Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BSES-III
SUBMITTED BY:
ZARA KHALID
TAYYABA RIZWAN
RABIA SHAFQAT
SUBMITTED TO:
MA’AM RABIA SHEHZADI
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CONIFEROUS FOREST MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION:
Coniferous forest’s vegetation is composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-
leaved evergreen trees, found in areas that have long winters and moderate to high annual
precipitation. The northern Eurasian coniferous forest is called the taiga, or the boreal forest.
Both terms are used to describe the entire circumpolar coniferous forest with its many lakes,
bogs, and rivers.
In addition to the shelter and food they provide for wildlife, conifers play an important role
globally by sequestering carbon. Coniferous forests take three times more carbon out of the air
than temperate or tropical forests.
Coniferous forests also cover mountains in many parts of the world. Pines, spruces, firs, and
larches are the dominant trees in coniferous forests. They are similar in shape and height and
often form a nearly uniform stand with a layer of low shrubs or herbs beneath. Mosses,
liverworts, and lichens cover the forest floor.
Almost all coniferous trees, such as pines and firs, bear their seeds inside cones. Most also have
stiff, flattened or needlelike leaves that usually remain green all winter.
Coniferous forests are found in Asia, primarily in Siberia, China, Korea, and Japan, and on the
slopes of the Himalaya and Hindu Kush Mountains. In Europe, they cover much of Scandinavia
and the coast of the Baltic Sea and are found on the primary mountain. In North America,
coniferous forests stretch across the northern part of the continent from Alaska to
Newfoundland; down into Washington, Oregon, and California; and along the Cascades, the
Sierra Nevadas, and the Rocky Mountains. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are found in
Mexico, along the western coast of South America, in parts of Argentina and Brazil, in parts of
the Australasia region, and in portions of Africa.
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BACKGROUND OF CONIFEROUS FORESTS IN PAKISTAN:
The coniferous forests occur from 1,000 to 4,000 m altitudes. Chitral, Swat, Upper Dir, Lower
Dir, Malakand, Mansehra and Abbottabad districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and
Rawalpindi district of the Punjab are the main areas covered with coniferous forests. Pindrow
Fir (Abies pindrow), Morinda spruce (Picea smithiana), deodar (Cedrus deodara), blue pine
(Pinus wallichiana), chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) are the most common varieties.
The Coniferous forests also occur in Balochistan hills. Chilghoza pine (Pinus gerardiana) and
juniper (Juniperous macropoda) are the two most common species of Balochistan.
Coniferous forests are located mainly in NWFP, AJK, Northern Areas (NAs), Balochistan and
northern Punjab. Open and scattered stands of juniper and blue pine forests are found in
Balochistan Province. Besides providing construction timber, their role in protecting land and
soil on steep mountain slopes, supply of fuel wood in NWFPs. These forests covered an area of
1.913 million ha in 1992.
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Human activity has had disastrous effects on this biome. Activities like Poaching have interrupted the
natural food chain in coniferous forests leading to many species becoming endangered. Human activity
has also destroyed the affected the forest’s primary productivity.
It’s been surveyed that one acre of trees is being removed every 12.9 seconds. Logging has caused a
decrease in this forest’s productivity as well. Clear-cut logging is the biggest threat of all to coniferous
forests. Clear-cutting accelerates soil erosion, destroys wildlife habitat and leads to the loss of
biodiversity
Furthermore negative impacts brought on by environment such as forest fires, snow damage etc. can be
reduced or prevented through proper maintenance and monitoring.
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OBJECTIVES:
To reduce fire risk, through deadwood removal and prohibition of burning of waste in
forest
To promote recreational and touristic activities
To provide a list of “good practices” on forest management options for the conversion
of degraded coniferous forests suited for conserving and enhancing carbon stocks,
increase carbon sequestration, and contain greenhouse gas emissions
To increase carbon accumulation in soil, thus increasing sequestration capacity in the
long term, enlarging the pool of stable soil organic matter and its chemical-physical
stability
To restore the ecological stability and enhance resistance and resilience of the target
ecosystems. A more resistant and resilient ecosystem has a higher capacity to act as a C
sink in the long term, maintaining other ecosystem services including biodiversity, soil
protection and recreation.
