Which District has the Highest Forest Cover in Uttar Pradesh?
Which district has the highest forest cover in Uttar Pradesh? Read our detailed guide based on official FSI data, featuring top forest regions, ecological insights and key statistics.
Uttar Pradesh has a rich agricultural plain, a large forest area and dense river beds. Sonbhadra is the district with the highest forest cover in Uttar Pradesh. Its total forest cover is distributed in 75 districts. It is located in the Vindhyan Plateau region. Sonbhadra is the state that leads in both terms of total forest area (2407.87 km²) and Forest cover percentage (34.87%).
Highest forest cover in Uttar Pradesh
According to the official India State of Forest Report (ISFR) issued by the Forest Survey of India(FSI). Sonbhadra has the highest forest cover in Uttar Pradesh. The total area is 2407.87 sq. km of forest canopy.
Sonbhadra is the state that has the highest forest cover in terms of percentage approx 34.87% of Sonbhadra’s total geographical land.
Sonbhadra’s green dominance is largely due to its geographical positioning. It is situated at the far southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh. It also lies in the Vindhyan plateau and borders four other states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
These unique geographical features, including stretches of natural Tropical Dry Deciduous and Moist Deciduous forests have remained intact over generations.
List of the Districts with the Highest Forest Cover
According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) data the list of the largest districts with the highest forest cover
| Rank | District | Total Forest Cover (km2) | Key Features |
| 1 | Sonbhadra | 2,407.87 | Vindhyan forest belt; dominated by Sal, Teak, Mahua and Tendu. |
| 2 | Lakhimpur Kheri | 1,234.13 | Terai ecosystem; home to Dudhwa National Park and dense Sal forests. |
| 3 | Mirzapur | 736.91 | Vindhyan ranges featuring dry deciduous forests and scrub tracts. |
| 4 | Pilibhit | 673.84 | Terai belt; famous for the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and moist deciduous cover. |
| 5 | Chitrakoot | 636.56 | Hilly terrain of Bundelkhand, mix of dry deciduous and thorny woodland. |
List of the Districts with the Highest Forest Cover Percentage-wise
| Rank | District | Forest Cover (%) | Region |
| 1 | Sonbhadra | 34.87% | Southern plateau |
| 2 | Chandauli | 21.63% | Eastern Vindhyan plateau |
| 3 | Shravasti | 20.95% | Northern terai belt |
| 4 | Chitrakoot | 19.79% | Bundelkhand region |
| 5 | Pilibhit | 19.26% | Northern terai belt |
Sonbhadra is Uttar Pradesh's greenest district by both absolute area and proportional percentage. Lakhimpur Kheri holds the second largest absolute forest area due to the Terai forest belt and Dudhwa National Park.
The state's total forest cover remains concentrated around two major geographical regions. The Northern Terai Belt along the Nepal border and the Southern Vindhyan Plateau.
Manisha Waldia is a distinguished content strategist with 5 years of experience crafting premium educational content for UPSC and State PCS, with a focus on deep conceptual analysis across Polity, Geography, History, and Environment. She currently brings this expertise to Jagran Josh, where she covers major national and international events, current affairs, and static general knowledge. Over her career, Manisha's specialized insights have led her to curate high-impact materials and serve as a UPSC Mains answer-evaluator for India’s top institutes—including Drishti IAS, Shubhra Ranjan IAS, Study IQ, GS Score, and PWonlyIAS. She has also worked alongside leading NGOs like Oxfam India and Avani Kumaon.
Contact: manisha.waldia@jagrannewmedia.com
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