Forest Resources and Their Exploitation
COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY
HTTP://KARACHIBOARDNOTES.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOREST RESOURCES AND THEIR
EXPLOITATION
INTRODUCTION
AT THE TIME OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PAKISTAN ABOUT 50 LAKH ACRES AREA WAS
COVERED WITH NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL FORESTS.IT WAS ABOUT 2.6 % OF THE TOTAL
AREA,WHICH WAS INSUFFICIENT FOR THE COUNTRY'S NEEDS,BECAUSE ACCORDING TO
EXPERTS THE AREA UNDER THE FORESTS IN A COUNTRY SHOULD NOT BE LESS THAN 20 TO
25 % FOR A WELL BALANCED ECONOMY.IN PAKISTAN ONLY 4.5 % OF THE TOTAL AREA IS
UNDER FORESTS.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN VARIOUS STEPS TO INCREASE THE AREAS UNDER
FORESTS.LARGE AREAS HAVE BEEN RESERVED FOR AFFORRESTATION IN THAL,GHULAM
MOHAMMAD BARRAGE AND GUDU BARRAGE AND IT IS LIKELY TO IMPROVE THE FUTURE
ACREAGE OF FORRESTS TO SOME EXTENT.BESIDES THIS THE FORESTS DEPARTMENT
CELEBRATES WEEKS FOR TREE PLANTATION IN THE MONTHS OF SPRING AND RAINY
SEASONS.DURING THESE WORKS PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO PLANT MORE AND MORE TREES.
KINDS OF FORESTS IN PAKISTAN
1.EVERGREEN CONIFEROUS FORESTS:
AREAS:
THESE FORESTS ARE FOUND IN THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN HILLS SUCH AS
CHITRAL,SWAT,DIR,ABBOTABAD,MALAKAND,KOHISTAN,MANSE HRA DISTRICT OF N.W.F.P AND
RAWALPINDI DISTRICT OF PUNJAB ARE THE MAIN AREAS COVERED WITH CONIFEROUS
FORESTS.
CHARACTERISTICS:
THESE FORESTS REMAIN EVERGREEN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR I.E.THEY DO NOT SHED THEIR
LEAVES AT A TIME .THE LEAVES OF THE TREES ARE MOSTLY OF CONICAL SHAPE .IN THESE
AREAS THESE FORESTS ARE FOUND UPTO ABOUT 3000 FT.IN BALUCHISTAN,THESE FORESTS
ARE FOUND AT THE HEIGHT OF 5000 FT.
IMPORTANT TREES:
DEODAR,KALL,SPRUCE,CHIR,FIR ARE IMPORTANT TREES OF THESE FORESTS.IN
BALUCHISTAN,TWO MORE IMPORTANT ,PENCIL JUNIPER AND CHILGOZA ARE ALSO FOUND.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
THE TREES GROWN IN THESE FORESTS ARE OF IMMENSE HELP TO MANY INDUSTRIES.DEODAR
IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF LIMER AND IS USED FOR BUILDING HOUSES AND RAILWAY
SLEEPERS.FIR IS USED TO THE MAKING OF HARDBOARD.CHIR IS USED IN THE
MATCH,RAYON, AND RESIN INDUSTRY.
2.BALUCHISTAN HILL FORESTS:
AREAS:
THESE FORESTS ARE FOUND IN AREA OF QUETTA AND KALAT DIVISIONS.
CHARACTERISTICS:
DUE TO POOR RAINFALL,THESE FORESTS ARE NOT DENSE .THEY ARE FOUND IN ALTITUDES
OF 5000 TO 10000 FEET.
IMPORTANT TREES:
THE MAIN TREES OF THESE AREAS INCLUDE CHILGOZA,PINES,PENCIL,JUNIPERS AND
CHESTNUTS.
3.DECIDUOUS FORESTS:
AREAS:
THESE FORESTS ARE FOUND IN THE DISTRICTS OF
GUJRAT,JHELUM,RAWALPINDI,HAZARA,MARDAN,PESHAWAR,KO HAT AND IN SOME PATCHES OF
THE BALUCHISTAN PLATEAU.
CHARACTERISTICS:
THESE FORESTS COVER LAND RISING UPTO AN ALTITUDE OF 3000 FEET.THE TREES OF
THESE FORESTS SHED THEIR LEAVES AT A TIME WHEN THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL AND
TEMPERATURE IS INSUFFICIENT IN A PARTICULAR SEASON.
IMPORTANT TREES:
THE DOMINANT TREES OF THESE FORESTS ARE
PHULAI,KAO,CHESTNUT,JUNIPER,WALNUT,OAK,MAPLE AND POPLAR.OLEA AND CHIR OCCUR
OCCASIONALLY AT HIGH ELEVATIONS.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
THESE FORESTS ARE AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF TIMBER FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FURNITURE
,RIFLE BUTTS,SPORTS GOODS ETC.
4.RIVERIAN OR BELA FORESTS:
AREAS:
NARROW BELTS ALONG THE BANKS OF RIVER INDUS AND ITS LARGE TRIBUTARIES ARE
OCCUPIED BY THE RIVERION FORESTS COMMONLY KNOWN AS BELA FORESTS.
CHARACTERISTICS:
THESE FORESTS ARE FOUND NEAR THE BANKS OF RIVERS WHERE UNDERGROUND WATER IS
AVAILABLE IN THE FLOODED AREAS.THEY COVER THE ACTIVE FLOOD PLAINS WHICH ARE
INUNDATED ALMOST ANNUALLY.THEY ARE USUALLY NOT VERY DENSE.
