LUCKNOW, July 10 -- Out of the 37.21 crore saplings planted across Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, over 27 crore are likely to survive, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, citing a 75% average survival rate recorded in the state's previous plantation drives. He was speaking in Ayodhya after taking part in the massive one-day green campaign that covered more than 5.89 lakh locations. The chief minister said that over 204 crore saplings have been planted in the state over the past eight years. "This massive effort has led to a 5 lakh acre increase in the state's forest cover," he pointed out. According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report of 2021, U.P's green cover was recorded at 9.23% of its total land area, equivalent to 55.59 lakh acres. This reflects an increase from 8.93% or 53.61 lakh acres as reported in the 2015 FSI assessment based on 2014 data. To meet the state's green cover target of 15%, forest officials estimate that UP will need to add another 34.35 lakh acres to its existing forested area, taking the total to over 90 lakh acres. India's average for tree outside forests (ToF), an indicator that measures tree cover on land not officially designated as forest, is 3.41%. UP has a higher ToF ratio of 3.72%, according to the FSI report. Officials attribute this to sustained plantation efforts despite challenges such as high population density, biotic pressure, and the state's agrarian economy, where nearly 70% of the population depends on agriculture. htc...