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🦌 India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2026

ISFR 2026 notes with forest and tree cover, state rankings, bamboo, carbon stock, and exam-ready notes

Measuring India's Green Cover from Space

The full form of ISFR is India State of Forest Report. It is the country's official forest-resource assessment published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It is released every two years and is based on remote sensing plus field-based National Forest Inventory inputs.[1][2][3]

If an exam asks for the latest ISFR, the answer here is ISFR 2023, the 18th India State of Forest Report in the series.[1][2][3]

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav releasing India State of Forest Report 2023 at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun
Release of India State of Forest Report 2023 at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.[1]

What is ISFR?

Feature Detail
Full form India State of Forest Report
Latest edition covered here 18th report in the series (ISFR 2023)[1][2]
Published by Forest Survey of India (FSI)
Parent ministry Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Frequency Biennial since 1987
Core method Satellite digital image processing + visual image analysis + ground verification + National Forest Inventory
Why it matters Tracks forest cover, tree cover, bamboo, carbon stock, mangroves, forest fire indicators, and allied resources

The report is important for exams because it combines ecology, forestry, climate commitments, and state-wise ranking facts in one place.

Forest Cover vs Tree Cover

This distinction is still essential even when the report year changes.

Parameter Forest Cover Tree Cover
Minimum area More than 1 hectare Less than 1 hectare
Canopy condition More than 10% canopy density Trees outside recorded forest in small patches
Location Inside or outside recorded forest Outside recorded forest only
Exam use Main forest statistic Completes the broader green-cover picture

TIP

Exam trap: do not confuse forest cover with forest and tree cover. The second is always larger because it adds tree cover outside forests.

ISFR 2023 lesson visual comparing forest cover with tree cover outside forests for agriculture exam preparation
Forest cover counts qualifying tree patches larger than 1 hectare with enough canopy, while tree cover adds smaller scattered patches outside forests.

Classification of Forest Cover by Canopy Density

Classification of forest cover by canopy density showing VDF, MDF, OF, and Scrub
The four classes are distinguished by canopy closure and how much ground remains visible, from very dense forest to scrub.
Class Canopy Density Interpretation
Very Dense Forest (VDF) Equal to or more than 70% Highest canopy closure and ecological stability
Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) Equal to or more than 40% but less than 70% Substantial tree cover
Open Forest (OF) Equal to or more than 10% but less than 40% Sparse to moderately stocked area
Scrub Canopy density less than 10%, generally with shrubs interspersed with trees Degraded woody vegetation below forest-cover threshold
Non Forest Not included in VDF, MDF, OF, or Scrub Includes cropland, settlements, water bodies, grasslands, snow-clad areas, deserts, etc.

These classes help interpret whether an increase is happening in dense forest, open forest, scrub-to-forest transitions, or mostly in tree cover outside forests.[3]

Category-wise state leaders (area basis)

Forest-cover class Top state in ISFR 2023 Area
Very Dense Forest (VDF) Arunachal Pradesh 19,637.05 sq km
Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) Madhya Pradesh 31,676.75 sq km
Open Forest (OF) Madhya Pradesh 29,651.78 sq km

TIP

Fast recall: for VDF, think Arunachal Pradesh. For MDF and OF, think Madhya Pradesh.[3]

ISFR 2023 category-wise state leaders visual for very dense forest, moderately dense forest, and open forest area
This class-wise visual helps fix the area leaders in memory: Arunachal Pradesh for very dense forest, and Madhya Pradesh for moderately dense and open forest.

Key Findings of ISFR 2023

Parameter ISFR 2023 finding
Total forest and tree cover 8,27,356.95 sq km
Share of geographical area 25.17%
Forest cover alone 7,15,342.61 sq km (21.76%)
Tree cover alone 1,12,014.34 sq km (3.41%)
Scrub 43,622.64 sq km (1.33%)
Non Forest 24,16,489.29 sq km (73.50%)
Change over 2021 +1,445.81 sq km in total forest and tree cover
Break-up of change Forest cover +156.41 sq km, tree cover +1,289.40 sq km

The biggest conceptual takeaway is that the latest gain is driven far more by tree cover growth outside forests than by increase in forest cover itself.[3]

Additional Findings From the PDF

Topic Official finding
TOF extent 30.70 million hectares, which is 37.11% of the country's total forest and tree cover
Max tree cover Maharashtra (14,524.88 sq km), followed by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
Forest-cover increase inside RFA/GW Mizoram (192.92 sq km), Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal, Jharkhand
Forest-cover increase outside RFA Gujarat (241.29 sq km), Bihar, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Assam

NOTE

RFA/GW means Recorded Forest Area / Green Wash. The PDF separates changes inside RFA/GW from changes outside RFA, which is more precise than a single all-India headline number.[3]

ISFR 2023 visual showing TOF extent, Maharashtra as top tree-cover state, Mizoram inside RFA gain, and Gujarat outside RFA gain
This visual separates TOF, maximum tree cover, and the inside-versus-outside RFA/GW increase leaders so the PDF details are easier to retain.

