rawalpindi - All out efforts would be made to achieve the target fixed for plantation campaign and a comprehensive plan of massive tree plantation has been evolved to bring maximum area under cover to overcome environmental degradation, Conservator Forests Rawalpindi Ather Shah said on Sunday.

He said that the forest department would plant over 1.7 million saplings during the spring tree plantation campaign 2018 in Rawalpindi region.

Shah said that the divisional forest officers and other concerned had been directed to make all out efforts to achieve the targets for their respective areas. They have also been instructed to plant maximum saplings with the help of civil society, officials and students during the campaign, he said.

He said that the staff of the department had been activated to make sure proper forestation in their respective areas which would be inspected by the senior officers.

In order to promote social forestry, the youngsters had been associated in forestation plans, he said, adding that special emphasis was being given on plantation of shrubs and deep-rooted plants on the banks of Murree Expressway to prevent land erosion and landslides.

The saplings will be planted in Murree under bioengineering work, a landslide control technology, he said, adding that the forest department would plant saplings on 10,600 acres of land in the shape of caboodle and on 610 avenue miles the road sides.

He said that stumps would be planted on 156 acres of land where 45.58 million new potted plants would be raised. He said that the Punjab Forest Department had established 354 sale points in the province where 22.36 million saplings would be sold in order to help the people. They will be encouraged to play their role in making the spring season tree plantation campaign a success, he said.

The official said that the department had also launched a project to set up green pockets in all the districts. Arrangements have been finalised to make the tree plantation a success and surpass the plantation target, he said. The armed forces, rangers, educational institutions and industrial units would also be taken on board to make the campaign successful, he added. Increasing environment pollution and climate change are posing threat to human and animal lives and the only way out to avoid this danger is to plant maximum trees, he said.

, adding that the citizens would be encouraged to plant trees in educational institutions, homes, factories and office premises which would help control environment pollution.

He said that targets of planting 5.85 saplings on forest lands, 0.71 million on lands of defence institutions, 2.22 million on other government departments’ lands and 3.22 million on private lands had been fixed.

He said that main objective of the campaign was to create awareness among people to plant maximum trees so that problems of environmental pollution due to rapidly rising population could be controlled.

The people from every walk of life should realise their responsibilities and come forward to take part in the campaign so that the province’s dire need of wood and energy could be fulfilled. He said that it was need of the hour to increase the forest area by accelerating the speed of plantation process, adding that the government could achieve the task with cooperation of people belonging to all walks of life. He said that the Spring Tree Plantation campaign, started February 15, would continue till June 30.