LUCKNOW, July 10 -- Uttar Pradesh has recorded a sapling survival rate of 86.67% between 2021 and 2024, according to a forest department report shared by the state government on Thursday. The annual survival rate showed consistent improvement, from 76.87% in 2021-22 to 96.06% in 2024-25, it claimed.

The state also reported a 3.72% rise in tree cover outside forest areas by 2023, which is higher than the national average of 3.41%, the Forest Survey of India (FSI). The government attributed this increase to sustained plantation efforts, with over 240 crore saplings planted in the last eight years, including 37.21 crore in 2025 alone.

Since 2017, the state has added nearly 5 lakh acres to its green cover. Tree cover rose by 2 lakh acres be...