7848By Didar Karim Moorkhoon: The Gilgit-Baltistan forest department has initiated plantation drive across the region. Six thousand Deodara saplings were recently planted in Moorkhoon village under the initiative. The plantation drive is a part of the eight years long Green Pakistan project. DFO Raja M. Arif and RFO Zahid inaugurated the plantation in collaboration with the local community. The project is a good example of social forestry and participatory approach. Plantation under the project will continue in areas without open grazing and with sufficient water availability. GB is among the areas of Pakistan worst affected by global warming. The glaciers in the region are fast melting and depleting, leading to land erosion, flooding, and destruction of properties. GB is located in the center of the Himalayan-Hindu Kush-Karakorum region but has lowest forest covers in the region. Forestation is one of the most effective ways to fight the effects of global warming, clean the air, increase oxygen level in the atmosphere, conserve energy, prevent soil erosion, and enhance the aesthetic appearance and quality of the earth.