Pay for forest services, not timber: K-P policy shift backed by carbon and watershed value

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's forest policy still centers on timber even though a harvesting ban has been in place since 1992. A forestry expert argues that approach has failed landowners and the forest itself, and proposes paying for standing trees through carbon sequestration, watershed protection, biodiversity, and non-timber products like medicinal herbs and honey. The piece calls for revising K-P forest laws, management plan codes, and training curricula so ecosystem services are legally and financially recognized. It also recommends participatory management with local communities, GIS and drone monitoring, and a dedicated authority or endowment fund to collect payments and distribute them to forest owners. For anyone interested in forest carbon projects or payment for ecosystem services, this is a practical outline of what a transition away from timber revenue would require, including the unresolved question of who pays and how the money reaches the ground.