The forest cover as per these SFRs, India had 653, 898 sq km forest cover in 2001, 677,816 sq km in 2003 and 677,088 sq km in 2005.

Hence, the forest cover has increased by 23,919 km2 between 2001 and 2003 SFR and marginally decreased by 728 km2 between 2003 and 2005 SFR. The States where reduction in the forests cover has been reported between SFR 2003 & 2005 were Andhra Pradesh (-40 sq km), the reason being felling of matured plantations by Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Cooperation; Assam (-90 sq km), the reason being Encroachment, shifting cultivation in hill districts; Chhattisgarh (-129 sq km), the reason being submergence due to construction of Champi dam, Bilaspur, shifting cultivation in Bastar; Gujarat (-99 sq km), the reason being large scale uprooting of Prosopis juliflora in Kutch district for better grass growth; Madhya Pradesh (-132 sq km), the reason being submergence due to construction of Indira Sagar, Omkareshwara, Madikheda Dams; Maharashtra (-38 sq km); the reason being felling of matured plantations by the Forest Development Cooperation, Manipur (-173 sq km), the reason being shifting cultivation, flowering of bamboo; Nagaland (-296 sq km), the reason being shifting cultivation, flowering of bamboo; Uttarakhand (-18 sq km), the reason being rehabilitation of the displaced people in forest areas in Haridwar and rotational felling of Eucalyptus in Udhamsingh Nagar; and Andaman & Nicobar (-178 sq km), the reason being destruction due to Tsunami.

During the last five years between January, 2005 to 18.11.2009, the Ministry of Environment and Forest has approved 81 proposals for diversion of 2822 hectare of forest land for establishment of power plants which is very meager in comparison to total forest area of 769,626 km2 in the country. Hence, the diversion of only 0.004% of the forest area in the last five years for power plants is not expected to have any significant impact on India's green house gas emissions.#