60% of Pakistan’s Forests Used for Firewood: PFC Chief

News Desk

Lahore: Approximately 60 percent of Pakistan’s forests are being used as firewood, 25 percent for furniture, and 15 percent are being lost due to urbanization and community-driven demands.

Mian Kashif Ashfaq, Chief Executive Officer of the Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC), revealed these figures while speaking at a seminar in Lahore. 

He emphasized the national challenge of deforestation and called for a “green emergency” to conserve and protect the country’s forests, urging stakeholders to look beyond party politics.

Ashfaq suggested an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan to control the smuggling of timber, highlighting that the demand for wood has increased significantly due to shortages of natural gas, coal, and the high prices of LPG cylinders, especially in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan regions.

Comparing Pakistan’s deforestation rate with global trends, Ashfaq noted that nearly 10 million hectares of forests are deforested worldwide every year, an area equivalent to Portugal.

He explained that although around half of this deforestation is offset by reforestation, the remaining loss still represents a significant environmental threat.

Addressing the seminar on the “Hazardous Impact of Growing Deforestation in Pakistan,” Ashfaq identified overpopulation, poverty, and unnecessary logging as major causes of deforestation in developing countries, including Pakistan. 

He pointed out that Pakistan’s population has surged from 37 million in 1947 to 241 million last year, a trend that, if continued, could result in the loss of forests, wildlife, and bee populations, exacerbating food security challenges and exposing people to hunger and starvation.

Ashfaq also linked deforestation to rising temperatures and climate change.

According to the National Forest Policy 2015, Pakistan’s total forest-covered area is only 5 percent, and the country is losing about 27,000 hectares of forests per year, primarily in private and community-owned natural forests.

He warned that forest resources in all provinces, especially KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, are under tremendous pressure from the timber mafia, particularly in communal lands, shamalat, guzara, and privately owned forests.

The National Forest Policy indicates that deforestation in watershed areas can trigger land degradation, loss of biodiversity, and negative effects on marine and aquatic resources. Additionally, it adversely impacts agricultural yield and water quantity due to the fast melting of glaciers caused by rising temperatures.

In conclusion, Ashfaq stressed the urgent need to address deforestation to mitigate these adverse impacts and preserve Pakistan’s “green gold.”