PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Urban Forestry Policy, 2023, has envisaged the plantation of 20,000 and 10,000 saplings at the district and tehsil headquarters respectively to “increase environmental sustainability, economic viability and livability of urban settlements of the province.”

The last government had approved the policy in the last meeting of the provincial cabinet on Jan 17.

According to the policy, it is aimed at developing, maintaining and optimising urban and peri-urban forestry resources through an integrated approach in a scientific, environmentally sustainable, ecologically stable and socially acceptable manner.

It also outlined a list of objectives with regard to urban and peri-urban forestry including, restoration of green environment through enhancing green cover in urban, peri-urban and agriculture areas for improving the quality of human environment, utilising of all available open space for conversion into green landscape, enforcing and regulating the existing provisions of tree plantation and making necessary amendments in existing laws and rules to synchronise with the concept of urban and peri-urban forestry.

It promises to increase livability of urban centres

The Urban Forestry Steering Committee comprising secretaries of the respective implementing departments and headed by additional chief secretary will be constituted to oversee the overall implementation of the policy and to approve any requisite amendments in the “Strategy and Action Plan” of the policy.

In addition, stakeholder departments will nominate their focal persons at the provincial level.

Similarly, the management units designated as urban forest blocks comprising urban and peri-urban areas of the district shall be constituted by the respective conservator of forests at each district and tehsil headquarters. The tally of management units in each district will vary depending on the number of revenue subdivisions in each civil district.

The strategy and action plan outlined in the policy states that urban plantation drives shall continue round the year.

“For this purpose, district level “Annual Urban Plantation Plan” shall be prepared by the Urban Forestry Committee, represented by the district head of each stakeholder department as per scope of work of the respective department, under the guidance, supervision and control of the respective deputy commissioners. The plan shall be communicated to their focal persons as well as to FP&MC of the forest department at provincial level,” the policy said.

It also said that the target of annual urban plantation in each district shall be flexible to be determined by the respective deputy commissioners as per scope of work in the district. “Tentatively, there shall be at least 10,000 plants of urban flora and species at tehsil headquarters and 20,000 at district headquarters blocks, respectively,” it said.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2023