Pragnya IAS · Chapter 15 of 15 · Culture & forest cover
Forest cover of India map: ISFR
Read the India State of Forest Report’s classes and rankings — the map behind every “green India” question.
STUDY NOTE 1
The report
The Forest Survey of India has published the India State of Forest Report every two years since 1987, mapping forest and tree cover from satellite data. ISFR 2023 puts India’s forest-plus-tree cover at about a quarter of the country’s area.
STUDY NOTE 2
Three density classes
Very dense forest (canopy above 70 per cent), moderately dense (40–70) and open forest (10–40) form the map’s three greens. Scrub and non-forest complete the legend; plantations count separately as trees outside forests.
STUDY NOTE 3
The rankings
Madhya Pradesh holds the largest forest area, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Mizoram leads by percentage of its own area, with the northeast states close behind — area rank and percentage rank are different questions.
STUDY NOTE 4
Reading change
ISFR’s value is the change map: gains in tree cover and plantations against losses in natural forest. The 33 per cent national forest-policy goal and the northeast’s shifting-cultivation losses are the standard Mains hooks.
Map reading activity
Sketch the three density classes with their canopy percentages. Write the area leader and the percentage leader from memory.
What does this forest cover of india (isfr 2023) lesson explain?
The Forest Survey of India has published the India State of Forest Report every two years since 1987, mapping forest and tree cover from satellite data. ISFR 2023 puts India’s forest-plus-tree cover at about a quarter of the country’s area.
UPSC map practice & Geography Optional connection
For UPSC Prelims environment questions and GS III, pair each protected area or convention site with its state, ecosystem and flagship species. Use a labelled sketch to show distribution; lists and counts change, so note the update date rather than memorising a frozen tally. These are Pragnya-authored exercises, not official UPSC previous-year questions.
References & original artwork
This lesson covers chapter 15 of the supplied reference curriculum. Pragnya IAS notes, activities and questions are independently authored; source PDF pages, branding, personal watermarks and unverified PYQs are not republished. India state geometry: geoBoundaries (CC BY 2.5 IN), simplified. These are educational concept views, not legal boundaries or official protected-area maps.