QUETTA:Balochistan Secretary Forests and Wildlife Dostain Jamaldini on Tuesday said that trees are being planted to make the environment clean across the province.
Talking to reporter, he said forests were an integral part of any country’s economy saying it was essential for a balanced economy of the country that 25 percent area was covered by the forests and wildlife.
Forests are a great source to maintain natural resources, only 4.5 percent of Pakistan’s land area is forested or less, he said adding the forest area was being declined due to cutting of trees while the land of forest was being utilized for construction of the houses causing problems of the forest and the environment in the area.
He said it was important to allocate more land for forest sector and to stop unnecessary cutting of trees adding we would all have to plant new trees together. Forests are one of the most important resources of this country and the timber meets the needs of wood and herbs, forests help maintain the fertility of the land and it keep temperatures in moderation and make the surrounding weather especially pleasant, said Provincial Secretary Forests, Dostain Jamaldini.
He said that the forests play an important role in socio-economic development and improvement of environment saying that the plan for planting trees under the tree planting campaign has been completed during the current financial year for progress of the forest department.
He said that special measures have been taken for the improvement of forests and wildlife in the district. Nurseries have been set up in the district to provide more plants during the tree planting campaign, he maintained.
The Secretary said that necessary funds would be provided for new projects to improve the natural forests of cypress, tamarind, olive and sorghum, better management of pastures and protection of watershed for protection of the forest in the area. He said that for the first time, various steps were being taken to plant trees on urban highways and opens spaces in the cities so that the common people could benefit from the trees and improve the environment in addition to the survival of wildlife.