Introduction
Pakistan is basically an agricultural country. Pakistan has about 4.2 million ha
of planted trees and agro forest. This is about 4.8% of the total land area. In
Pakistan hilly areas about 40% forest comprises coniferous and scrub forest. The
balance includes irrigated plantation, riverine forest along major rivers of
Indus plains, mangroves forests of the Indus delta and trees planted on
farmland.
Pakistan is comparatively forest poor. With only the 0.05 ha per capita against
world averages of 1 ha. Forest provide timber, fire wood, forage and many
medicinal plants species, forest increase productivity & soil fertility. They
provide the vital coverage to the country’s water shed. One of the important
factor is that forest provide recreational facilities. Forest sustain the
newspaper industry paper hardboard, plywood sports goods and a host of cottage
industries. In aired areas forest increase the amount of rainfall.
Today all the necessities of human life are directly or indirectly connected
with the forest wealth. The economic growth of an agricultural country
(Pakistan) is depend on its forest production & its distribution. Trees provide
excellent raw material for industries.
The high population rate in Pakistan 2.61% pushing the figure down and, at
present it is possible to grow as more as we can plants. For this former should
encourage to plant trees on farmland and waste land to help ameliorate the
situation.
Importance of forest in Pakistan
Forest are very important and play a vital role in the economic development of
our country. Forest is also called green gold of country. Forest have importance
can be judge by following facts:
Source of foreign Exchange:
Goods like honey, timber and oil which are non-wood products also get from
forest which can be be export to other countries. So it is also a source of
foreign exchange. However only 0.3% share to GDP.
Source of Raw Martial:
Many industries like furniture, sports goods and paper industry gets their raw
material from forest. Forest have play a vital role in the development of
industries.
Source of Employment:
Five hundred thousand workers are employed in forestry& its related industries
like village carpentry, logging and manufacture of timber component for the
contrition industry.
Source of fuel:
Forest provide 32% of Pakistan’s total energy needs in the form of fuel wood.
Forest are sourse of fuel for domestic and industrial consumption. Because it is
cheap source of energy so its contribution is more as compared to oil &electric.
Climatic Importance:
As the growth rate of or country increase day by day the climatic condition of
Pakistan’s also effect day by day. Only Forest make the climate more clear and
pleasnt.so population problem can be solved by increasing forest area.
Source of Government income:
Pakistani government earns a lot of income from the forest. The sale of timber
products of forests add to the revenue.
Attraction of tourists:
Hilly areas in Pakistan due to their greenery and bundle of plants attract the
tourist and earn foreign exchange for the country.
All the human life is directly or indirectly gets the benefits from the forest.
Beside the greenery and nature of forest, tress are helpful for increasing the
economy of country. Pakistan annual wood requirement is about 22 million cubic
feet in the shape of timber wood but our country is produce only 11 million
cubic feet. We have lack of forest as our needs but this can be over com by
afforestation practice. It is estimated that if we want afforestation program to
overcome or to increase the forest according to our needs then it willrequired
100 years to raise the present situation.
Forest importance toward environment
Climatic conductions in our country induced by use of forest and tree has been
aggregated, Pakistan is most effected region in Asia to which main concern has
been given to cooperation and implimitation by the United Nation Convention to
combat Desertification and drought. Tress plantation in Pakistan increase the
productivity of land and soil. The most important activity in
desertificationcontrol is stabilize sand dunse.This activity has been adopt in
West Africa in North Africa and in Asia (India, iran,etc).
Forest shieldone of many issue which effect climate at the worldwide level as
well as regionally and locally.
Forest are source of edible products including honey, fungi, meat, mushroom,
forage for livestock .many species are also medically important.
Forests offer habitat for plants and animals and they affect the level and
timing of water flowing out of the forested area as well as rates of soil shape
or erosion.
Forests are one of a number of important elements in the global cycling of
CO2, O2, and many other gases which influences the composition of the earth’s
atmosphere.
All over the world, forests have been a source of inspiration for people who
live in forest or near them and haveknown forests, forest woods or even
individual trees as sacred objects.
Forest provides many ecological and environmental services. In most cases, the
forest environment is one component in a complex communication in which factors
such as location, area of the forested area, geology, flora and fauna activities
all play a role. Different clarifications of the significance of forests in
problems such as climate change, water flow in streams, or soil erosion are
often related to the difficulty of measuring the role of forest ecosystems in
the phenomenon in question.
