How have the tree plantation rules changed?

The first methodology: 22 February 2024

On 22 February 2024, the government notified the first methodology for tree plantation, S.O. 884(E). Its main points were:

• State Forest Departments would identify degraded land under their control, including open forest, scrub land, wasteland and catchment areas.
• Each land parcel had to be free of encumbrances and at least 5 hectares.
• An applicant applied to ICFRE, was assigned land, and paid the cost of plantation and administration through a demand note.
• The Forest Department would complete the plantation within two years of payment.
• Credits were calculated at one green credit per tree grown, subject to a minimum density of 1,100 trees per hectare.
• Credits could be exchanged to meet compensatory afforestation requirements under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, and could be used for reporting under the ESG leadership indicators or under corporate social responsibility (CSR) rules.

The revised methodology: 29 August 2025

The government revised the method on 29 August 2025 (PIB, 16 March 2026). According to the government's own description of the revised system:

• Green credits can be claimed only after at least five years of restoration work and once the land reaches a canopy density of at least 40%, which corresponds to "moderately dense forest".
• Planting must use a mix of native (indigenous) species suited to the site.
• A designated agency verifies the claim and reports to ICFRE before credits are issued.
• Monitoring covers canopy density, survival and growth of trees, soil and moisture conservation, biodiversity, protection, maintenance and spending (Green Credit Programme FAQ).
• Restored forest land can be exchanged to meet compensatory afforestation requirements under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.

Published reports of the 2025 notification also say that the fixed 1,100 trees per hectare rule was dropped, that one credit is given for each surviving tree older than five years, and that these credits cannot be traded except between a holding company and its subsidiaries. Readers should check these points against the notification text on the Green Credit Programme portal, because the full 2025 text was not available to us from an official site when this article was written.