PESHAWAR, Jul 19 (APP):The Forest Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is conserving the province's rich forest resources through internationally recognized scientific management practices, including the harvesting of dead, diseased, dry, over mature and wind-fallen trees, curbing illegal logging and promoting community participation in forest conservation. The province's invaluable forest resources are being protected through internationally recognized scientific principles, approved working plans and sustainable forest management practices to ensure their long-term conservation …
Scientific forest management practices key to conserving KP’s forests-officials say
PESHAWAR, Jul 19 (APP):The Forest Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is conserving the province’s rich forest resources through internationally recognized scientific management practices, including the harvesting of dead, diseased, dry, over mature and wind-fallen trees, curbing illegal logging and promoting community participation in forest conservation.
The province’s invaluable forest resources are being protected through internationally recognized scientific principles, approved working plans and sustainable forest management practices to ensure their long-term conservation for future generations.
These views were shared by Asghar Khan, Chief Conservator of Forests, Northern Forest Region-II, Abbottabad, during a comprehensive briefing to a group of Peshawar-based journalists on scientific forest management, forest conservation, afforestation initiatives, legal reforms, transparent timber management and the department’s anti-smuggling strategy.
The briefing was attended by Habib ul Hassan Gillani, Additional Secretary, Climate Change, Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, Hayat Ali, Conservator of Forests, Lower Hazara; Salim Khan Marwat, Conservator of Forests, Upper Hazara and Latif Ur Rehman, Project Manager Media, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department.
During the presentation, participants were informed that Northern Forest Region-II is among the most significant forest landscapes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, encompassing approximately 604,000 hectares of forests, representing nearly 35 percent of the region’s total land area.
Speaking at the briefing, Asghar Khan emphasized that forest management extends far beyond tree planting or timber harvesting. It is a comprehensive scientific discipline that integrates biodiversity conservation, watershed protection, natural forest regeneration, rights of local communities, and climate resilience into a unified management framework.
He explained that all commercial harvesting is carried out strictly in accordance with legally approved working plans and statutory provisions.
Likewise, the selection of dead, diseased, dry, wind-fallen, over-mature and malformed trees is undertaken on scientific grounds to enhance the overall health, productivity and regenerative capacity of forest ecosystems.
The department plans to harvest 33.036 million cubic feet (cft) of dead, diseased, dry, wind-fallen, over-mature and malformed trees over the next ten years in the Northern Forest Region as part of its scientific forest management plan.
This decision is part of scientific management for regeneration to over all improving the health and hygiene of the Forest, Asghar Khan explained.
In the current year, the department will cut around 2.387 million cft of wood under the plan to allow regeneration and growth of growing trees, he added.
Officials observed dead, diseased and wind-fallen trees pose serious risks to forest health as they decay, release stored carbon, increase the risk of forest fires, provide breeding grounds for bark beetles and plant diseases, obstruct natural regeneration and reduce the commercial value of timber if left unmanaged.
The briefing also highlighted remarkable achievements of the Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) and the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (10BTTP).
Over the past several years, hundreds of millions of saplings have been planted, natural regeneration has been promoted across thousands of hectares, hundreds of nurseries have been established, and forest cover has expanded significantly in numerous areas.
Through compelling before-and-after visual evidence, the journalists witnessed the transformation of once barren hillsides into thriving green landscapes, providing tangible proof of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government successful environmental stewardship and commitment to ecological restoration.
Officials explained that a substantial portion of the revenue generated from forests is reinvested into forest development and sustainable forestry initiatives.
During the last eight years, the Northern Region of KP Forest has generated a revenue of Rs. 2.62 billion rupees out of which Rs. 1977 million, around 75 percent of the total amount, is reinvested in 12 projects of field infrastructure, enforcement, mobility, livelihood, ecotourism and demarcation.
Highlighting the Department’s determined campaign against the timber mafia, official revealed that between 1 May and 12 July 2026, authorities conducted 177 enforcement operations, seized 8,129 cubic feet of illegally harvested timber and 41,524 kilograms of fuelwood and arrested 45 offenders.
Over the past seven years, thousands of forest offence cases have been registered, hundreds of millions of rupees have been recovered in fines, hundreds of vehicles have been impounded and decisive action has been taken against illegal sawmills operating across the region.
The newsmen were also briefed about modern surveillance systems, fire lines, continuous field deployment, public awareness campaigns and rapid emergency response mechanisms.
He said most forest fires are caused by human negligence, including the burning of crop residues, deliberate burning of grazing land and carelessly discarded cigarette butts.
Officials also paid tribute to Forest Department personnel who lost their lives while protecting forests in Hazara, describing their sacrifices as a lasting source of inspiration.
