The recent devastating floods in Punjab have rekindled the debate on the meager forest cover in the province, with experts warning that it has amplified the extent of destruction. Ecologists note that forests play a vital role in the absorption of rainwater, slowdown in runoff and prevention of soil erosion. The Punjab forest cover is well below global standards. According to United Nations references, at least 25% of the land in a country should be under forestry, while in Punjab, only 3.1% of land is classified as forestry. The Punjab forest department declares that the province has a total forestry area of 1.663 million acres, dominated by brush forests (41%), while private agricultural land contributes 27% through planting. The rest includes river areas, courses and coniferous plots. The director general of the department of provincial forests, Azfar Zia, said that large -scale planting records were underway with 51 million plants planned to be planted on 40,000 acres. The objective of the current monsoon season is 21 million young trees of more than 25,000 acres, with 6.5 million already planted.
"In the spring plantation campaign, we have exceeded the goal by planting more than 10.5 million young trees," Zia added, noting that agroforestry initiatives also engage farmers to plant trees on their land. The official record shows that the Punjab forest area increased from around 701,000 acres in 2013 to 1.263 million acres, while Barnn Land increased from 960,000 acres to 399,000 acres. However, experts argue that progress remains insufficient. They underline that the increase in the forest cover of the same 1% would require approximately 43 new forests the size of the manga changa, land for which the province has not available. The National Director of Project of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Asim Jamal, said that on the wooded land of Punjab, only 0.45% is actually covered with trees. He stressed that the reforestation of the earth was crucial. "Farmers and landowners must be convinced that trees improve soil fertility, protect disaster crops and can even generate income via carbon markets," He added. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan), the country loses around 11,000 hectares of forest each year. The main engines include uncontrolled forest exploitation, forest fires, climate change and the conversion of forest land for agriculture and commercial use. WWF-Pakistan Managing Director Hammad Naqi Khan said "Protection of forests is not only an environmental necessity, it is an economic imperative."
He warned that the large -scale slaughter of mature trees aggravates ecological losses, while narrowing green spaces in cities intensify urban floods. He called for stronger protection of mature trees alongside afforestation and urban greening measures. The forest department says it deploys modern technologies for monitoring and protection. SAUTE GIS monitoring now covers 67% of the PUNJAB forest area, while drones powered by AI are used for monitoring forest fires. In 2024, 269 forest fire incidents damaged 6,500 acres, but in 2025, the number of cases fell to 200 with damage reduced to 2,500 acres. The main provincial minister Mariyyum Aurangzeb said that chief minister Maryam Nawaz had, for the first time, prohibit the traditional auction system of forest wood. The new policy aims to limit illegal journalization through transparent monitoring and cartography. The government insists that this decision is not only crucial for the protection of trees but also vital to reduce soil erosion. Experts, however, emphasize that large -scale afforestation in Punjab is limited by the scarcity of land.
