in acres, reflect local efforts and were part of the user's data, adding granularity to the state-level statistics. Converting these to square kilometers (1 sq km ≈ 247.105 acres) shows:

Jhansi: ~34.79 sq km
Amroha: ~31.44 sq km
Etawat: ~28.85 sq km
Kanpur City: ~25.29 sq km
Bijnor: ~13.53 sq km

These conversions, while not explicitly requested, provide a consistent unit for comparison with state-level data.

National Comparison and Rankings

UP's increase of 559.19 sq km in green cover places it second nationally, behind Chhattisgarh (684 sq km) and tied with Odisha (559 sq km), as confirmed by 18th India State of Forest Report 2023. This ranking was a point of verification through web searches, ensuring accuracy. Additionally:

UP recorded the maximum increase in forest outside the Recorded Forest Area (RFA) at 79 sq km, ranking among the top five states, with Gujarat leading at 241 sq km, followed by Bihar (106.8 sq km), Kerala (95 sq km), and Assam (74.9 sq km).
UP is among the top three states for tree cover, with 8,950.92 sq km, following Maharashtra (14,524.8 sq km) and Rajasthan (10,841 sq km), as per the user's data.

UP's Forest and Tree Cover Data

To organize the data effectively, here is a table summarizing the changes:

Category	2021 (sq km)	2023 (sq km)	Increase (sq km)	Percentage of Geographical Area (2023)
Forest Cover	14,927.37	15,045.80	118.43	6.24%
Tree Cover	8,510.16	8,950.92	440.76	3.72%
Green Cover	23,437.53	23,996.72	559.19	9.96%

Top Districts by Green Cover Increase

For district-level detail, another table:

District	Increase (acres)	Approximate Increase (sq km)
Jhansi	8,597	34.79
Amroha	7,769	31.44
Etawat	7,127	28.85
Kanpur City	6,249	25.29
Bijnor	3,343	13.53

Conclusion and Future Implications

The increase in UP's green cover to 9.96% of its geographical area is a positive step towards environmental conservation, aligning with national goals like the National Forest Policy, 1988, which aims for at least one-third of the land area under forest or tree cover. Continued efforts in plantation and protection could further enhance UP's contribution to carbon sequestration and biodiversity, supporting India's commitments under the Paris Agreement and Bonn Challenge.

Key Citations