Srinagar, July 21 -- Jammu and Kashmir has recorded an increase of 398.12 square kilometres in forest cover over the past decade, taking its total forest area to 21,346.39 sq km as per the India State of Forest Report 2023, data presented in Parliament has revealed.

The information was shared in a written reply by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, in response to a Lok Sabha question on July 21, 2025.

According to the reply, Jammu and Kashmir's forest cover was 20,948.27 sq km in 2013, which grew to 21,346.39 sq km by 2023.

The Union Territory also registered an increase between 2019 and 2023, with forest cover rising from 21,122 sq km to 21,346.39 sq km, marking a gain of over 224 ...