PESHAWAR, Dec 24: A three-day ‘Sarhad People’s Forest Assembly’ started here on Sunday to review reforms introduced in the forest sector and post-earthquake scenario of forest management in five quake-hit districts of the province.

More than 100 delegates from different areas, community people and representatives of NGOs are attending the programme organised jointly by the Sungi Development Foundation and the Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad.A press release issued here said forest resources were under threat and vanishing fast. It said reconstruction and rehabilitation process following last year’s earthquake had increased demand for timber, thus putting additional stress on forests.

The press release said that between 1,990 and 2,000, Pakistan had lost an average of 41,100 hectares of forest per year and the average annual deforestation rate between 2000 and 2005 was 1.63 per cent.

In areas hit by earthquake, standing forests on steep slope were destroyed by land-slides A number of trees were damaged by rock falls and root structure of conifer was disturbed. It is estimated that about 300 million cubic feet timber is required for building reconstruction.—Bureau