Reliable and complete inventory of forest growing stock are not available nationally. Forest Department Working Plans cover approximately 50 % of coniferous forest area and contain estimates of volume, but many of these are based on outdated inventories. Coniferous forests of NWFP, Punjab and AJK have more complete inventories than other forests. The FSMP compiled data for 1.3 million ha area of 29 working plans in NWFP, 3 in Punjab and 4 in AJK, and 3 working schemes in Northern Areas. The growing stock of coniferous forests covered by these plans/schemes was 185 million m³ or an average of 145 m³ per ha. Applying the average standing volume per ha. for each province, gives the following total coniferous growing stock.
|
|
Coniferous growing stock 000 m3 |
|
AJK |
40,729 |
|
Northern Areas |
59,400 |
|
NWFP |
124,080 |
|
Punjab |
7,380 |
|
Total |
231,589 |
The species composition of the growing stock of coniferous forests was also determined from 29 working plans of NWFP which is given below. The percentages are not for individual trees of these species, but for forest types dominated by one or two species.
|
Forest Types |
Percent of Growing stock |
|
Spruce/Fir |
39 |
|
Kail (Pinus wallichiana) |
23 |
|
Deodar (Cedrus deodara) |
18 |
|
Fir (Abies pindrow) |
8 |
|
Spruce (Picea smithiana) |
6 |
|
Chir (Pinus roxburghii) |
4 |
|
Broad leaved |
1 |
|
Scrub |
1 |
|
|
Growing Stock of Trees on Farms, 000 m3 |
|
AJK |
2,060 |
|
Balochistan |
3,430 |
|
Northern Areas |
1,592 |
|
NWFP |
8,570 |
|
Punjab |
46,100 |
|
Sindh |
8,540 |
|
Total |
70,292 |
Species composition of this growing stock was estimated to be:
|
|
Percent of Growing stock |
|
Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) |
22 |
|
Kikar/Babul (Acacia nilotica) |
14 |
|
Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) |
8 |
|
Mango (Mangifera indica) |
4 |
|
Mulberry (Moms alba) |
3 |
|
Poplar (Populus sp.) |
3 |
|
Eucalyptus |
1 |
|
Other species |
45 |
Estimates of growing stock of scrub, riverain and mangrove forests, and of irrigated, linear and other plantations are not known.
|
Trees on farms Nationally, Pakistan has a growing stock of trees on farms totalling 70.29 million m3. If added to growing stock in forests the total becomes 301.89 million m3; farm trees account for 23% of this total. In Punjab, however, farm trees have 86% of the provincial growing stock - the highest in the country. The growing stock of trees on farms when averaged over area of total agricultural land from Table 1 (20.58 million ha) gives a total stock of about 3.42 m³/ha as a national average. (Editor). |
