FAO Forestry country profiles - natural woody vegetation

Shrubs

The scrub formations in Pakistan can be grouped into three main types:

• Tropical thorn forests, also known as scrub forests of the plains or desert scrub. A number of thorny species like jand (Prosopis spicigera), karir (Capparis aphilla) and phulai (Acacia modesta) are representative of this type. Frash (Tamarix articulata), pelu (Salvadora oleoides) and mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) also commonly grow in the degraded lands. These forests provide firewood to local communities and forage to cattle. They consists of small patches of short-boled, low-branching tree species and a variety of shrubs.

• Subtropical dry evergreen forests are comprised of small evergreen trees and shrubs. They grow up to about 1 000 m altitude on the hill slopes. Main species are phulai (Acacia modesta) and kau (Olea cuspidata), which are useful sources of firewood. Other species are ber (Zizyphus jujuba), Dodonea viscosa, etc. Grazing, browsing, lopping and over-exploitation for firewood has degraded a large part of these forests. They play an important role as vegetative cover of the main water catchments;

• Alpine scrub is composed of rhododendrons and junipers above 3 500 m.