Mumbai: Maharashtra registered the highest increase in tree-cover in non-forest areas in the country in the last two years, the government on Tuesday said. Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that as per an audit by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), in the last two years, the tree-cover under non-forest areas in the state increased by 273 sq km, the highest in the country.
Further, the state accounted for half the growth in the area under mangroves in the country, he said. “The area under mangroves increased by 82 sq km in the state,” he said. Under the state government’s plantation drive this monsoon, over 14 crore trees have been planted since July 1, he said.