PHA gives heritage status to Punjab’s oldest, largest trees

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2026) The Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA) will give special protected status to large, old, and ecologically significant trees across the province to stop them from being cut down, Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad said.

The announcement by Mr Ahmad came at a meeting held to discuss Public Parks, Green Belts, and Green Areas Protection & Regulated Emergency Transplantation Regulations, 2026 adopted under the Punjab Horticulture Authority Act, 2025, covering the protection of t,rees, public parks, and green belts.

Under the new framework, any tree with a trunk wider than 36 inches, or aged 30 years or more, will be declared a Heritage Tree and cannot be cut or disturbed without approval.

Such trees may only be removed if there is a compelling reason — such as a safety risk or serious disease — and only after a Technical Committee gives its go-ahead.

No construction or development project — public or private — may proceed if it involves cutting, damaging, or moving trees without a written No Objection Certificate from the relevant horticulture agency. The certificate will only be issued after a technical review.

Where tree removal cannot be avoided, at least 20 new saplings must be planted for every tree felled. If a transplanted tree dies, the number rises to 50 saplings. All replacement trees must be of native, climate-resilient species and maintained for at least three years.

A province-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) will be developed to create a detailed inventory of urban trees, enabling real-time mapping, tracking, and monitoring for planning and conservation purposes.

Each district horticulture agency will form a Technical Committee of independent experts — including arborists, foresters, environmentalists, and botanists — to examine every request to remove, prune, or transplant a tree.

A public digital register of all Heritage Trees, complete with GPS locations and photographs, will be maintained online.

All major development projects that could affect existing trees will be required to carry out Arboricultural Impact Assessments before work begins. A province-wide Geographic Information System will be developed to map and monitor urban trees in real time.

Public parks and green belts will be protected from encroachment, commercial use, and environmental damage. PHA will take action against illegal occupation and misuse of green spaces. Limited use of parks for events or commercial activities will be allowed, but only on a temporary and strictly regulated basis, and must not harm the ecological, recreational, or visual value of the space.

A grievance system will allow the public to report violations, with PHA required to respond to complaints within 15 days. Complaints against a district agency may be referred directly to the provincial body. Dedicated tree officers will be appointed to inspect trees, maintain digital records, process applications, oversee replanting, and ensure compliance.

The regulations have come into force immediately.

Commenting on the development, Mr Ahmad said the regulations were part of a broader institutional commitment to expand Punjab's green cover in a sustained and measurable way.

"Green spaces belong to the public, and the department takes its responsibility as their custodian seriously," he said. "The government recognises that trees are an irreplaceable public asset. And as such, these regulations reflect our resolve to treat tree cover as a matter of provincial priority."

"The goal is to set measurable targets to increase urban forest canopy and carry out annual performance reviews, with results made public to ensure transparency and accountability," PHA Additional Director General Mirza Waleed Baig said. “The measures are designed to curb unchecked urban development, protect green cover, and build climate resilience in rapidly growing cities.”