Pakistan, Sept. 2 -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Khan Afridi has approved the five-year 'Billion Trees Plus' project, allocating Rs 6.487 billion to expand forest cover and combat climate change, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The project entails plantation on 7,150 hectares, restoration of degraded forests, establishment of 1,200 kanals of wild fruit orchards, and free distribution of around 44 million saplings to farms. It also includes developing over 278 hectares of departmental nurseries and integrated land restoration initiatives.

In a statement, the Chief Minister said the project is not limited to tree plantation but is a comprehensive strategy for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, c...