PESHAWAR
\nFor more than a decade, millions of rupees\u2019 worth of valuable timber has lain silent and exposed across the forests and depots of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where its economic potential slowly eroding under sun, rain, and policy paralysis.
\nFrom Malakand to Hazara, stacks of deodar, kail, and fir timber, which was harvested legally as dry windfall wood, remain unsold due to a long-standing ban imposed in 2014 by the PTI Government.
\nWhat was once considered a conservation measure has now become a source of growing concern for traders, farmers, economists, and forest officials alike.
\n\u201cWe are watching money rot in front of our eyes due to long ban on dry windfall timber policy,\u201d said Hamdard Ali, a seasoned furniture trader in Nowshera district.
\nHis two rooms furniture workshop on main GT Road at Pabbi tehsil , once bustling with carpenters, now operates at a fraction of its capacity despite rising furniture demands amid weeding season.
\n\u201cThe ban on dry windfall timber has pushed up the cost of household wood projects in KP,\u201d he said. \u201cRaw material is scarce, prices have doubled, and small furniture makers are being forced out of business.\u201d
\nAccording to Ali, timber worth millions of rupees remains locked in forest depots, particularly in Malakand and Hazara divisions. He urged Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to personally intervene and resolve what he termed a \u201cneedless and damaging delay.\u201d
\nThe economic implications of the stalled policy are staggering and need urgent measures to lift the uncalled for ban on stocked timber. Dr Zilakat Malik, former Chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Peshawar, warned that the province is likely sitting on losses running into billions if policy was not reviewed.
\n\u201cTimber worth approximately Rs6.05 billion is currently lying idle in Malakand and Hazara forest circles,\u201d he claimed. \u201cIf the ban continues, much of this raw material will go to waste and KP will badly suffer economically.\u201d
\nBreaking down the figures, Dr Malik said timber valued at Rs450 million lies in eastern Malakand, Rs2 billion in western Malakand, and Rs3.52 billion in Hazara forest depots and storage sites.
\n\u201cGuards may be protecting the timber, but its quality is deteriorating rapidly,\u201d he added. \u201cProlonged exposure to extreme weather, along with threats of fire, floods, and theft, could wipe out billions in public assets.\u201d
\nOfficials in KP Forest Department acknowledged the gravity of the situation and say steps are finally being taken to unlock the frozen forest resources.
\nLatifur Rehman, spokesperson for the forest department, told APP that Managing Director of the Forest Development Corporation (FDC), Ahmad Zaib, recently briefed senior officials on the status of the long-pending timber settlement.
\n\u201cMillions of cubic feet of dry windfall timber felled over previous years are lying at timber markets, roadside depots, forest areas, and along transit routes,\u201d he said.
\nA large quantity is stored at the Chakdara timber depot, while the rest is scattered across locations such as Allai Battagram and Arandu in Lower Chitral. The bulk of the stock lies in the Malakand Forest Circle, consisting mostly of high-value species.
\nAccording to the forest department, long delays stem from multiple factors such as the 2014 suspension of the Dry Windfall Policy, prolonged litigation, complex third-party verification procedures, policy gaps, and limited workable months for timber transportation.
\nTo prevent further losses, he said the department has proposed immediate auctions of timber at Chakdara and authorization for harvesting and disposal of stock lying in forests and along transit routes.
\n\u201cThese measures will revive stalled investments, generate revenue, and bring long-pending forest produce into a formal settlement framework,\u201d Lateefur Rehman said.
\nThe Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Forests, Environment and Wildlife, Junaid Khan, reaffirmed the government\u2019s commitment to resolving inherited forestry challenges including windfall policy.
\nA comprehensive summary is expected to be presented to the provincial cabinet soon for a final decision.
\nFor traders like Hamdard Ali and countless workers in the furniture and construction sectors, that decision cannot come soon enough.
\n\u201cThis timber is not just wood,\u201d Hamdard Ali said quietly. \u201cIt is livelihoods, homes, and economic dignity\u2014lying wasted while most people in KP struggle economically.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR For more than a decade, millions of rupees\u2019 worth of valuable timber has lain silent and exposed across the forests and depots of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where its economic potential slowly eroding under sun, rain, and policy paralysis. From Malakand to Hazara, stacks of deodar, kail, and fir timber, which was harvested legally as dry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n