India’s Forest Environmental Accounting Advances in 2025
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the 8th issue of Environmental Accounting on Forest
2025 on 25th September 2025. The publication aligns with the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounts (SEEA) framework. It offers a detailed view of India’s forest ecosystem accounts at national and state levels. This marks the first dedicated forest accounting report under SEEA. The report was revealed during the 29th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (CoCSSO) in Chandigarh.
Framework and Methodology
The report is divided into two volumes. Volume I explains the methodology and presents national data. It includes Physical Asset Accounts, Extent Accounts, Condition Accounts, and Service Accounts. Volume II covers state and Union Territory data, showing decadal changes. The report uses India State of Forest Report (ISFR) as a key data source. Other sources include Forestry Statistics 2021 by ICFRE, SEEA Central and Ecosystem frameworks, NCAVES report, and National Accounts statistics.
Physical Asset Account
India’s forest cover increased by 17,444.61 sq. km (22.50%) from 2010-11 to 2021-22. The total forest area reached 7.15 lakh sq. km, covering 21.76% of the geographical area. This growth reflects successful conservation and regeneration efforts. Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu showed the largest increases with 4,137, 3,122, and 2,606 sq. km respectively.
Extent Account
Between 2013 and 2023, the forest extent account recorded a net rise of 3,356 sq. km. This was mainly due to reclassification and boundary adjustments. Uttarakhand saw the highest increase in Recorded Forest Area (RFA) share at 6.3%. Odisha and Jharkhand followed with 1.97% and 1.9% increases respectively.
Condition Account
Growing stock indicates the volume of usable wood in living trees. India’s growing stock rose by 305.53 million cubic metres (7.32%) from 2013 to 2023. Madhya Pradesh contributed 136 million cum, Chhattisgarh 51 million cum, and Telangana 28 million cum. Among Union Territories, Andaman & Nicobar Islands added 77 million cum.
Service Account – Provisioning Services
Provisioning services include timber and non-timber forest products. Their economic value rose from ₹30.72 thousand crore in 2011-12 to ₹37.93 thousand crore in 2021-22. This accounts for about 0.16% of India’s GDP at current prices. Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Kerala were the top contributors with ₹23.78, ₹14.15, and ₹8.55 thousand crore respectively.
Service Account – Regulating Services
Regulating services focus on carbon retention by forests. Their value increased by 51.82% from ₹409.1 thousand crore in 2015-16 to ₹620.97 thousand crore in 2021-22. This is equivalent to 2.63% of GDP at current prices. Arunachal Pradesh (₹296 thousand crore), Uttarakhand (₹156.6 thousand crore), and Assam (₹129.96 thousand crore) were leading states in carbon retention.
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