Forest cover shrinking fast due to over-exploitation

CHITRAL: Experts have called for the promotion of agroforestry to protect oak and deodar forests in Chitral.

According to them, the margins of fields and barren lands across the valley should be used to grow trees with the help of the solar powered lift irrigation system.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says only three per cent of the total land in Chitral district is used for agricultural purposes and 62 per cent is rangeland with sparse vegetation.

Forests cover only 4.7 per cent of the land but they too are shrinking fast due to overexploitation.

People associated with the conservation of nature fear that the rapid felling of deodar and oak trees has exposed the area to land erosion, landslides and mud floods over a couple of decades.

Sartaj Ahmad Khan, the chairman of the umbrella club of local support organisations across the valley, said by increasing the area covering trees the impending environmental disaster could be averted and that could happen by promoting agroforestry on urgent basis.

He said as there was a lack of monsoon rains and acute shortage of irrigation water, social forestry and raising of orchards on a large scale wasn’t possible despite the availability of large tracts of lands.

Mr Sartaj said the forest department and a number of nongovernmental organisations had tested a number of alien plants known for fast growth and found out that they possessed the ability to withstand the shortage of water.

“Ailanthus and poplar can be grown in the rangeland with little efforts but they have a high rate of survival. The wood of poplar can be used for construction purposes and thus, reducing the pressure on deodar trees,” he said.

The expert said the growing of such trees in pastures would reduce the risks of flash floods and thus, helping with soil conservation.

Ejaz Ahmed, an environmentalist working with a government department, said the large population of trees in pastures would provide extra amount of fodder to farmers and thus, strengthening the livestock sector, a major source of household income.

He said the promotion of agroforestry would bring hard cash to growers when they harvested periodically on a commercial scale.

The expert said the promotion of agroforestry could be carried out by social organisation and community participation, which worked well in the area.

Meanwhile, the demand of oak wood as use for fuel has increased due to the fresh spell of snowfall in the higher altitude of Chitral.

The residents said the high prices and unavailability of liquefied petroleum gas and electricity, the oak taken from the forests of southern forests of Chitral had turned out to be the only source of heating and cooking for them.–Zahiruddin