Abstract:
The advantages of planting along the railway track are utilization and development of waste land, increase the aesthetic value of the platform, to produce timber, fuel etc., to minimise the dust menace in moving trains, to provide shade and coolness, to check erosion on slopes, to reduce water-logging and salinity conditions, to encourage useful bird life, and a source of revenue for the Government. However, the task of such an-afforestation is difficult because the land is infertile, uneven and it lacks irrigation facilities. A total area of about 10,000 acres is lying waste along the track in West Pakistan. Planned efforts to utilize this land were initiated during 1956 by the Forest Department. The results with various species grown were quite encouraging. Another development scheme for planting 357 miles (3,930 acres) length of rail roads between Rawalpindi and Kbanewal was prepared by the Forest Department early in 1962. It is roughly estimated that 600 acres will be afforested in Lahore Region and 400 acres in Multan Region during 1962-63, Silvicultural methods cannot be applied to this job, which is highly specialised and requires varying methods and techniques depending upon the various locality factors. The choice of species should be made according to the categories of terrain. To facilitate the availability of such a wide variety of plants, nurseries should be established at every five miles of the railway line.
Page(s):
155-166
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Pakistan Journal of Forestry, Volume: 13, Issue: 2, Year: 1963