State-wise Rankings and Change

Largest Forest and Tree Cover

Rank State Area
1 Madhya Pradesh 85,724 sq km
2 Arunachal Pradesh 67,083 sq km
3 Maharashtra 65,383 sq km

Largest Forest Cover

Rank State Area
1 Madhya Pradesh 77,073 sq km
2 Arunachal Pradesh 65,882 sq km
3 Chhattisgarh 55,812 sq km

Maximum Increase

Category Leaders
Increase in forest and tree cover Chhattisgarh (+683.62 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (+559.19 sq km), Odisha (+558.57 sq km), Rajasthan (+394.46 sq km)
Decrease in forest and tree cover Madhya Pradesh (-612.41 sq km), Karnataka, Ladakh, Nagaland
Increase in forest cover inside RFA/GW Mizoram (+192.92 sq km), Odisha (+118.17 sq km), Karnataka (+93.14 sq km)
Increase in forest cover outside RFA Gujarat (+241.29 sq km), Bihar (+106.85 sq km), Kerala (+95.19 sq km)

Percentage-wise Leader

Lakshadweep has the highest forest cover as a percentage of geographical area, followed by Mizoram and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.[1]

India forest cover map 2023 showing very dense, moderately dense, open forest, scrub, and non-forest regions
The 2023 forest cover map helps relate the state-wise rankings to the actual spread of very dense, moderately dense, open forest, scrub, and non-forest areas across India.

TIP

Revision cue: for area-based leadership, remember Madhya Pradesh. For percentage-based state leadership, remember Mizoram.

Bamboo and Carbon Stock

Two high-value exam facts from the 2023 report are:

Topic ISFR 2023 finding
Bamboo-bearing area 1,54,670 sq km
Change in bamboo area over 2021 +5,227 sq km
Total carbon stock in forests 7,285.5 million tonnes
Increase in carbon stock +81.5 million tonnes
Additional carbon sink achieved over 2005 baseline 2.29 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent
India's NDC-linked target by 2030 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent
ISFR 2023 bamboo area and forest carbon stock visual with Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh state cues
Read this as a two-part memory aid: Madhya Pradesh leads bamboo-bearing area, while Arunachal Pradesh leads total forest carbon stock.

Madhya Pradesh has the largest bamboo-bearing area, while Arunachal Pradesh has the maximum carbon stock among states.[3]

This makes ISFR important not just for forestry exams, but also for climate policy, carbon sink targets, and India's NDC progress.[1]

Summary Cheat Sheet

Concept / Topic Key Details
ISFR full form India State of Forest Report
Latest edition here ISFR 2023 = 18th report in the series
Published by Forest Survey of India (FSI) under MoEFCC
Frequency Biennial
Core method Remote sensing + image analysis + ground verification + National Forest Inventory
Forest cover Tree patches more than 1 hectare with more than 10% canopy density
Tree cover Trees outside recorded forest in patches less than 1 hectare
Biggest exam trap Forest cover is not the same as forest and tree cover
Canopy classes VDF: 70%+; MDF: 40% to <70%; OF: 10% to <40%; Scrub: <10%
Total forest and tree cover 8,27,356.95 sq km (25.17%)
Forest cover alone 7,15,342.61 sq km (21.76%)
Tree cover alone 1,12,014.34 sq km (3.41%)
Change over 2021 +1,445.81 sq km total; gain driven more by tree cover than forest cover
Largest forest and tree cover Madhya Pradesh
Largest forest cover Madhya Pradesh
Highest percentage cover Lakshadweep; among states, Mizoram
VDF leader Arunachal Pradesh
MDF and OF leader Madhya Pradesh
TOF extent 30.70 million ha (37.11% of total forest and tree cover)
Max tree cover state Maharashtra
Inside RFA/GW gain leader Mizoram
Outside RFA gain leader Gujarat
Bamboo-bearing area 1,54,670 sq km
Change in bamboo area +5,227 sq km
Total carbon stock 7,285.5 million tonnes
Increase in carbon stock +81.5 million tonnes
Additional carbon sink achieved 2.29 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent
2030 NDC-linked target 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent

TIP

Fast recall: Arunachal = VDF, Madhya Pradesh = MDF + OF + largest total area, Maharashtra = max tree cover, Mizoram = inside RFA gain, Gujarat = outside RFA gain.

Official Source

3 sources • [1] [2] [3]

[2]

Forest Survey of India — India State of Forest Report 2023

Official

Used for: Forest Survey of India report landing page.