Jamshedpur, Jan. 5: Jharkhand has recorded an increase in forest cover by 172 sqkm, a feat made possible by local villagers and, surprisingly, Maoists, whose presence deterred widespread tree felling that has been the norm in certain remote areas. The India State of Forest Report-2009 has arrived at this conclusion after comparing the current forest cover, based on satellite data of October-December 2006, with the previous assessment based on data collated in November-December 2004. The report, released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), claimed Hazaribagh was the biggest gainer.