Bhubaneswar: India State of Forest Report-2023 published on Saturday ranked Odisha second in the country for maximum increase in green cover inside recorded forest area. The report, published biennially, provides a detailed assessment of the nation’s forest and tree resources.
The report says that Odisha reported an increase of 118.17 sq km of forest inside the recorded forest area, while Mizoram ranked first with an increase of 192.92 sq km. They were followed by Karnataka (an increase of 93.14 sq km of forest), West Bengal (64.79 sq km), and Jharkhand’s growth (52.72 sq km).
Odisha recorded an increase of 558.57 sq km in the combined forest and tree cover and secured third position. Chhattisgarh topped the list with an increase of 684 sq km, followed by Uttar Pradesh (559.19 sq km). Rajasthan was in fourth position with a 394 sq km rise.
According to the report, Odisha’s current forest and tree cover stood at 37.63 per cent of its total geographical area of 1,55,707 sq km. A total of 33,040.47 sq km forest cover falls under the recorded forest area, while the remaining 19,393.09 sq km is outside the recorded forest area of the state.
Odisha registered a growth of 151.89 sq km, with Mizoram and Gujarat taking the first and second spots with an increase of 241.73 sq km and 180.07 sq km in forest cover, respectively.
Sharing the key findings of the report related to Odisha, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik posted on X, “Glad to share that #Odisha has emerged as the leading state in increasing green cover as per the biennial, ‘India State of Forest Report 2023’ prepared by @moefcc.”
