Department of Forestry at a Glance:
The Department of Forestry (DoF) was established in 2018 at MUST Pallandri Campus, as an effort to develop an educational program that prepares young generation with the knowledge, skills and attitude that will help them to be more effective and skillful towards society and environment. Forestry education is therefore has special emphasis and importance as a stream of science learning besides importing knowledge on IT and arts, is fully established and being run successfully. The DoF is at the beginning stage of its establishment and has great potential to expand and proliferate in diverse fields which are of great relevance to the present and future needs of the era. Main objective is to produce well trained and equipped Human Resource (HR) with the latest scientific and professional knowledge and expertise who can manipulate the indigenous and cosmopolitan plant knowledge for better application of forest and natural resources for sustainable subsistence of humans on this planet.
To improve the quality of life through providing support of effective research and trained manpower for scientific management of forests, rangelands, wildlife, watersheds, environment protection, and biodiversity conservation in Pakistan.
Conservation and protection of the conifer species, natural forests extending from xerophytic conditions in the South and Alpine pastures in the North. Famous tree species of conifer trees like Pinus roxburghii (Chir pine), Pinus wallichiana (Kail), Cedrus deodara (Deodar), Picea smithiana (Spruce), and Abies pindrow (Fir) are found in the territory of AJ&K.
Forests are renewable and complex ecosystems capable of providing a wide range of environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to humankind and other creatures. Forest ecosystem provide a variety of goods (products) and services such as timber, fuel-wood, byproducts (goods), ecological services such as mitigating global warming, absorbing carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, nutrient recycling and social services as recreation, traditional uses and spirituality, forest bathing, etc.
These forests harbor biological and genetic diversity and gene pool, provide refuge and food to wildlife, protect fragile watersheds of the region, and provide healthy and pleasant environment, add to the scenic beauty and help promoting tourism in the area.
They are major source of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and provide a wide variety of medicinal herbs, foods, food additives, mushrooms, resin, and many other products (fuel-wood, peat, charcoal briquettes, cork, rubber, resins, pine oils, dying and tanning, plant and animal products with medicinal value).
As about 88% of human population resides near forests, these forests are a major source of livelihoods of the dwellers. They earn their livelihoods by exploiting NTFPs, fish, fuelwood, grazing their livestock in forests, seeking direct employments and working as labor in a variety of forest activities including, raising nurseries, plantations, felling trees, extraction and many other activities.
Hence, meeting challenges of conservation and promotion of these forests, the state needs qualified and trained manpower.
The Department of Forestry will fulfill the growing needs of trained manpower, provide opportunities to the students to equip themselves with forestry and tourism knowledge and training and be able to render their services in protection and conservation of the forests of AJ&K/Pakistan.
- Development of strenuous and assiduous personality of students by knowledge and national and international collaboration.
- A proficiency in Forestry and basic biological sciences for practical issues’ solution of human.
- A talent furnishing to observe and cope with regional, national and international impact of climate changes and sustainable life on biosphere.
- A potential development of human expertise in Forestry and its allied disciplines to make exponential growth in GDP of the country.
- Promotion of farm forestry in the area to reduce pressure on native forests through farm forestry projects and research
- To understand the significance of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to local communities through various marketing activities.
- Our graduates have sound knowledge of Forestry; they easily get jobs in Government Organizations as well as in private and international NGOs.
- The graduates can also appear in competitive examinations e.g. Azad Kashmir Public Service Commission and Federal Public Service Commissions for administrative and academic positions.