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It has just 3.09 per cent area under forest as per the latest report of the Forest Survey of India.
As per the last one also Punjab was at the bottom in terms of area under forests. As per the latest survey just Delhi had the lower forest cover than Punjab in terms of area under green cover.
However, that was due to the small size of Delhi vis-à-vis Punjab. In terms of percentage of area under forest cover Delhi was far ahead of Punjab as it had 11.87 per cent of its total area under forest cover.
As per the latest report Rajasthan and Haryana have performed better than Punjab. Rajasthan has 4.63 per cent of its total area under forests while Haryana has 3.59 per cent.
In terms of area of also Haryana has 1,587 sq km under forest cover against 1,558 sq km in Punjab. Rajasthan has 15,850 sq km under forest cover.
Further, there is no dense forest cover left in the state. The state has 723 sq km moderately dense forest, 835 sq km of open forest and 15 sq km of scrub forest.
The only consoling point is that the report has indicated 13 sq km increase in forest cover in the state.
The increase, according to the report, has, however, been attributed to poplar and other commercial plantations by farmers on private lands.
The report has also brought up interesting data that may help those opposing abolition of Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) in the state.
A strong lobby of politicians and influential bureaucrats, who have bought large tracts of lands in forest areas, have been demanding removal of the Act.
However, as per the report of the 1,558 sq km left with the state 55 per cent is under the ownership of panchayats, committees and individuals in the Shivalik hills and is managed by the Forest Department under the Act. If tit is abolished then the state forest cover would almost get finished.
The forest cover has failed to increase in the state despite the fact that hundreds of crores have been spent by the Department of Forests on afforestation programs under a Japan Bank-aided scheme.
Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Varinder Jain in a PIL filed against felling in the state had observed that at least 17 per cent forest cover was required for sustainable development of any state.
To add to the woes, the Forest Department has decreased the felling period of trees in forests from 10 years to just five.