• The word ‘Forest’ derives from the Latin word Fores’. It means ‘outdoor or outside or the land outside the village’. It is a village border, uncultivated land or uninhabited land or an area of unenclosed countryside.
• Forest is a large tract of land covered with naturally grown trees and underbrush or a natural area densely covered with trees. The territory that is specified under the Forest Act is known as Forest.
• Forests are renewable natural resources.
• They contribute substantially to the economic development of a country. So these are considered as National property.
• Forests are known as the lungs of the Earth because they purity the al a is breathed by the living organism.
• Forests are generally known as the natural flora that is unaffected by humans.

Forest Policy:

• The first forest policy in India was announced by the British in 1894 based on the recommendations of Dr. Dietrich Brandis.
• National Forest Policy 1952 drafted after independence aims to maintain a minimum of33% of the total land area of the Country under forest or tree cover.
• The policy’s goal is to maintain 60% of the area under forest and tree cover in the hills and mountainous regions and to maintain 20% of the area and 10 million hectares of area under forest and tree cover in the plains.
• Eastern and Western Ghats have 50%, Deccan Plateau has 18% and Gangetic Plains have 7.5% of the total forest area of India.
• Social forestry was proposed by the National Commission on Agriculture in 1976.
• Social forestry programme was proposed in the 5th Five year plan (1976) and it was implemented in the 6th Five year plan (1980-85).
• National Forest Policy 1988 is also known as the Revised National Forest Policy.
• According to National Forest Policy 1988, the area under forest and tree cover in the hills and mountainous regions was increased to 66%.
• A new National Environmental Policy was formulated in 2006.
• The Forest Rights Act 2006 mandates the conservation of forests and providing livelihood and food Security to the forest dwellers.

Forest Cover:

• Forest cover in Telangana increased by 6.85 per cent during 2015 to 2021 period, according to the Telangana Socio Economic Outlook 2023.
• The India State of Forest Reports revealed a notable increase in forest cover in Telangana, rising from 19,854 sq km in 2015 to 21,214 sq km in 2021, marking a growth of 6.85% over the six-year period.
• Among major cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, Telangana saw a remarkable forest cover growth rate of 146.8% between 2011 and 2021.
• Telangana’s total forest area stands at 26,969.61 sq km, constituting 24.06% of the state’s total geographical area, as per the government survey.
• The state’s ambitious green initiative, Telangana ku Haritha Haaram, aimed to plant 230 crore seedlings from 2015-16 to 2022-23, surpassing expectations by planting 270.65 crore saplings by January 2023, with an expenditure of Rs 10,417 crore.
• Forest cover outside the recorded forest area in Telangana showed a significant increase, from 1,727 sq km in 2015 to 2,518 sq km in 2021, marking a rise of 45.80%, attributed to government programs like ‘Haritha Haranı’.
• Hyderabad received recognition as the “Tree City of the World” by the FAO and Arbor Day Foundation for consecutive years in 2020 and 2021, highlighting its commitment to environmental conservation.