The global climate differ with changes in the polar ice caps, in external and
internal surface temperatures of the waters, by absorption, reflection and
transmission of energy in the form of heat and from the surface of the land.
About nearly two thirds of the surface of the globe is covered by water (oceans)
and the polar ice caps, these, rather than forests and other land features, are
the most significant physical features of the globe affecting climate.
Forest cover disturbs the absorption, reflection and transmission of light and
heat from the surface of the ground, and of water from the forest due to
processes of evaporation and transpiration. On a global scale, very large areas
of forest appear to have an admirable effect on climate and precipitation,
although small areas of forest do have some effects on local climates.
Archaeologically, it was believed that the presence of forests play a vital role
in rain or in increasing rainfall. About the last 45 years, it has become
possible to say the movements of water vapor and atmospheric gases to develop a
clearer idea of the role played by forests in moderating or regulating rainfall.
In moderate regions and hot regions such as Southeast Asia, the main source of
water vapor in the atmosphere is from evaporation at the surface of the oceans.
In the Amazon Basin, however, nearly fifty presentof water vapor in the
environment in the region of Manaus and Belem appears to be ‘recycled’ from the
forest.
Forest plays a role in regulation cycles of water flow. Since factors such as
density of foliage, temperature, and the decomposed vegetation layer on the
forest floor, absorption of soils, slope and geology all infuse the water flow,
it is impossible to state definitely that forests increase or decrease flow of
water. It would be to say, that forest cover does moderate the effects of
factors such as rapid snowmelt, decreasing the likelihood of downstream water
flow and increase the time during which waters flow can recharge underground
reserves.
According to The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that water
cycling is most important environmental services provided by forests areas.
"Water cycling is another important environmental service of forests. One of the
probable effects that would result from a significant increase of the extent of
cutting of trees in Amazonia and other parts of Brazil would reduce in
precipitation, especially during the dry season. Same effects have been intended
for the effects of forests on rainfall in the Pakistan subcontinent, and
tropical forest defense has been shown to produce drought mitigation and flood
mitigation benefits in Indonesia”
During photosynthesis, plants take CO2 and convert in it to carbon and O2.
Forests have a significantenvironmentalfunction in fixing and storing C from the
atmosphere. Increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere seems to be one
of the aspects leading to changes in the climate, so that there is growing
attention in the role of forests as a promising factor in mitigating global
climate change.
"Every year, as plants grow and rise their biomass, plants absorb C from the
atmosphere and store it in plant tissue. This process is called carbon
sequestration. Despite constant exchanges of C between forest, soils, and the
environment, a large amount is always save in plants leaves and woody parts,
roots, and soil nutrients. This amount of C is known as the carbon store. Carbon
sequestration and storage decreasethe rate at which CO2 accumulates in the
atmosphere and mitigate global warming. Forests sequester and store more “C”
than any other ecosystem, and create an important natural defense against the
change in climate."
Conclusion
Pakistan has about 4.2 million ha of planted trees and agro forest. This is
about 4.8% of the total land area.Pakistan is comparatively forest poor. Today
all the necessities of human life are directly or indirectly connected with the
forest wealth.The high population rate in Pakistan 2.61% pushing the figure down
and, at present it is possible to grow as more as we can plants.Forest are very
important and play a vital role in the economic development of our country.
Forest is also called green gold of country. Forest provide 32% of Pakistan’s
total energy needs in the form of fuel wood.
Pakistan annual wood requirement is about 22 million cubic feet in the shape of
timber wood but our country is produce only 11 million cubic feet.Forest
plantation in Pakistan increase the productivity of land and soil.Forest
provides many ecological and environmental services.Forest cover disturbs the
absorption, reflection and transmission of light and heat from the surface of
the ground, and of water from the forest due to processes of evaporation and
transpiration.Forest plays a role in regulation cycles of water flow.Forests
play a vital role in rain or in increasing rainfall.Water cycling is another
important environmental service of forests.Increasing concentrations of CO2 in
the atmosphere seems to be one of the aspects leading to changes in the climate,
so that there is growing attention in the role of forests as a promising factor
in mitigating global climate change.