LAHORE: University of Health Sciences (UHS) Vice Chancellor Maj Gen (r) Prof Muhammad Aslam has said that trees bestow endless benefits – they provide oxygen, improve air quality, ameliorate climate, conserve water, preserve soil and support wildlife.
He was addressing the participants of a seminar organised in connection with National Green Day that was celebrated on Thursday. The UHS faculty, staff and students participated in the seminar. Speaking on the occasion, he said that Prime Minister’s Green Pakistan Programme aimed at development of a green civilisation that was linked to the foresting and wildlife awareness and practices of the country.
Prof Aslam said that trees were a great gift of nature that, when fully grown, could produce 2,721 kilogrammes of oxygen in a year, which was enough to support at least two people. He said that trees were a good source of food as well.
“For example, the common oak tree can support 284 species of insects. These in turn provide food for numerous birds and small mammals,” he added. The UHS VC said that trees could also have an impact on the energy used for heating and cooling a building, reducing air conditioning costs by as much as 30 percent.
“Trees also provide shade. A large tree can also transport as much as 378.5 litres (100 gallons) of water into the air per day. This has a cooling effect roughly equivalent to 10 single room air conditioners operating 20 hours a day,” Prof Aslam informed.
The UHS VC also lauded the efforts of the varsity gardeners for keeping the campus green and distributed gifts among them.
Later, a walk was arranged to highlight the importance of tree plantation. In the end, a tree was planted in the lawn of the varsity campus.