The policy encourages non-timber uses of forests in line with sustainable forest management principles.
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The ability of some Western conifer forests to recover after severe fire may become
increasingly limited if the climate continues to warm. Although most of these cone-bearing
evergreen trees are well adapted to fire, studies examines whether two likely facets of climate
change; hotter, drier conditions and larger, more frequent and severe wildfires could
potentially transform landscapes from forested to shrub-dominated systems
After fire, hardwood trees and shrubs are observed to be quickly established by either re-
sprouting from surviving root systems or growing rapidly from seeds that persisted in the soil.
These plants dominate the vegetation for at least the first few decades after fire. Most conifers,
on the other hand, are slow to compete, relying on establishment of new seedlings borne by
trees in less severely burned patches or from outside the fire perimeter. As most conifers
depend on seed dispersal from surviving trees, larger patches of high-severity fire could put a
growing portion of the landscape at risk of poor post-fire conifer regeneration
To prevent and control such an issue the EPA (Environmental protection agency) strictly
prohibits the burning of grass/hay as well as wastes nearby coniferous or any other forest. This
rule is supposed to be implemented by law enforcement and other local authorities.
Also Pakistan’s Forest policy emphasizes on mass afforestation programs i.e. implementing a
national level mass afforestation program to expand and maintain optimum forest cover.
The snow-load on thick pines tends to concentrate on the crown, and its weight can cause the
trunk to snap. Pine stems are especially liable to snapping in very cold temperatures. It is
important that conifer trees not be topped otherwise the pine structure of the tree will alter
and as a result the tree might collapse. In smaller regions certified tree care professionals
sweep the snow allowing the recovery of various shrubs and smaller conifer trees. If trees fall
from the weight of snow, cover the exposed roots and prevent them from freezing and dying.
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Once snow melts, these trees can be established again and most shrubs damaged by snow and
ice can be severely pruned if necessary.
Preliminary
and forest
resource
assessment
Maintain or This sustains Data Protective wild Punjab forest This allows a
increase forest diverse collection on life organizations department variety of
biodiversity. populations biophysical animal and
Special of native information of Minors at local Punjab wildlife & plant species
emphasis is plants and forest level parks department to exist in a
given to animals, forest
restoring diversity of Forming Law FWF increasing its
species and forest boundary enforcement recreational
habitats that ecosystems around areas EPA value in turn
are threatened and habitats with Academic increasing
with extinction across the endangered institutions economic
and controlling landscape, species and value
invasive and genetic provide
species. diversity of conditions Poaching will
forest that allow be prohibited
associated them to breed via law
plants and and survive enforcement
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animals
Include
wildlife govt.
sectors to
segregate
animal
species unable
to resist
climatic
change
Maintain or Altering of Use influence Government Provincial forest Commercial
increase forest- forest of media and sector service forest
based structure and academic operations are
employment composition institutions to NGO organizations economical
and community can be done promote fields at local & hence they can
stability. by like international level commence
Encourage commercial environmenta without major
commercial forest l science or funding.
forest operations. just launch Invasive and
operations. Habitat EPA messages mitigation
restoration through species are
occurs as a media to found
result of increase frequently
which awareness &
biodiversity in people
all species participation
exists in protection
of forests
Appeal for
funds to
develop and
improve
environmenta
l sectors in the
country as a
result of
which
employment
positions will
increase as
well
Maintain or This will result Measures for Env. Department of Forest based
enhance the in increase of biodiversity organizations forests, parks and tourism
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quantity and tourist and conservation recreation provides an
quality of recreational and Government important
forest activities. increasing sector Pakistan tourism economic
recreation and Increased maintenance development benefit sector
other exposure can and leisure Youth programs corporation that interests
opportunities encourage activities in entrepreneurs
for people to contributions forests NGOs
experience from various recreational Exposure of
forests. organizations and tourist the forest and
and funds for activities can it’s benefits as
forest’s increase. well as
maintenance aesthetic
Establishing a appeal can
proper encourage
pathway in organizations
forest. to fund for its
conservation
Marking and
certain maintenance
boundaries
indicating It also leads to
denser increase in the
regions & rural or urban
establishing region where
small routes the forest
back towards exists
populated
regions
Building a
snack shop
beside the
path formed
Linear lighting
along the
pathway at
night time
Maintain or Increase in Trees planted Government Soil science Maintenance
increase soil wildlife near sectors society of Pakistan of soil
productivity habitat and agricultural productivity
and minimize biodiversity is land offer Villagers and Agriculture leads to
soil erosion and significant. many Tribal people department sustainable
contamination. Forest will be environmenta forest
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more l benefits: management.
