New Delhi: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday met Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in New Delhi and strongly advocated for a more accurate recognition of Himachal Pradesh’s forest and tree cover in central calculations related to ecology and financial allocations.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister highlighted a significant discrepancy between the officially recorded forest and tree cover of the state and the actual ground reality. He informed the Union Minister that while official records reflect forest and tree cover at 27.99 percent, the real figure stands at around 29.5 percent. This gap, he explained, is primarily due to the non-inclusion of Trees Outside Forest (ToF) in the consolidated assessment of the state’s green cover.
Chief Minister Sukhu pointed out that Himachal Pradesh exercises strict regulatory control over tree felling and harvesting even on private and non-forest lands. Despite enforcing conservation-oriented policies on such lands, the state does not receive proportional recognition or credit from the central government. He emphasized that this oversight fails to capture the true ecological contribution of hill states like Himachal Pradesh, which play a critical role in protecting fragile Himalayan ecosystems.
He stressed that Trees Outside Forest form an integral part of the state’s environmental framework, contributing significantly to green cover, biodiversity conservation and prevention of ecological degradation. According to the Chief Minister, excluding this 1.5 percent component not only underestimates Himachal Pradesh’s environmental efforts but also creates an inherent bias against states that actively protect trees beyond notified forest areas.
Urging corrective measures, the Chief Minister requested that the Centre officially recognize the full 29.5 percent forest and tree cover of Himachal Pradesh for all calculations related to forest cover, ecology-based assessments and financial allocations under the Finance Commission and other central mechanisms. He argued that the Trees Outside Forest component should be acknowledged as a legitimate and policy-relevant contribution to ecosystem services, conservation initiatives and environmental governance.
Chief Minister Sukhu also briefed the Union Minister on various initiatives undertaken by the state government to expand green cover on non-forest and private lands. These initiatives, he said, reflect the state’s long-term commitment to sustainable development, climate resilience and environmental protection, particularly in the context of increasing climate-related challenges in the Himalayan region.
Responding to the concerns raised, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav assured the Chief Minister of all possible support from the central government. He gave a patient hearing to the issues presented and indicated that the matter would be examined in the appropriate policy and technical forums.
Chief Minister’s Principal Advisor Ram Subhag Singh was also present during the meeting, which is being seen as an important step toward ensuring fair ecological recognition and equitable resource allocation for Himachal Pradesh.
