Forests

• Forests include everything from grassland and small flowering plans to tall
trees. Forests are extensive, continuous areas of land dominated by trees.
The desired level of forest is 20-30% of the total area of a country over the
period 2000-2007 the country’s forests are decreased at a rate of 2.1% per
year i.e. the ninth highest rate among the world’s nations.

• There are two types of forests:

• Productive forests

• Protective forests

Productive forests
• Includes all vegetation grown naturally like alpine, coniferous and etc.

• The vegetation grows in a haphazard manner.

• The tree density is high

• The canopy is close together.

• They have a variety of different species.

• Trees are of different age groups.

• The trees are not equally spaced and they vary in height.

• Promotes tourism

• Great commercial value

• Provides wildlife habitat

• More diversity

• Trees lower the temperature of the surrounding areas

• They protect the environment by preventing soil erosion and by absorbing
the carbon dioxide from the air.

Protective forests
• It includes vegetation planted by man like riverain

• The tree density is Moderate .

• They are Linear plantations (grow in rows).

• The canopy is further apart.

• They have single fast growing specie.

• Of the same age group.

• They have the same height.

• They do not have much commercial value.

• Prevent soil erosion and cleans air by absorbing carbon.

• It provides wildlife habitat.

• Less biodiversity.

• Promotes tourism

Importance of Forests
 Check pollution and clean the environment as the trees act as carbon sink
i.e. they absorb carbon dioxide and gives off oxygen.

 Regulate water supply to rivers to reduce flooding

 Natural habitat for wild life

 Provides timber for construction

 Employment for people in forest based industries

 Provides wood for making agricultural implements like wooden plough,
fences etc.

 Ensure food supply by protecting soil fertility.

 Provide raw material for wood based industries.

 Herbs of these trees are used for medicinal purposes in pharmaceutical

industries.

 Supply of fruits.

 Provides recreational activities

 Regulate water supply to reservoirs.

 They prevent soil erosion as the roots of trees bind the soil particles
together.

 The stem and the leaves provides shelter from rain and prevent larger
splash

 Roots of the trees help recharge ground water.

 Deciduous trees shed their leaves forming humus so adds soil fertility and
prevents excessive leaching of nutrients (leaching is when nutrients
dissolve in water which goes in the sub surface and therefore less nutrients
are available for the roots to absorb.

 Trees attract rainfall through transpiration.

 Wood can be used to obtain pulp which can be further processed into
paper.

 It encourages tourism and helps earn income for the locals

 It controls floods by binding the soil together and preventing the river beds
from being raised.
 Forest Source of income for rural people
 The trees are used as firewood.

 Provide raw material, timber ephedra, fruits, nuts.

 Cottage, small scale industries, pharmaceutical industries depend on them.

 Furniture, toys souvenir sold to tourists.

 Forest attracts tourism.

 Creates employment examples: forest guides , rangers etc.

Determinants
 The density and type of forest are closely linked to the following factors:

 amount of rainfall,

 the temperature

 the altitude and

 the type of soil

Altitude

 At a height of 4000m to 4500m Alpine forest are found.

 Similarly coniferous forest are also found at high altitudes and the have
adapted to the severe climatic conditions and often to poor soils.

Temperature (Aridity)

 Aridity prevailing over the Balochistan Plateau and the southern part of the
Indus Plain is not favourable to support plant growth and results in thorny
bushes and scrub.

 Areas which have temperatures below freezing point will have Alpine and
coniferous forests.
 Precipitation

 Higher precipitation in the northern mountains encourages the growth of

Coniferous (evergreen) forests.

 Areas which receive less rainfall will have subtropical scrub forest and
desert vegetation.

Edaphic factors (type of soil)

 Areas with acidic soil will have coniferous forest ( the soil is acidic because
of rainfall and no leaf fall causing leeching).

 Areas with alkaline soil will have desert vegetation or sub tropical scrub
forests (the soil is alkaline due to high rate of evaporation, less rainfall and
there is more salt content in the soil).

 In deltaic regions where there is saline condition mangroves are found.

Types of forests
Alpine forests

Areas: Northern areas ( Chitral , DIr , Kohistan)

Features:

 Found in high altitude areas.

