Forestry in Pakistan

8 min read

Pakistan is officially classified as a low-forest-cover country. According to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2020, FAO) and the Pakistan Forest Service Census, roughly 5% of Pakistan's land area is under forests — well below the 25% recommended for ecological balance. Forestry, however, is central to climate adaptation, watershed protection, biodiversity and rural livelihoods.

Forest (FAO)

Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 metres and a canopy cover of more than 10%, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. Excludes land predominantly under agricultural or urban use.

Forest types of Pakistan

Type	Region	Dominant species
Alpine and sub-alpine	Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral; > 3,300 m	Birch (Betula utilis), willow, juniper
Moist temperate	Murree, Galyat, Kaghan; 1,500–3,000 m	Deodar (Cedrus deodara), blue pine (Pinus wallichiana), spruce, fir
Dry temperate	Chitral, upper Swat, NA	Chilghoza pine (Pinus gerardiana), juniper
Sub-tropical pine	Murree foothills	Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii)
Sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen	Lower foothills	Olea, Acacia modesta
Tropical thorn	Punjab, Sindh plains	Phulai, kikar (Acacia nilotica), Prosopis
Riverine (bela)	Indus floodplains	Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo), babul, kandi
Mangrove	Indus delta, Sandspit	Avicennia marina, Rhizophora
Plantations	Changa Manga, Chichawatni	Shisham, mulberry, eucalyptus, poplar

The Changa Manga plantation in Punjab, established by the British in 1866, was once the largest hand-planted forest in the world (~12,000 acres).

Functions of forests

Productive — timber, fuelwood, fodder, NTFPs (medicinal plants, gucchi mushroom, pine nuts).
Protective — watershed, erosion control, avalanche protection.
Regulatory — carbon sequestration, microclimate, biodiversity habitat.
Cultural — sacred groves, recreational, scenic.

Deforestation drivers in Pakistan

Fuelwood demand — over 50% of rural households use wood/biomass for cooking.
Conversion to agriculture and settlement.
Illegal logging and timber mafia — particularly in KP and AJK.
Forest fires — chir-pine belts.
Encroachment on forest land due to weak title and overlapping jurisdictions.
Infrastructure — dams, roads, CPEC corridors.

Pakistan's annual deforestation rate has been variously estimated at 0.5–2%, depending on dataset.

Key Points

Pakistan's forest cover is ~5%; FAO target benchmark is 25%.
Cedrus deodara (deodar) is the national tree of Pakistan.
Markhor (Capra falconeri) is the national animal; lives in dry temperate forests.
The Billion Tree Tsunami (BTT) in KP (2014–17) was verified by IUCN.
The federal Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (2018–2028) builds on the BTT.

Policy framework

Pakistan Forest Act 1927 (British-era) — still the core federal statute.
National Forest Policy 1955, 1962, 1980, 2002, 2015 — successive revisions.
National Forest Policy 2015 — emphasises REDD+, community forestry, increasing cover to 12%.
Pakistan REDD+ Strategy approved 2021.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Ordinance 2002 and KP Forest Act 2014 — provincial reforms.
Sindh Forest Act 2012, Punjab Forest Act amendments.
18th Amendment (2010) — forestry is a provincial subject.

Flagship programmes

Billion Tree Tsunami (BTT) — KP, 2014–2017

Planted/regenerated over 1 billion saplings across KP.
Independently verified by WWF-Pakistan and IUCN in 2017.
Cited as a model for community-based afforestation.

Ten Billion Tree Tsunami (TBTT) — Federal, 2018–2028

Goal: 10 billion trees nationwide; integrates urban forests, mangrove restoration, riverine plantations.
Linked to Pakistan's NDC commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Sindh Mangrove Programme

Successive plantation drives have reportedly increased mangrove cover in the Indus delta from ~80,000 ha in 1990 to ~150,000 ha, partly reversing earlier losses.
Backed by IUCN, WWF, UNDP and the Delta Blue Carbon project.

International cooperation

IUCN-Pakistan — established office 1985; key partner in conservation, BTT/TBTT verification, Red List work.
WWF-Pakistan — species and habitat conservation.
FAO Forest Resources Assessment — every five years.
REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) — UNFCCC mechanism Pakistan has joined.
Bonn Challenge — Pakistan committed in 2017 to restore 0.92 million ha by 2030.

A high-yield CSS combination is: (1) forest cover ~5% vs 25% benchmark, (2) BTT verified by IUCN/WWF, (3) TBTT 2018–2028, and (4) Bonn Challenge pledge of 0.92 mha. Combine these with the 18th Amendment provincialisation of forestry to write a complete answer.

Wildlife and protected areas

27 national parks including Khunjerab, Hingol, Margalla, Lal Suhanra, Deosai.
Wildlife sanctuaries, game reserves, community-controlled hunting areas (CCHAs).
Trophy hunting programmes for markhor, ibex, urial, blue sheep — funded community conservation in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) range states project; Pakistan is a signatory of the Bishkek Declaration 2013.

Forest research and education

Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), Peshawar — established 1947.
PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi — forestry programmes.
Provincial Forest Departments — operational management.

The pivot toward community-based forestry, REDD+ finance, and natural regeneration is now central to Pakistan's forestry strategy.