The Punjab forest department has unveiled an ambitious plan to double the Punjab forest area within the next five years, addressing challenges such as environmental changes, population growth, and land-use issues. As part of this goal, the department has launched its largest-ever tree plantation drive, aiming to plant 51 million saplings during 2025-26.
According to officials, 20 million saplings will be planted during the ongoing monsoon season, while another 31 million will be planted during the spring campaign of 2026. The initiative was highlighted at a one-day conference titled “Empowering Forest Frontlines: Strategy, Surveillance, Sustainability,” where participants also stressed the need to revise colonial-era provisions of the Forest Act, 1927.
Punjab Director General (Forests) Azfar Ziya said the conference focused on strategies to conserve existing forests and create new legal and policy frameworks to expand the Punjab forest area. He added that forestry has evolved into a multidisciplinary field combining environmental science, geospatial technology, social sciences, and policy.
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The event brought together bureaucrats, members of the climate change council, academics, and representatives from IUCN, FAO, and WWF Pakistan. Four working groups discussed and presented strategies for forest conservation, tree cover expansion, and tackling cross-cutting environmental challenges.
In a major technological step, the forest department has introduced hydroseeding to promote afforestation and control soil erosion. This involves using machinery to spray a mix of seeds, fertilisers, water, and organic materials over large areas. The technique has already been applied in Forest Park Jallo in Lahore and Takht Pari in Rawalpindi. Officials say it is ideal for barren lands, hilly slopes, erosion-prone areas, and projects in Thar, Cholistan, Balochistan, and urban roadsides.
Although water scarcity, limited specialised machinery, and a lack of trained personnel pose challenges, officials note that hydroseeding has been successfully used in countries like the US, China, Australia, Canada, the UK, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. They believe this modern method can transform barren lands and ensure environmental sustainability, further contributing to the expansion of the Punjab forest area.