Forests are extremely valuable natural resource of planet Earth. Forests cover one third of all land on Earth and home of innumerable species. Some 300 million people live in forests world-wide, including an estimated 60 million native people whose survival depends entirely on woods.
A forest is not just a collection of trees; it benefits the environment in a variety of ways. Forests exhale the oxygen we need to live and absorb the carbon dioxide from the environment. Just one adult leafy tree can produce as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. They help the ground absorb more of a flash flood, reducing soil loss and property damage by slowing the flow.
All over the world, people consume forests in different forms to maintain their lifestyle. The fast urbanisation, rapid increase in population and industrialisation has severely utilised forest resources. Deforestation is causing harmful greenhouse gas emissions being released into the Earth's atmosphere.
Preserving our forests is a key priority to save our mother earth for our current and future generation. To raise awareness about the importance of forests to people "The International Day of Forests" is held annually on 21st March.
The concept of celebrating a day every year as World Forestry Day originated at the 23rd General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971. The International Day of Forests was established on March 21, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.
Forestry in Pakistan Forests cover 4.72 million hectares or 5.36% of the country as compared to 42.4% in Sri Lanka and 15.3% in Bangladesh. According to a report, Pakistan is regarded as the "forest poor" country.
Rapid deforestation is a cause of concern for Pakistan. Deforestation rate in Pakistan, estimated at 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent annually, is the highest in the world, which accounts for a 4-6 percent decline in its wood biomass per annum. The total natural forest cover has reduced from 3.59 million hectares to 3.32 million hectares at an average rate of 27,000 hectares annually.
The timber mafia's criminal acts and the use of wood for burning purposes were the main causes of deforestation. The natural resource is decreasing at such an alarming speed that all the forest area will be consumed within the next 15 years.
It is a well-known fact that rapid deforestation in Pakistan is a major cause of climate changes such as desertification, flooding and extinction of wildlife.
Forests in Pakistan - Changa Manga
The forest is one of the oldest hand-planted forests in the world. It is the habitat of wide variety of flora and fauna. The forest is an important wildlife reserve and home to 14 species of mammals, 50 species of birds, six species of reptiles, two species of amphibians and 27 species of insects. Thus, other than producing timber for the local industry, the forest also serves as an important wildlife reserve.
Changa Manga jungle is located in the tehsil Chunian, District Kasur, 75 KM away from Lahore. Distance from Pattoki city is just 7 KM approximately. Most common trees in the forest are Dalbergia Sissoo (sheesham), Acacia nilotica, (kikar), white mulberry (Morus Alba) and Eucalyptus, Populus etc. In 1960, a national park, called Changa Manga Forest Park, was developed. Here Mehtabi Lake is the biggest manmade lake. A wildlife park habitat to many wild animals is also present.
-- Juniper forest Ziarat
A living fossils of Ziarat, Junipers forests, famous for being the second largest Juniper forest in the world, which covers an area of about 999.60 hectares. Juniper trees (Junipers macropoda) have a slow growth rate and estimates put the age of mature trees at 5,000 to 7,000 years earning them the title "living fossils." The forest also contains a rich diversity of plant species of medicinal significance with over 50 percent of the 54 cataloged species known to have medicinal or ethno-botanic value, which local people use as indigenous treatments for a variety of diseases.
There are many important species found in this ecosystem including animal and birds, The Suleiman markhor, urial, black bear, and wolf, as well as more common species such as Afghan pica, foxes, jackals, and several species of birds like chakor, partridge are found here. The junipers are considered the real treasure of Ziarat.
Chilghoza forests Suleiman Mountain Range is an extension of the Hindu Kush and lies at the junction of three provincial borders of Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The famous Takht-i-Sulaiman or Solomon's Throne is the highest peak of this range. Suleiman Range contains the world's largest pure stand of Chilghoza (Pinus gerardiana) forests spaced over 260 km. These forests play an important role, providing both ecological and environmental services besides being a credible source of income to local communities. trees produce good quality nuts that have both national and international market.
Mangrove wetlands
Mangroves are trees that grow in a mixture of saline and fresh water. Mangroves are a natural barrier to storms and cyclones and they prevent erosion. They are of enormous economical importance too, because Mangroves are a great source of timber, fuel, railroad ties and tannin. Mangrove plants are largely used for medicinal purposes. They are found in the Indus Delta and coastal areas of Arabian Sea around the coast of Karachi and Pasni in Balochistan. Karachi's 70-kilometre long coastline stretches from Cape Monze in the west to Port Qasim in the east. This coast has 100,000 hectares of lush mangrove forests. The mangrove forests of Indus delta show a similarly dramatic decline.
Other saltwater wetlands are located on the coast of Balochistan such as at Sonmiani and Jiwani. These support mangrove forestry, mainly of species Avicennia marina as well as bamboo species and marsh grasses of Apluda and Cenchrus. They are ideal breeding place for shrimp and fish. They provide resting place to migratory birds, about 110 species of which arrive between October and January such as ducks, pelicans and flamingos.
Coniferous forest The vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in areas that have long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation.
In Pakistan the coniferous forests occur from 1,000 to 4,000 m altitudes. Chitral, Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mansehra and Abbottabad districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Rawalpindi district of the Punjab are the main areas covered with coniferous forests. Pindrow Fir, Morinda spruce, deodar, blue pine, chir pine are the most common varieties.
Riverine Forest These forests in the province of Sind occur along both banks of the Indus River. In Punjab they exist along the river banks and somewhere on the beds of rivers Chenab and Jehlum. Babul and Shisham are the most common species and some other species of Khejri.
Rivereine forests are the basis of forestry in Sind. These forests provide a source of livelihood for thousands of people. People obtain fuel wood, timber, fodder, honey and tannin. The Shisham wood is utilised for making high quality furniture. The wood of Babul provides firewood and is used for making agricultural implements. Moreover, they serve as carbon sinks and protect the surrounding areas from the severity of floods.
Tropical thorn forests A thorn forest is a dense, scrub like vegetation characteristic of dry subtropical and warm temperate areas with a seasonal rainfall. They are most widespread in the Punjab plains but also occupy small areas in southern Sind and western Balochistan. Xerophytes scrubs dominate these. They are mainly used for grazing purposes, watershed protection, and fuel wood. Common species are vann, khejri, kair, etc.
References: (Wikipedia, WWF)