Forest Resources and Their Exploitation
Forest
Introduction
At the time of the establishment of
Pakistan about 50 lakh acres area was covered with natural or artificial
forests. It was about 2.6 % of the total area, which was insufficient for the
country’s needs, because according to experts the area under the forests in a
country should not be less than 20 to 25 % for a well balanced economy. In
Pakistan only 4.5 % of the total area is under forests.
The Government has taken various
steps to increase the areas under forests. Large areas have been reserved for
afforrestation in Thal, Ghulam Mohammad Barrage and Gudu Barrage and it is
likely to improve the future acreage of forests to some extent. Besides this
the forests department celebrates weeks for tree plantation in the months of
spring and rainy seasons. During these works people are encouraged to plant
more and more trees.
Kinds of Forests in Pakistan
1. Evergreen Coniferous Forests
Areas
These forests are found in the
Northern and Western hills such as Chitral, Swat, Dir, Abbotabad, Malakand,
Kohistan, Mansehra district of N.W.F.P and Rawalpindi district of Punjab are
the main areas covered with coniferous forests.
Characteristics
These forests remain evergreen
throughout the year i.e. they do not shed their leaves at a time. The leaves of
the trees are mostly of conical shape. In these areas these forests are found
upto about 3000 ft. In Baluchistan, these forests are found at the height of
5000 ft.
Important
Trees
Deodar, Kall, Spruce, Chir, Fir are
important trees of these forests. In Baluchistan, two more important, pencil
juniper and chilgoza are also found.
Economic Importance
The trees grown in these forests are
of immense help to many industries. Deodar is the main source of lamer and is
used for building houses and railway sleepers. Fir is used to the making of
hardboard. Chirr is used in the match, rayon, and resin industry.
2. Baluchistan Hill Forests
Areas
These forests are found in area of
Quetta and Kalat divisions.
Characteristics
Due to poor rainfall, these forests
are not dense. They are found in altitudes of 5000 to 10000 feet.
Important
Trees
The main trees of these areas include
chilgoza, pines, pencil, junipers and chestnuts.
3. Deciduous Forests
Areas
These forests are found in the
districts of Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Hazara, Mardan, Peshawar, Kohat and in
some patches of the Baluchistan plateau.
Characteristics
These forests cover land rising upto
an altitude of 3000 feet. The trees of these forests shed their leaves at a
time when the amount of rainfall and temperature is insufficient in a
particular season.
Important
Trees
The dominant trees of these forests
are Phulai, Kao, Chestnut, Juniper, Walnut, Oak, Maple and Poplar. Oleo and
Chirr occur occasionally at high elevations.
Economic Importance
These forests are an important source
of timber for the manufacture of furniture, rifle butts, sports goods etc.
4. Riverian Or Bella Forests
Areas
Narrow belts along the banks of River
Indus and its large tributaries are occupied by the riverion forests commonly
known as Bella Forests.
Characteristics
These forests are found near the
banks of rivers where underground water is available in the flooded areas. They
cover the active flood plains which are inundated almost annually. They are usually
not very dense.
Important
Trees
Babul, Shisham and Willow are the
main varieties found in these forests.
Economic Importance
The Shisham wood is mostly used for
making high quality furniture. The wood of Babul provides firewood and is used
for making agricultural implements. The Bark of Babul is used for tanning
purposes.
5. Artificial Forests
Areas
In some areas of Punjab and Sindh, a
few irrigated plantation units have been established. Changa Manga forest
situated about 40 miles from Lahore is the largest of the irrigation forest
plantation. Besides this Chichawatni in Sahiwal, Multan, Thal and in some parts
of Ghulam Mohammad and Guddu barrages, artificial forests are being maitained.
Important
Trees
In these forests, harwood species
such as Shisham, Mulberry and Acasia trees are grown for commercial purposes.
6. Tidal Or
Mangrove Forests
Areas
These forests are mostly found in the
Indus delta. Hub delta is also covered with these forests which extend to Runn
of Kuch covering an area of about 750,000 acres.
Characteristics
The trees of these forests grow in a
wimpy area. Lack of fresh water results in shunned growth of trees and in the occurrence
of limited number of species. The normal height of trees is 10 feet while in
better watered areas the trees rise to 20-25 feet.
Important
Trees
Some valuable species are being
experimented upon in these areas. Avicenna Officinal’s, Carioca and Rhino
phoras are some of them.
Economic Importance
A vital advantage of these forests in
that they supply a large amount of firewood. The trees have mostly soft wood
which is also used as fodder for animals.
7. The Rakhs
Areas
These forests are found in the Indus
valley scattered far away from human settlements.
Characteristics
These are mostly shrub forests and
the trees are not very tall.
Important
Trees
The main species which are generally
found in these forests are Jand, Neem, Karil, Farash and Bakain.
Economic Importance
The wood of those trees is mostly
used for fuel purposes or in the making of cheap furniture.
Importance and Uses of Forests
According to an agricultural export
“A country can live without gold and silver, but not without forests, ”The
following is the importance of forests for us:
1. As there is a shortage of power
resources, the coal and oil found in our country is insufficient to meet our
requirements. So a large population of our country living in rural areas uses
wood as fuel and for other domestic purposes.
2. Besides timber, wood is being used
as fuel. The wood for making furniture and building material is also obtained
from forests.
3. Forests supply the raw material
and wood for various industries of our country, such as matches, paper, sports
goods, resins, rayon, etc.
4. Forests keep the climate of the
adjacent areas pleasant by getting the moisture through its roots from interior
of the earth and spreading it through their branches and leaves.
5. The forests areas of our country
serve as pasture, but for the cattle of farmers living near them, camels, sheep
and goats get their food from them.
6. In mountainous areas forests help
to preserve our agricultural land from the dangers of erosion. In plain areas
forest or trees save the banks of canals and rivers from erosion.
7. The most important thing is that
the forests provide oxygen gas for us and consume filthy carbon dioxide.
8. A large number of fruits that we
use are provided from trees or forests.
9. In forests a large number of
animals take refuge, so forests provide hunting facilities for hunters and they
get meat and skins from them.
10. Forests help the farmers in
saving their crops from strong dual storms.
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