In Kohistan, with widespread chopping of trees, precious forests are fast disappearing

Timber mafia, government and locals blamed for illegal logging.

UPPER DIR:

The thick and precious forests in Kohistan are on the verge of extinction due to merciless logging under the nose of the forest department.

The region is rich in natural forests of various species of trees, such as blue pine, deodar, fir, spruce and chir pine. Most of these species are rarely found in the world and hence are considered to be extremely precious.

According to Asif Khan who holds a masters in forestry, the wood is sold at approximately Rs4,000 per feet, which is just enough to make a cup of tea.

However, the valuable resource is ruthlessly being cut by locals for domestic use and smuggling.

“Since people have no fuel for cooking and heating, they have to cut wood from the forests. Everyone in all the villages burns deodar, one of the rarest species of trees in the world, especially in winter seasons,” said Azizur Rehman, a resident of Patrak village.

“The forest department is clearly ignoring the merciless logging and smuggling of wood,” he claimed.

Abdul Mastan, a resident of Barikot, accused forest guards of negligence on duty, saying that the timber mafia and the forest department both share guilt for widespread illegal logging.

“Local elders, timber mafia and the government, all of them are involved in this grave crime and all of them have their share in timber,” he claimed.

“If we can have gas supplied to our villages, we can overcome this problem and save the precious trees, which cost Rs4 million each,” he added.

When Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Forests and Environment Wajid Ali Khan was contacted, he said, “Locals have 94 per cent of the share in forests and hence it is their responsibility to control illegal logging, while the government has only 6 per cent share.”

“It is important to supply gas to people in these areas. Fortunately, provision of gas till Timergara has been approved and it will be extended soon to Upper Dir as well,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2012.