LAHORE: The Punjab Forest Department has set an ambitious goal to double the forest area in the province within the next five years, addressing challenges such as environmental changes, population growth, and land-use problems.
To meet this goal, the department has started its biggest tree planting campaign. It plans to plant 51 million trees in 2025-26 — 20 million during the current monsoon season and 31 million in the spring of 2026.
At a one-day conference titled “Empowering Forest Frontlines: Strategy, Surveillance, Sustainability”, experts also stressed the need to revise outdated colonial-era laws under the Forest Act of 1927.
Director General (Forests) Punjab, Azfar Ziya, told Private Newspaper that the aim was to protect existing forests and create new legal and policy frameworks to boost tree cover. “Forestry is no longer just an academic subject—it now combines environmental science, technology, social sciences, and policy,” he said. “We are moving from a supervisory role to becoming a leader in environmental solutions and smart land use.”
The conference brought together government officials, climate change experts, academics, and representatives from IUCN, FAO, and WWF Pakistan. Four working groups discussed ways to overcome challenges in forest conservation, tree cover enhancement, and other cross-cutting environmental issues.
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The Forest Department has also introduced hydroseeding technology for the first time in Pakistan to restore barren lands.
This method uses machinery to spray a mix of seeds, fertilisers, water, and organic materials over large areas, helping plants grow faster with less effort. The technology has already been tested in Forest Park Jallo (Lahore) and Takht Pari (Rawalpindi).
Officials say hydroseeding will be ideal for barren lands, hilly slopes, and erosion-prone areas, as well as for projects in Thar, Cholistan, Balochistan, and along urban roads and housing schemes. It has been successfully used in countries like the US, China, Australia, Canada, the UK, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
However, challenges such as water scarcity, lack of machinery, and shortage of trained staff remain. Officials believe that with proper resources, this technology could transform barren landscapes, reduce soil erosion, and promote environmental sustainability in Punjab and other regions of Pakistan.
