PESHAWAR, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 26th Apr, 2026) For Khayam Ali, a 35-year-old breadmaker in tehsil Pabbi Nowshera district, the wedding season has brought a surge of economic opportunity as well as concern.
Khayam’s small roadside tandoor, once modest in output, is now overwhelmed with orders from marriage halls across the district, especially for busy Sunday bookings.
“The demand for tandoor bread is high these days due to mushroom increase of marriages halls on GT Road,” he says, as he tends to stacks of freshly baked loaves.
“I opened tandoor 10 years ago after my mother obtained heavy loans for heart surgery of my father treatment and never looked back,” he told APP.
He relied mostly on dry timber to keep his business running after gas loadsheding forcing many tandoor owners to buy timber from wood taals.
While the switch has kept his business running, it has also increased his costs, with a 50-kilogram bundle of wood now selling for Rs1,500, up from Rs1,000 last year in local market.
A drive along the GT Road from Peshawar to Nowshera reveals the broader story behind his choice. Timber yards brim with stacks of Shisham, Sirus, Kikar, and eucalyptus, sourced from nearby districts to meet the rising demand of consumers.
What appears to be a thriving wood trade, however, masks a deeper environmental challenges in KP.
Forests in private lands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are shrinking at an alarming pace, driven by population growth, economic strain, and increased reliance on timber as an alternative fuel.
According to Pakistan’s National Forest Policy, nearly 27,000 hectares of forests are lost each year nationwide, with communal lands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan bearing the heaviest burden.
The impact is already visible in declining agricultural productivity, deforestation, poverty and recurring climate disasters, including the devastating floods that hit Buner and Swat in previous years.
Environmental experts warned that the damage may soon become irreversible if massive plantations were not carried.
Former conservator forests, Gulzar Rehman said that while the world loses around 10 million hectares of forest annually half of which is eventually restored.
Without urgent action, he cautioned, the country risks losing not only its green cover but also its wildlife and vital pollinators.
He said trees, often taken for granted, are central to ecological balance.
Through transpiration, they release moisture into the air, aiding cloud formation and increasing the chances of rainfall.
Forested areas typically enjoy more stable precipitation, while trees also help retain soil moisture, supporting agriculture and local ecosystems.
Beyond rainfall, trees are one of the most effective natural defenses against rising temperatures and reduce glaciers melt. By absorbing carbon dioxide and providing shade, they cool urban and rural environments alike, improving air quality and making communities more livable.
Recognizing this vital benefits, the provincial government has launched initiatives such as the Ehsaas-e-Shajar campaign, planting one million saplings in a single day of March 23 last.
Secretary for Climate Change, Forests, Environment and Wildlife Junaid Khan described the massive afforestation effort as more than symbolic but a collective movement to foster environmental responsibility and resilience in the face of global climate challenges.
Officials emphasized that planting trees is only the first step to control rising temperature and generate employment opportunities for youth.
Ensuring their survival through community participation, structured care, and modern monitoring techniques like geo-tagging remains a key priority.
Building on past successes such as the billion tree tsunami, the proposed billion tree plus program seeks to expand into forest restoration, biodiversity conservation, and greater inclusion of local communities, particularly in newly merged districts.
At the same time, reforms in governance, digital monitoring of new plantation , and partnerships with the private sector are being introduced to strengthen environmental protection and promote sustainable forest growth.
Amid green policies and projections, the human story remains central. Khayam Ali’s thriving tandoor reflects the everyday choices faced by thousands in KP where economic survival often intersects with environmental cost.
His story underscores a larger truth that the path to sustainability will not be shaped by policy alone, but by aligning livelihoods with conservation.
As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa moves fast toward a greener future, the challenge will be to ensure that people like Khayam are not forced to choose between earning a living and preserving the forests that sustain it.
