South Punjab Forest Company, Hashoo Foundation, Faisalabad Varsity Celebrate Int'l Day Of Forests

South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC), Hashoo Foundation and University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) celebrated the International Day of Forests (IDF) 2018 by organizing a panel discussion to sensitize the students on the importance of forestry and need to conserve forests for a sustainable future.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2018 ) :South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC), Hashoo Foundation and University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) celebrated the International Day of Forests (IDF) 2018 by organizing a panel discussion to sensitize the students on the importance of forestry and need to conserve forests for a sustainable future.

The panel discussion was held at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and the panelists included Tahir Rasheed, CEO, SPFC; Arif Rahman, Senior Program Manager, Hashoo Foundation and Prof.

Dr. Tahir Siddiqui, Chairman, Department of Forestry and Range Management, UAF. Tahir Rasheed, CEO, SPFC sensitized the students to devote themselves to promoting sustainability in their daily lives, which holds the key to a greener future.

While informing the participants on the benefits of planting trees in cities, he said, 'The strategic placement of trees in urban areas can cool the air by upto 8 degrees Celsius, thus protecting cities from the impacts of heatwaves and increasing temperatures'.

Tahir Rasheed further shed light on SPFC's initiative to improving the environment and contributing towards the economy of Punjab. According to him, 'This landmark initiative will lead to afforestation of 130 million trees in South Punjab, sequester carbon emissions upto 25 million tons, create 15,000 green jobs, upto 75% of SPFC's share in the form of trees to be conserved, circulation of Rs 240 billion in the economy and the government to earn Rs 20 billion during the project duration of 15 years'.

Arif Rahman, Senior Programme Manager Hashoo Foundation, elaborated the role of Hashoo Foundation in helping various sections of the society, particularly the students and community members. Arif Rahman, also highlighted the importance of urban forests to tackle the issue of Urban Heat Islands.

He also stressed on the importance of public-private partnerships to help raise awareness and introducing solutions towards creating urban forests. Prof. Dr Tahir Siddiqui, Chairman, Department of Forestry and Range Management, UAF and Prof.

Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Chattha, Programme Chair, Climate Change, UAF said that environmental degradation is posing a serious threat to life on earth, with deforestation, industrialization and urbanization among the major culprits of ecosystem degradation and deterioration.

Both the experts emphasized upon the role of forests, especially urban forestry in the mitigation and adaptation of climate change. Dr Siddiqui further highlighted the role of the Department of Forestry and Range Management, UAF in promoting sustainable forestry practices and also informed that the department has established an arboretum and a forest nursery.

He also appreciated the efforts of his faculty, especially Dr Irfan Ahmad Wahla and Muhammad Asif. 'We should promote agroforestry to meet domestic wood requirement and that the Department of Forestry and Range Management is providing trees to the farmers through different projects for the reclamation of problematic soils' added Dr Tahir Siddique.

At the end, Prof. Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar, Vice Chancellor, UAF gave the concluding remarks and told that the UAF is taking concrete measures to turn itself into a green university, by increasing the number of trees on the campus.

He further hoped that the event will help to raise awareness among the students on urban forestry and calling for measures to improving the urban forest cover of the urban centers for a sustainable future.

A walk was also arranged along with a plantation drive by representatives of SPFC, Hashoo Foundation, and faculty and students of University of Agriculture Faisalabad for awareness on campus, which concluded at Iqbal auditorium.

The theme for this year's International Day of Forest is 'Forests and Sustainable Cities', as cities consume 75% of the world's natural resources and account for more than 70% of the global carbon emissions.

Forests on the other hand absorb almost 40% of anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions every year, which makes a strong case for trees to be planted in urban areas to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change.