[1] The forest protects Ludhiana from floods, absorbs air-borne pollution emitted by industries in the area, and cleans the local air.

[2] Many animal species can be found inhabiting it, such as birds, monkeys, deer, sambar, antelopes, wild boar, nilgai, and peacocks.

[1] Furthermore, the Mattewara forest is connected by some to the historical Machhiwara jungle that Guru Gobind Singh escaped to in the aftermath of the Battle of Chamkaur in the early 1700s.

[1][3] In 2020 the Congress-ruled Punjab government authorized the construction of a 955.67 acre-sized industrial park in the Koom Kalan area near the Mattewara forest and Sutlej river.

[1] However, this did calm concerns as there were worries that the sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emitted from the industrial units would cause air-borne dry and wet acidic substances, damaging the forest's vegetation and polluting the local area.

[2][8] On 20 July, a group of seventy nature-lovers and NGOs (including EcoSikh) sent a legal notice to the state government requesting them to cancel the project in-order to safeguard the environment.

[2][9] The director of the Department of Industries and Commerce of Punjab, Sibin C., reassured the public that the government would adhere to proper environmental clearance for any work associated with the project.

[2] The AAP-ruled Punjab government under Bhagwant Mann has since cancelled the project in July 2022 for the proposed industrial park at Mattewara due to the opposition it faced.