Experts to highlight importance of 'trees outside forests'

Chandigarh, Apr 23 (UNI) Keeping in view the importance and potential contribution of the Trees Outside Forests (TOF), the experts on environment protection will deliberate their viewpoint on the agenda at a national level seminar being held here on April 25-26.

The health and preservation of trees, their potential for socio-economic and cultural development, silviculture, bioft diversity conservation and the policy issues and promotional strategies would be the topics on which the experts would focus at the seminar, being organised by the Punjab Forest department.

''Unfortunately the contribution of TOF in our society has not been fully recognised and it has been long ignored due to various reasons,'' said Mr H S Gujral, IFS, the chairman of the seminar organising committee.

He said the preservation of trees involved many and varied disciplines from agronomy to Urban Planning, Sociology and Biology, touching upon the spheres of agriculture, the environment, livestock production and our cultural heritage.

Pointing out that the management of trees outside forests should emerge as a phenomenon with much more care in the country, Mr Gujral told UNI that Punjab had a vast potential of increasing its tree cover since 92.7 per cent of its geographical area was ''culturable non-forest area''(CNFA).

He said the objectives of the seminar also includes reviewing the resource assessment practices and associated challenges and to identify institutional and other supportive strategies for the sustainable development of the green cover.

The speakers at the meet would include policy makers and planners from Delhi and other states, foresters, scientists and educationists in the field of environment, education, sociology and history, farmers and Panchayati Raj Institutions, NGOs and donor agencies.

UNI PS MMS DKS RK1240