Telangana has made forward strides in improvement of forest cover as revealed by the Indian State of Forest Report, a biennial publication of the Forest Survey of India under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
According to the report which has obtained data from 2019, forest area recorded in Telangana stands at 26,969 square kilometres, which is 24.05% of the total geographical area of the State.
Cumulative increase in forest cover from 2014 up to 2019 stands at 6.85%, and cumulative increase in tree cover for the same period stands at 14.51%. Cumulative increase in green cover for the same period is 7.7%.
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In absolute numbers, total increase in forest cover between 2014 and 2019 is 1,360 square kilometres and that of the tree cover is 2,487 square kilometres.
Forest cover is defined as an area more than one hectare in extent and having tree canopy density of 10% and above, irrespective of the species and type of land. Tree cover includes land covered by individual trees less than one hectare in extent outside the forests. Green cover is a combination of both.