Jammu and Kashmir Government has released its new State Forest Policy-2010 in Jammu on Monday. Announcing the Policy at a press conference in Jammu today, the State Forest Minister Mian Altaf Ahmed said that while laying stress on conserving the forests for the environmental benefits at the same time recognizes the role of forest in poverty alleviation and in meeting the needs of society for forest produce like firewood, fodder and timber, particularly in rural areas. The Minister informed that the protection of forest land has been accorded top most priority in the policy which prescribes reconciliation of records of Revenue and Forest departments and use of modern technology for mapping forest areas and their boundary management. Besides, the State Forest Policy prescribes raising trees and plantations outside forest areas for meeting the timber, firewood and fodder needs of local people so that the burden on natural forests can be reduced. Under the New State Forest Policy afforestation will be carried out on all degraded and denuded lands in the State, within and outside forests, in order to bring maximum geographical area of the state under forest and tree cover. The Minister informed that a high powered institutional mechanism will be put in place to monitor and review the implementation of the Policy.