The recent devastating floods in Punjab have revived the debate on the low forest coverage of the province, with experts warning that it has amplified the destruction scale. Environmentalists point out that forests play a vital role in the absorption of rainwater, slowing down the runoff and avoiding soil erosion. Punjab’s forest cover is well below world standards. According to the United Nations reference points, at least 25 percent of the lands of a country must be under forest coverage, while in Punjab only 3.1% of the land is classified according to the banks. The Punjab forest department states that the province has a total forest area of 1,663 million acres, dominated by thicket forests (41%), while private culture lands contribute 27% through planting. The rest includes river, grassland areas and coniferous patches. The general director of the Department of Provincial Forests, Azfar Zia, said that large -scale plantation units were being made with 51 million offices planned to be planted in 40,000 Acres. The goal of the monsoon season is 21 million offspring of more than 25,000 acres, with 6.5 million already planted.
"In the spring planting campaign, we exceed the goal planting more than 10.5 million young trees," Zia added, noting that agroforestry initiatives are also involving farmers to plant trees in their lands. The official registration shows that the Punjab forest area has grown from around 701,000 acres in 2013 to 1,263 million acres, while Barren Land has fallen from 960,000 acres to 399,000 acres. However, experts argue that progress remains insufficient. They point out that raising the coverage of the forest by 1% would require around 43 new forests the size of the Changa manga, land for which the province is not available. The director of the National Project of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), also Jamal, said that from the forested lands of Punjab, only 0.45% are really covered with trees. He stressed that Earth’s reforestation was crucial. "Farmers and landowners must be convinced that trees improve soil fertility, protect disaster crops and can even generate income through carbon markets," Added. According to the World Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan), the country loses around 11,000 hectares of forest every year. The main conductors include felling without control, forest fires, climate change and conversion of forest lands for agriculture and commercial use. General Director of WWF-Pakistan Hammad Naqi Khan said: "Forest protection is not just an environmental necessity, it is an economic imperative."
He warned that the large -scale logging of mature trees is aggravating ecological losses, while the reduction of green spaces in cities is intensifying urban floods. He asked for a stronger protection of mature trees along with forestry and urban vegetables. The Forestry Department says that it is implementing modern technology for monitoring and protection. SIG monitoring based on satellite now covers 67% of the Punjab forest area, while drones with AI are used for forest fire surveillance. In 2024, 269 forest fire incidents damaged 6,500 acres, but in 2025, the number of cases fell to 200 with damages reduced to 2,500 acres. The provincial principal minister, Mariyyum Aurengzeb, said that Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz, for the first time, has banned the traditional forest wood auction system. The new policy aims to stop the illegal registration through transparent monitoring and mapping based on technology. The government insists that the measure is not only crucial for the protection of trees, but it is also vital to reduce soil erosion. Experts, however, emphasize that large -scale afforestation in Punjab is limited by land scarcity.