 Trees with stunted growth, due to low temperature and less sunlight.
 Normally upwards branches to attain maximum sunlight.
 Essential to obtain fuel wood only.

Coniferous forests

Areas: Northern areas, KPK, Murree and the Balochistan Mountains.

Features:

 Evergreen tree
 Sloping branches to prevent snow accumulation
  Small, thick, leathery needle like leaves to prevent the loss of moisture.
 Important source of timber.
 For the conservation of soil.
 Conserving center for birds and wildlife.
 Also attract tourist.
 Add scenic beauty.

Tropical thorn forest (Rakh)

Areas: Punjab Plains, southern and western Balochistan and the Sindh plains.

Features:

 They have a low height (6-10m)

 Forest dominated by thorny hardwood.
 Deep roots to search for water.
 Scanty vegetation due to water shortage.
 Trees used for firewood

Sub-tropical Scrub Forest

Areas: Hills and foothills of the Himalayas, Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges, Western
Mountains and above Makran Coast.

Features:

 They are broad leafed and thorny bushes.

 Protection of watershed
 Supplying firewood.
 For grazing purpose.

Riverain or Bela Forest:

Areas: Near rives Indus and its tributaries.

Features:

 Linear plantation along the banks of river Indus.

  Normally high yielding commercial hardwood species.
 They provide shishum and Babul
 Used for making furniture and agricultural implements.

Mangrove forest

Areas: Coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

Features:

 They have broad leaves with drip trips.

 Leathery texture to minimize transpiration.
 Low trees and shrubs grown on the tidal mud flats.
 Roots survive in salty water.
 They have breathing roots which survive in muddy water.
 The have roots like knobbly knees.
 The trees rise to 6-8 m but general height is 3m.
 Stunted growth in Indus and Hub Delta.
 Limited number of species in polluted water.

Importance of Mangroves

 Supply firewood.
 Coastal communities use these forests for timber.
 Breeding grounds for fish and shrimps.
 Livestock feed on leaves too.
 Fallen leaves provide nutrition to marine life.
 Protect coastline from erosion and other damage.
 Act as a barrier against intensity of Earthquakes and tsunamis by absorbing
shock waves.

Irrigated Forests
Areas: Changa Manga, Wan Bacharan in the Thal Area, Chichawatni in the Sahiwal
district, and Guddu Barrage and Ghulam Mohammad District.
Features:

 Economically important species are planted in large blocks.

 Shisham, Babul And Eucalyptus are normally preferred.
 Important source for timber and fire wood.
 When planted in linear form, they provide shade.

Irrigated Plantation

 Trees are planted by men.

 Planted in rows and are linear

 They are equally spaced

 Single species

 Replanting after cutting is done.

 Are planted near rivers and canals.

 Dependent upon water supplied by man through irrigation.

Irrigated forest

 Changa Manga

 Chichawatni

 Khanewal

 Bahawalpur

 Thal

 Taunsa Barrage

 Guddu Barrage

 Hyderabad
Advantages

 Provide timber for construction and firewood.

 Fodder for livestock

 Leaf fall leads to humus to increase soil fertility.

 Attracts rainfall and lowers temperature.

 Provides shade for people and habitat for animals.

 Absorbs carbon dioxide and gives oxygen.

 Add to scenic beauty and promote tourism.

 Control surface runoff and soil erosion.

 Provide employment.

 Eucalyptus trees reduce water logging and salinity.

Disadvantages

 Planting forest need high initial investment but does not give quick returns
or profits no short term economic benefits.

 Trees to be maintained and taken care of, need money on regular basis.

 Need irrigation, extra burden on limited water supply.

 Loss of land for settlements, farmland industries , transport and other uses

 Illegal cutting of trees is difficult to check.

 Forest fires causing damage to the environment.

Why are they developed in Pakistan?

 Too many trees have been cut down

 To provide more wood for industry.

  To relieve water logging and salinity

 To prevent erosion of river banks.

 To promote tourism.

Forests Products
Forest products consist of:

 Timber

 Fuel wood

 Minor products

a. Resin

b. Mazri

c. Ephedra

Timber
 Uses:

 Making of buildings and homes

 Agricultural implements, boxes, fences, gates etc.

 Transport railways sleepers, bridges and carts.

