The seedlings had been given out to individual farmers through public representatives and village development committees.

Chief Conservator Forest MFD Muhammad Riaz made these remarks while briefing the media delegation on visit to Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP).

He added that the local people had also hired private guards to protect their enclosures.

A study by the department revealed that the community who raised Eucalyptus trees had earned Rs 80 million by selling it and those who bought those trees from the locals made Rs 180 million after selling it into the market, the chief conservator noted.

The carbon credits to be claimed under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programme would further give monetary benefits to the local people, he told the media.

He went on to say that the area for 10BTAP was demarcated and measured with global positioning system (GPS) for monitoring.

However, activity maps were prepared and placed on GT sheet whereas GPS coordinates with recorded history files had been made.

During field visits to nurseries and forests in MFD it was informed that 21 hectares (ha) area occupying nurseries had been set up for 10 BTAP.

The bare rooted nursery of 2 ha had made 250,000 bare rooted plants available for the mass plantation drive, he said.

The media delegation was also informed that the Forest Department had rehabilitated a forest in the barren hills of Heroshah  area of Dargai Malakand.

The entire forest comprised of 4500 ha divided into different sites on the basis of community settled in the vicinity, Riaz added.

The plantation species included Sanatha, Keekar, Phulai, Eucalyptus and Chir, he said.