3 million saplings to be planted

Rawalpindi : Chief Conservator of Forests, Northern Zone, Rawalpindi Ather Shah Khagga has said that the Forest Department Punjab, Northern Zone Rawalpindi would plant over 3 million saplings under Spring Plantation campaign 2019.

Talking to this agency he said, the Spring Tree Plantation campaign 2019 had been launched in the zone and all out efforts would be made to make the campaign a success.

He informed that Plant for Pakistan Day was inaugurated on Feb 9 and the department planted 201,099 saplings in Northern Zone, Rawalpindi against the set target of 166,000, nearly 121 per cent of the target up to Feb 15. He said a Plantation Ceremony in connection with Plant for Pakistan Day was organised at Murree Expressway here the other day.

Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, Member National Assembly from NA-57, Maj(R) Muhammad Latasib Satti, MPA PP-6, Amir Sohail Malik, DFO, Murree, local community, students, Forest Officers and field staff of Rawalpindi North Circle attended the event.

Over 1000 saplings of different species like Chir pine, Rubinia, Poplar and others were planted by all participants.

To a question he said that during current Spring Tree Plantation Campaign, 2019, three million saplings would be planted in Northern Zone, Rawalpindi including 970,000 target set for government forest, 460,000 for different government departments, 490,000 for defence and 10,80,000 for private lands.

The Chief Conservator expressed the confidence that the targets would be achieved by the end of spring season and disclosed that 32 per cent of the total targets have been achieved so far.

The spring Tree Plantation Campaign is in full swing in the region which comprises Rawalpindi and Sargodha Civil Divisions, he added.

On the special directives of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, Plant for Pakistan Day was inaugurated on Feb 9 in Northern Zone, Rawalpindi with 166,000 saplings plantation target.

Ather Shah Khagga informed that a ceremony was held at Gymkhana Rawalpindi where Commissioner Rawalpindi Division, Jaudat Ayaz, Ex-Secretary, Forestry Wildlife & Fisheries, KhusroParvez, Deputy Commissioner, Rawalpindi, Dr.

Omar Jahangir, CPO, Rawalpindi, Abbas Ahsan and CF, Rawalpindi South Circle Saqib Mehmood were present.

Due to effective awareness campaigns, the trend of plantingsaplings had increased considerably and the citizens had started playing their due role, he added.

The plants of different species would be supplied to the citizens from the nurseries of the Forest department at subsidized rates, he added.

Divisional forest officers and other concerned had been directed to plant maximum saplings with the help and cooperation of the civil society, officials and students during the campaign, he said adding, on the directives of the authorities concerned, a comprehensive plan of massive tree plantation had been evolved to bring maximum are under forest cover which is basic requirement to overcome environmental degradation.

The Conservator said that the staff members of the department had been activated to make sure proper forestation in their respective areas which would be inspected by the senior forest officers.

All necessary arrangements had also been made to make the spring plantation programme a success which would continue till April, he added. He said, the Forests play an important role in supporting and maintaining ecological systems and cycles.

The Forests contribute to the many complex processes that are responsible for recycling carbon and water. They also regulate water flows and protect soils, he added.