Status of tree planting campaigns in Pakistan (1996 -2003)
Status of tree planting campaigns in Pakistan (1996 -2003)
Sardar Muhammad Rafique and Saliheen Khan
ABSTRACT
More than 60 percent area of Pakistan is arid and receives less than 250 mm rainfall per annum About 20 percent area is semi-arid where rainfall varies between 250-400 mm per annum In these zones temperature rises steeply during summer and drops sharply in winter giving rise to great variations in diurnal temperature Subsequently the arid and semi-arid parts of the country are characterized by low precipitation, extreme temperatures and low humidity These conditions are inhospitable to good plant growth There are frequent droughts and the plant growth fluctuates greatly with precipitation.
Pakistan is blessed to possess some of the most productive lands in the world and in addition to feeding its own population is also capable of producing surplus food for other countries Trees and associated natural vegetation are essential for maintaining the productive capacity of the land In the mountains, trees protect the soil on slopes from being washed away and deposited in stream beds, water reservoirs and canals They thus preserve the productive capacity of mountain lands and also increase the useful life of water reservoirs on which depends the prosperity of agriculture in the plains The vegetation on mountain slopes also reduce the intensity and frequency of floods and increase the quantity and quality of water available for agriculture during the dry season.
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