India State of Forest Report, 2013

By area wise, the states with the maximum forest cover are:-

·        Madhya Pradesh (77, 522 sq km)

·        Arunachal Pradesh (67, 321 sq km)

·        Chhattisgarh (55, 621 sq km)

·        Maharashtra  (50, 632 sq km)

·        Odisha (50, 347 sq km)

As per the National Forest Policy 1988, state needs to have 33% forest cover. The present assessment shows that 15 states/UTs have above 33 percent of the geographical area under forest cover. Out of these states and UTs, eight states have more than 75 percent forest cover while seven states have forest cover between 33 percent and 75 percent.

Class	Area (sq.km)	% of geographical area
Forest Cover
(1) Very Dense Forest	83, 502	2.54
(2) Moderately Dense Forest	318, 745	9.70
(3) Open Forest	295, 651	8.99
Total Forest Cover	697, 898	21.23
Scrub	41, 383	1.26
Non Forest	2, 547,982	77.51
Total Geographical Area	3, 287, 263	100.00