Punjab surpasses 2025 monsoon plantation target despite record flooding

Torrential monsoon rains this year submerged riverine forests across Punjab, flooding bela areas so extensively that plantation work seemed nearly impossible. Weeks-long access cuts, marshy terrain and hundreds of water-logged acres created one of the toughest environments the Punjab Forest Department has ever faced.

Yet, against these odds, the department has delivered what officials are calling a landmark achievement in the country’s forestry history.

Punjab’s target for the 2025 Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign was 20.719 million saplings. Not only was the target met, it was surpassed, with 21.074 million saplings planted, officially marking 102 per cent of the goal. Plantation activities covered 21,667 acres across the province, while an additional 1,380 kilometers of linear plantation was completed along canals, highways and public land.

Despite recent gains, Punjab’s forest cover remains far below global environmental standards. While the United Nations recommends that 25 to 30 per cent of a country’s land be forested, Punjab sits at only 3.1 per cent.

Read: Plantation drive launched

The most daunting challenge came in the Bela forests, where widespread flooding threatened to halt plantation efforts entirely. Despite dangerous currents, deep mud and difficult access, field teams managed to plant thousands of saplings. Unexpectedly high contributions from wood lots established on private lands further boosted the overall count, helping the province exceed its target.

WWF-Pakistan reports that the country loses around 11,000 hectares of forest annually due to unchecked logging, wildfires, climate-driven impacts and the expansion of agricultural and commercial activities. “Forest conservation is both an environmental and economic necessity, noting that vulnerabilities such as flooding, drought and crop failures are directly linked to weak forest ecosystems,” said General Hammad Naqi Khan, Director of WWF-Pakistan.

While experts acknowledge Punjab’s recent plantation progress, they caution that the province lacks the open land required to establish large new forests. In this context, they identify agroforestry, urban forestry and the protection of existing forests as the most practical and effective pathways for strengthening climate resilience and preparing the province for future environmental shocks.