LAHORE:The Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) has designated officers across major district agencies to inspect trees, maintain digital records, oversee replanting, and enforce horticulture regulations, a spokesperson announced.
Called Tree Officers, the senior officials have been designated in accordance with tree protection regulations adopted by the umbrella body of district horticulture agencies earlier this year. Under the regulations, the PHA director general will designate one or more Tree Officers for each agency.
Tree Officers have so far been designated in Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha and Lahore, the spokesperson said, adding that the remaining districts will assign the role to suitable officers in the coming days.
The Tree Officer will be responsible for maintaining and updating a Comprehensive Tree Inventory Record, including GIS-based mapping, and conducting periodic inspections of trees within the notified jurisdiction. The officer will examine and process applications for tree felling, pruning, or transplantation, and present cases to a technical committee for approval of tree removal.
Each district agency will constitute a technical committee of independent experts — including arborists, foresters, environmentalists and botanists — to review all requests to remove, prune or transplant trees. The Tree Officer will serve as secretary of the committee.
Supervision of compensatory plantation and survival monitoring for a minimum of three years will also fall under the officer’s purview. Additional responsibilities include declaring and maintaining a record of Heritage Trees, initiating proceedings against violators — including issuance of notices and penalty recommendations — and submitting quarterly compliance and preservation reports to the Managing Directors of concerned horticulture agencies.
The Tree Officer will also coordinate with other government departments on infrastructure projects affecting trees, and impose fines and penalties.
The department will also designate Assistant Tree Officers (ATOs) to support field operations wherever required. The ATO will assist in inspections and field verification, monitor plantation sites and survival rates, prepare technical assessment reports, and maintain photographic and digital records.
PHA has a zero-tolerance policy for tree cutting, the spokesperson said, adding that tree protection is the top priority of both the Punjab government and the department.
He noted that PHA has undertaken ambitious plantation drives across districts to improve the climate, and has also strived to create awareness among the younger generation about the importance of trees and forests through a variety of measures.
