Srinagar, Oct 27: Jammu and Kashmir’s forest cover has expanded by nearly 400 sq km over the past decade, the government informed the Legislative Assembly, while ruling out reports of large-scale deforestation, timber smuggling, or encroachments on forest land across J&K.

As per the reply by the Minister Incharge of the Forest, Ecology, and Environment Department, there were “no reports of any large-scale deforestation, timber theft, or encroachment on forest land in J&K.”

The minister was responding to a question raised by MLA Mubarak Gul in a written reply.

According to the reply, forest assessments conducted by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) show a steady improvement in green cover.

As per the 2023 FSI report, J&K recorded an increase of 34.78 sq km in forest cover compared to the

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