IMPORTANT TREES:
BABUL,SHISHAM AND WILLOW ARE THE MAIN VARIETIES FOUND IN THESE FORESTS.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
THE SHISHAM WOOD IS MOSTLY USED FOR MAKING HIGH QUALITY FURNITURE.THE WOOD OF
BABUL PROVIDES FIREWOOD AND IS USED FOR MAKING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.THE BARK
OF BABUL IS USED FOR TANNING PURPOSES.
5.ARTIFICIAL FORESTS:
AREAS:
IN SOME AREAS OF PUNJAB AND SINDH,A FEW IRRIGATED PLANTATION UNITS HAVE BEEN
ESTABLISHED .CHANGA MANGA FOREST SITUATED ABOUT 40 MILES FROM LAHORE IS THE
LARGEST OF THE IRRIGATION FOREST PLANTATION.BESIDES THIS CHICHAWATNI IN
SAHIWAL,MULTAN,THAL AND IN SOME PARTS OF GHULAM MOHAMMAD AND GUDDU
BARRAGES,ARTIFICIAL FORESTS ARE BEING MAITAINED.
IMPORTANT TREES:
IN THESE FORESTS,HARWOOD SPECIES SUCH AS SHISHAM,MULBERRY AND ACASIA TREES ARE
GROWN FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.
6.TIDAL OR MANGROVE FORESTS:
AREAS:
THESE FORESTS ARE MOSTLY FOUND IN THE INDUS DELTA.HUB DELTA IS ALSO COVERED
WITH THESE FORESTS WHICH EXTEND TO RUNN OF KUCH COVERING AN AREA OF ABOUT
750,000 ACRES.
CHARACTERISTICS:
THE TREES OF THESE FORESTS GROW IN AWAMPY AREAS.LACK OF FRESH WATER RESULTS IN
SHUNNED GROWT OF TREES AND IN THE OCCURANCE OF LIMITED NUMBER OF SPECIES .THE
NORMAL HEIGHT OF TREES IS 10 FEET WHILE IN BETTER WATERED AREAS THE TREES RISE
TO 20-25 FEET.
IMPORTANT TREES:
SOME VALUABLE SPECIES ARE BEING EXPERIMENTED UPON IN THESE AREAS.AVICENNTA
OFFICANILIS,CERIOPA AND RHIZO PHORAS ARE SOME OF THEM.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
A VITAL ADVANTAGE OF THESE FORESTS IN THAT THEY SUPPLY A LARGE AMOUNT OF
FIREWOOD.THE TREES HAVE MOSTLY SOFT WOOD WHICH IS ALSO USED AS FODDER FOR
ANIMALS.
7.THE RAKHS:
AREAS:
THESE FORESTS ARE FOUND IN THE INDUS VALLEY SCALTERED FAR AWAY FROM HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS.
CHARACTERISTICS:
THESE ARE MOSTLY SHRUB FORESTS AND THE TREES ARE NOT VERY TALL.
IMPORTANT TREES:
THE MAIN SPECIES WHICH ARE GENERALLY FOUND IN THESE FORESTS ARE
JAND,NEEM,KARIL,FARASH AND BAKAIN.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:
THE WOOD OF THOSE TREES IS MOSTLY USED FOR FUEL PURPOSES OR IN THE MAKING OF
CHEAP FURNITURE.
IMPORTANCE AND USES OF FORESTS
ACCORDING TO AN AGRICULTURAL EXPORT "A COUNTRY CAN LIVE WITHOUT GOLD AND
SILVER,BUT NOT WITHOUT FORESTS,"THE FOLLOWING IS THE IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS
FOR US:
1.AS THERE IS A SHORTAGE PF POWER RESOURCES,THE COAL AND OIL FOUND IN OUR
COUNTRY IS INSUFFICIENT TO MEET OUR REQUIREMENTS.SO A LARGE POPULATION OF OUR
COUNTRY LIVING IN RURAL AREAS USES WOOD AS FUEL AND FOR OTHER DOMESTIC
PURPOSES.
2.BESIDES TIMBER ,WOOD IS BEING USED AS FUEL.THE WOOD FOR MAKING FURNITURE AND
BUILDING MATERIAL IS ALSO OBTAINED FROM FORESTS.
3.FORESTS SUPPLY THE RAW MATERIAL AND WOOD FOR VARIOUS INDUSTRIES OF OUR
COUNTRY,SUCH AS MATCHES,PAPER,SPORTS GOODS,RESINS,RAYON,ETC.
4.FORESTS KEEP THE CLIMATE OF THE ADJACENT AREAS PLEASANT BY GETTING THE
MOISTURE THROUGH ITS ROOTS FROM INTERIOR OF THE EARTH AND SPREADING IT THROUGH
THEIR BRANCHES AND LEAVES.
5.THE FORESTS AREAS OF OUR COUNTRY SERVE AS PASTURE,BUT FOR THE CATTLE OF
FARMERS LIVING NEAR THEM,CAMELS,SHEEP AND GOATS GET THEIR FOOD FROM THEM.
6.IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS FORESTS HELP TO PRESERVE OUR AGRICULTURAL LAND FROM THE
DANGERS OF EROSION.IN PLAIN AREAS FOREST OR TREES SAVE THE BANKS OF CANALS AND
RIVERS FROM EROSION.
7.THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT THE FORESTS PROVIDE OXYGEN GAS FOR US AND
CONSUME FILTHY CARBON DIOXIDE.
8.A LARGE NUMBER OF FRUITS THAT WE USE ARE PROVIDED FROM TREES,OR FORESTS.
9.IN FORESTS A LARGE NUMBER OF ANIMALS TAKE REFUGE,SO FORESTS PROVIDE HUNTING
FACILITIES FOR HUNTERS AND THEY GET MEAT AND SKINS FROM THEM.
10.FORESTS HELP THE FARMERS IN SAVING THEIR CROPS FROM STRONG DUAL STORMS.