Kashif Aziz
PESHAWAR: Illegal logging, encroachments and forest fires are placing increasing pressure on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s forests, with thousands of hectares of forest cover lost over the past two decades, according to official data and environmental experts.
Figures from Global Forest Watch showed that the province lost approximately 4,800 hectares of forest cover between 2001 and 2025. The loss is estimated to have generated around 1.9 million tonnes of carbon emissions, raising concerns about environmental degradation and climate-related risks.
One such incident occurred in Basala, an area located in Mansehra district, where forest cover had to bear losses due to mining activity. According to the figures obtained, forested area in Basala reduced from 8.515 hectares to only 0.131 hectares, losing up to 98% of its cover.
The environmentalists have stated that such deforestation can lead to floods and landslide incidents.
Forest Secretary Junaid Khan stated that the provincial government does not give permission for commercial logging of the forests at any place within the province. He added that people were permitted to cut timber from their own lands for personal use, especially where there was an absence of natural gas.
“The illegal use or smuggling of the timber cut from private land is a crime,” Khan informed, saying that strict legal action was taken against people who indulged in illegal logging practices.
According to the report of the Forest Department, 233 operations had been conducted by the department in the last two months in which 6,770 cubic feet of timber along with 73,105 kilograms of fuel wood were seized.
In addition, 59 vehicles were impounded for their suspected involvement in the transportation and smuggling of illegally cut timber.
Efforts for controlling illegal logging of timber in the forest and saving the forest resources would be continued, as it is important to save forest cover to counter climate change effects.
