CHITRAL, Nov 20 Due to relentless cutting on commercial scale, the oak forests in southern Chitral are facing a tough challenge to their survival, says Murad Ali, a forest conservation specialist working with a conservation body.

Talking to Dawn here on Saturday, he said that oak wood had been known for its highest density which produced lowest possible smoke and much amount of heat during combustion. He said that these days only oak wood was used in ovens and its demand in the local market had grown over the years.

Mr Ali said that forests of southern and central parts of Chitral were packed with oak trees and its wood was available to local people at cheaper price. He said that the oak population started depleting with the arrival of Afghan refugees in the early 1980s who harvested it for their own use and earnings.

The conservation specialist said that till the end of 1990s, local people would cut wood with axe and bring it to the road on donkeys for onward transportation to the market. However, later the timber mafia constructed road and started using powered gadgets to cut oak trees.

Although the provincial forest department is the custodian of Chitral forests, it cared more for deodar trees, which were used in building works. Since the last so many years, the oak wood was being smuggled to the neighboring Gilgit area where it was in high demand, he said.

About the natural life of an oak tree, Mr Ali said that an oak tree matured in about 100 years for harvesting while woodcutters did not hesitate to fell down even the young sapling.

Giving another reason for depleting oak forest, he said that in the absence of any code for grazing of goats, the forest was overgrazed and the newly germinating oak saplings were exposed to goats. He said that by nature the germination process of oak tree was very slow and thus the extinction of the species would occur if its young saplings were trampled.

Mr Ali said that over the years the price of oak wood had soared and soon its use would be a luxury. He said that a 40kg of oak wood was available at Rs160 in 2008 while the price rose to Rs210 in 2009 and Rs350/40kg in 2010.

Stressing on sustainable use of the tree, he said that in the past people would pick only the wind fallen and dried wood from the forest. He recalled that the village communities near the forests used to impose sanction on cutting wet and growing trees.

Mr Ali warned that the soil erosion and environmental degradation were the natural result of the massive cutting of oak trees. He said that the regular mud floods in the valleys of Bumburate, Birir, Rumbur, Sheshi Koh, Arandu, Damil and Arsoon should serve as an eye-opener for the local population.