Maharashtra has just 20 per cent green cover

With the state government’s initiative of planting two crore saplings this year, the forest cover is expected to go up by five hectares. Forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar who launched the scheme beginning this month is encouraging planting of local varieties such as mango, papaya and banyan, among others.

The forest cover of the state is 47,482 sq. km. of which 30,894 sq. km is ‘dense forests’ with crown density above 40 per cent and the remaining 16,588 sq. km. is ‘open forests’ with crown density falling between 10 to 40 per cent. The forest cover in the state has been showing increasing trends in the 1997, 1999 and 2001 assessments. In the latter, the increase in forest cover has been recorded as 810 sq km over the 1999 assessment, government figures stated. Of the 307 lakh hectares of total area in the state, around 20 per cent (61.35 lakh hectares) is covered by forests, while as per the National Forest Act, 1988, 33 per cent area should have green cover.