A forest is generally defined as a plant community predominantly of trees and other woody vegetation. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations defines forest as land with a tree canopy of more than 10% and area of more than 0.5 ha. Forest is determined not only by presence of trees but also by the absence of other predominant land uses. In India, however, legal connotation of forest is employed. An area of land recorded as forest in revenue records or proclaimed to be forest under a forest law or Act is described as forest.

The recorded forest area is categorized into "Reserved Forest", "Protected Forest" and "Unclassed Forest. These are defined below:

Reserved Forest : An area notified under the provisions of Indian Forest Act or State Forest Acts having full degree of protection. In reserved forests all activities are prohibited unless permitted.

Protected Forest : An area notified under the provisions of Indian Forest Act or the state Forest Acts having limited degree of protection. In protected Forests all activities are permitted unless prohibited.

Unclassed Forest : An area recorded as forest but not included in reserved or protected category. Ownership status of such forests varies from state to state.

The recorded forest area in some states is as follows: (Area in sq.km)