In a significant shift in its annual afforestation strategy, the Haryana government has directed all districts to identify contiguous land parcels of at least five hectares for plantation during the monsoon season. This move marks a departure from the earlier practice of carrying out plantations across multiple smaller, scattered sites.
New approach aims for better monitoring
Officials stated that the new approach is designed to create larger green blocks that are easier to monitor, protect, and maintain. Forest officials have been asked to identify suitable sites ahead of the plantation season. The decision was taken during a meeting between Additional Chief Secretary (Environment) Sudhir Rajpal and the state forest department.
“The decision was communicated and districts have been asked to follow the guidelines while preparing their plantation plans,” said a senior forest department official. It was discussed in the meeting that since smaller parcels are difficult to monitor, the forest department will only carry out plantation over five hectares, while local bodies will take care of small patches.
Concerns raised in urban districts
The directive has raised concerns among forestry experts, particularly in Gurgaon and Faridabad, where large vacant land parcels are scarce due to rapid urbanization and the Aravali landscape. “Land availability in Aravali districts is a major concern. In the Aravali hills and foothills, plantation has already happened over the years. What is needed now is protection and rejuvenation of existing forests. This move is not practical for these districts,” said MD Sinha, former chief conservator of forests, south Haryana.
Officials familiar with the exercise noted that while large land parcels may be available in some districts of north and west Haryana, identifying contiguous stretches of five hectares in highly urbanized districts could prove difficult.
Experts question practicality
“Plantation planning has to be based on land availability. If a panchayat has two acres, or a school, waterworks or roadside stretch can accommodate trees, plantation should happen there. In the past, afforestation on smaller available parcels collectively contributed significantly to green cover. Insisting on a minimum five-hectare patch may restrict plantation opportunities rather than expand them,” said RP Balwan, also a former chief conservator of forests in south Haryana.
Beyond logistics, experts questioned whether fresh plantations should be the primary focus in ecologically sensitive parts of the Aravalis, where invasive species and forest degradation pose a more urgent threat. “Removal of lantana and subabul should be the focus, especially in Faridabad. These invasive species are spreading like slow poison and affecting native biodiversity. Restoring existing forests will yield better ecological outcomes than simply planting more saplings,” said forest analyst Chetan Agarwal.
Pressure on Haryana's green cover
The concerns come against a backdrop of sustained pressure on Haryana’s green cover. The state already has one of the lowest forest covers in the country at around 3.5%, with much of it existing as narrow strip forests along roads, highways, canals, railway lines, and field bunds. Data from the Union environment ministry shows that more than 1,150 hectares of forest land were diverted for over 1,280 projects in Haryana between April 2021 and October 2025. Forest cover declined by 14 square kilometers between 2021 and 2023 alone.
Haryana’s Forest Policy had set an ambitious target of raising tree cover to 20% by 2020, a goal that remains unmet. Gurgaon, despite a tree cover of 12.9% of its geographical area, continues to rank among the country’s most polluted cities.
Focus on survival and restoration
Environmentalists argue that annual plantation drives often place greater emphasis on plantation targets than on sapling survival, ecological restoration, and protection of existing forests. Natural regeneration, invasive species removal, water conservation, and on-ground protection, they said, must become central to forest management.
Forest department officials said district-level site identification is currently underway, and the number of locations meeting the five-hectare threshold will become clearer before the monsoon arrives. Whether the new policy delivers larger, healthier green blocks or simply shrinks the pool of viable plantation sites may depend on how much flexibility districts are given to work with the land they actually have.
