LAHORE: The South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) on Monday celebrated the International Day of Forests (IDF) by organising a media briefing to sensitise journalists to the importance of forestry and the need to conserve forests for a greener Pakistan. South Punjab Forest Company Chief Executive Officer Tahir Rasheed briefed the media about the state of Pakistan’s forests, forestry initiatives in Pakistan, and the role of the SPFC to save the existing forests of Pakistan. This year’s theme of the day is ‘Forests and Energy’, as wood fuel provides 40 percent of today’s global renewable energy supply and almost 900 million people, mostly in developing countries, are engaged in the wood-energy sector on a part or full-time basis. According to Tahir Rasheed, “Strategically placed trees in urban areas can cool the air by two to eight degrees Celsius. Since Pakistan is among the top ten countries vulnerable to climate change according to Germanwatch’s latest Global Climate Risk Index 2017, it is imperative to improve forest cover so that its vulnerability to extreme weather events can reduce.” He referred to a data by the World Bank according to which Pakistan’s forest cover in 1990 was 3.3 percent, which was reduced to 1.9 per cent in 2015. He hoped that through the South Punjab Forest Company’s initiative, private investments in the forestry sector would increase, which would reduce logging pressure on the existing forests, create green jobs and fill the gap between the balance of payments due to fall in wood imports. The day aims at raising awareness of forestry across the world for a sustainable future.