 Furniture

Minor products
 Resin: It is a fluid in the tissue of a plant Chir that becomes solid on
exposure to the air. It is used for making varnishes. Chir Pine forests occur
in Punjab, Azad Kashmir and KPK.
  Mazri: It is used for making mats, baskets and for packing purpose. Mazri
shrub is a hardy fiber plant belonging to a group of palms which grow in
low, arid, mountainous areas of Sulaiman Ranges.

 Ephedra: It is a medicinal shrub used by the pharmaceutical factories for

treatment of asthma, hay fever and common cold and is found in
Balochistan.

Terracing
 Steps are cut into steep hillsides and the front of each flat terrace is edged
with mud or stone walls known as bunds.

 The bunds hold back the water and the soil.

Contour ploughing and Strip farming

 It is the farming practice of ploughing or planting across a slope following
its elevation contour lines.

 These contour lines create a water break which reduces the formation of
gullies during the times of surface runoff.

 The water break also allows more time for the water to settle into the soil.

 In strip faming two or more crops are grown in the same field. Sometimes
one crop may grow under the shelt.er of a taller crop for the sake of
protection

Sustainable forestry
 Sustainable forestry means that we should manage the forest resources in
such a way as to ensure that we will be able to obtain the things that we
want from the forest on a regular basis, while conserving the natural
environment.

Sustainable forest management techniques

Community forestry :
 1. Planting trees to fill, replace gaps in forest especially in vulnerable areas
such as on slopes.

2. Use dead branches for fire wood rather than chopping trees down.

3. Educate and train local people into sustainable ways of use.

Agro Forestry:

1. Plant fast growing agricultural trees. Crops like oil palm and eucalyptus.

2. Maintain a complete forest cover to prevent soil damage.

3. The tree crops can be used to shelter smaller food crops.

4. Wood needed for other purposes such as fuel can be provided by planting
patches of fast growing eucalyptus trees.

Harvesting of hard wood:

1. Selective logging of trees of greatest commercial value.

2. Taking out only mature trees and leaving the rest to grow to full size.

3. Keep forest clearances small so that rapid regeneration is possible.

4. Do a preliminary survey to find the most suitable logging areas.

5. Check cutting of timber and ensure a long gap before next cutting.

Deforestation
 Deforestation is the cutting down of trees by human activities for any
purpose for instance,

 fuel wood

 road construction

 Residential purpose because of increasing population

 Urbanisation i.e. for building industries and airports.

 For mining of coal.

 For construction of Dams and Barrages etc.

Causes of Deforestation
 Forest are cut down to grow crops to meet the food requirement of
growing population and to carry out mining activities

 Growth of large cities has converted forest areas into settlement's

 Due to industrialization and urbanization more demand for better

transport facilities are required so network is getting larger and denser so
forest have been cut to make roads.

 Overgrazing of land by cattle , goats and sheep has also converted sub
tropical scrub forest and tropical forest areas in desert

Effects of deforestation
 No roots to hold the soil together , no interception

 Loss of wood for fuel may have to travel much further to find fuel.

 Less infiltration more surface run off.

 Less rainfall due to less transpiration.

 Siltation in reservoirs because soil exposed and washed into river.

 Flood, destruction farm land.

 Landslides and avalanches.

 Loss of scenery, beauty, leads to decrease in tourism so people lose their

job

 Loss of habitats , species lost, extinction , more away, less biodiversity

 Less trees to take carbon dioxide so global warming

 Solutions of Deforestation
 Supplying irrigation facilities to the deforested areas. Commercial species of
trees which grow rapidly should be planted.

 By reserving land for fuel wood plantation only.

 Creating awareness among people about the hazards of deforestation.

 The supply of natural gas to the northern areas will reduce the rapid
deforestation.

 By improving the techniques of raising nurseries and planting trees,

deforested areas could be regenerated in a short period.

 Forest management should try to find ways to make forestry more

sustainable, example:

 Ensuring that logging companies only use selective cutting methods.

 Restricting the use of bull dozers and heavy destructive machineries in

forest.

 Strict enforcement of forest laws.

 Enforcement of village/farm forestry programme.

 Urban forestry programmes which include planting of trees along main

roadside in open spaces.