susceptible to they provide Pakistan forest
regeneration, simile, reduce department Such measures
survival and erosion, will prevent
long term increase soil excessive land
growth fertility, lower sliding in
water tables, mountainous
lessen the regions
risks of
salinization, Increased
and help timber yield
stabilize and forest
water coverage can
supplies. be obtained
Agroforestry Maintained
systems water table
improve soil
fertility and
reduce soil
erosion.
Increase Awareness Promoting Academic NGOs Increased
environmental regarding the NGOs through institutions interest in the
literacy and importance of social media Department of field will allow
engage protection of & Non govt. forestry several people
a wide range of forests results encouraging organizations to take
stakeholders in in people them to initiatives in
sustainable abiding by the collaborate Govt. sector EPA protection and
forest forest laws as with the conservation
management well as their government of the forests.
participation sector and This can only
and academic be achieved if
contributions institutions information is
to the forest accurately
projects. spread
Maintain or Forest system Forest owners Minors Ministry of water Due to
increase the helps absorb may be able resources incentives
quality and rainfall & thus to obtain Govt. sectors presented,
quantity of prevents payments EPA (Environment forest owners
water from erosion & from protection agency) and associated
forest flooding. downstream people will
ecosystems. Appropriate inhabitants Pakistan actively
quantity is and industries department of participate in
required to for the service forest the
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avoid over they provide maintenance
flooding. If in protecting WAPDA (Dam necessary of
water is water sector) water bodies.
contaminated catchments. As a result
it depletes This is a Coniferous
soil quality potential forests will
and “payment for serve as
negatively environmenta buffers of
impacts l services” harsh rain or
vegetation (PES) snow. This
results in less
Planting habitat loss as
plenty trees well as
along shore of prevents soil
water body as from over
buffers saturating
Maintain
height of
water table
Monitoring
volume of
precipitation,
If increased
then plant
more trees, if
decreases
excessively,
navigate
irrigation
channel
temporarily
Maintain or This allows For home Local people Forest, wildlife Timber
increase the prevention of construction and fisheries dept. harvesting will
capacity for excessive and Govt. sector decrease and
sustained yield timber remodeling EPA as a result
of timber and harvesting projects, Law
non-timber and encourage enforcement Logging (a
forest products encourages industries major issue
and associated alternative with contributing to
economic wood uses incentives to the depletion
development. employ Plastic of coniferous
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wood, forests) will
bamboo, reduce with
wood help of law
composites enforcement if
necessary
Predicting the
future growth
and yield of
your forest
stand(s) is an
essential part
of the
planning
process for
your forest
land
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is important that Pakistan environmental protection department ensure law
implementations regarding prohibition of poaching and logging. Poaching and logging
should be emphasized as criminal offenses to ensure their ban.
The Government needs to adjust a stable financial budget required for the forest sector
New technologies and methods should be put to use
Encourage academic institutions to include importance of such sectors of the
environment in every field to raise awareness regarding the scenario
It is important that at local level, law enforcement encourage civilians to take part in the
protection and conservation of their forests
REFERENCES:
http://www.fao.org/3/XII/0708-A1.htm
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/special_issues/expanding_forests
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/Extension/florida_forestry_information/forest_management/growth_a
nd_yield.html
http://www.fao.org/3/u5620e/U5620E05.htm
http://www.fefr.org/files/attachments/publications/ir_07.pdf
http://www.ncrcd.org/files/7013/5941/0581/RESTORING-MIXED-CONIFER-FORESTS.pdf
http://www.borealforest.org/world/innova/fire_prevention.htm
http://www.fao.org/3/w8212e/w8212e07.htm
https://www.americanforests.org/blog/conifers-under-threat/
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http://biomesbylenhardt.pbworks.com/w/page/14810909/Coniferous%20Forest%20People
%20and%20Their%20Adaptations
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