The main reason for the rapid drop in green cover in Andhra Pradesh seems to be hidden in the Forest Survey of India's (FSI) latest data on forest fires.
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/news/forest-fires-main-cause-drop-green-cover-ap-survey
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/newspaper/economic-times-new-delhi
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/andhra-pradesh
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/forests
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/forest-conservation
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/forest-fires
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/survey-india
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/environmentalists
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/tribals
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/wwf