Conservation-based forest mgmt yields results in Lumbini

By Kapil Gyawali,Siddharthanagar, July 10: Conservation-based forest management aiming to increase forest products has gained momentum in Lumbini Province. 

The forest management work started with the goal of contributing significantly to the province's internal income through timber production. The provincial government has moved forward by creating the Forest Management Standards, 2079 (2022/2023), to proliferate forest products.

Lumbini Province has 974,381 hectares of forest, which constitutes 43.72 per cent of the total land area of the province. In the new provincial budget, around Rs. 30 million has been allocated to implement conservation-based forest management in 100 forests.

The government's goal is to remove non-productive trees, increase forest density and achieve economic prosperity. This programme has been implemented in 214 forests across various districts of Lumbini Province for the sustainable management of forests. 

According to Deputy Secretary of the Lumbini Province Forest Directorate Yagyamurti Khanal, this method has been adopted after abandoning the scientific forest management system.

“We aim to manage all the forests in the province in this manner. This programme aims to bring new plants, while old ones are removed.” This way, all types of plants grow in the forest, making it sustainable and this concept is being implemented everywhere,” he said.

During the past three years, while forest management has been a contentious issue, the programme has been launched to improve the status of renewable natural resources and ensure long-term production and services from forest areas. The programme aims to significantly contribute to the province's internal income through increased forest products and timber production.

The Lumbini Province Forest Act emphasises the harvesting of mature trees and planting saplings in the same area, focusing on forest conservation.

Prabhat Sapkota, an officer at the Division Forest Office, Rupandehi, said, “The conservation-based forest management programme removes growth-stunted trees and allows young trees to grow, ensuring continuous production of forest products.” It is estimated that the programme will produce 26,000 cubic feet of timber annually. 

This programme has been implemented in Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, West Nawalparasi, Palpa, Arghakhanchi and Pyuthan districts of Lumbini Province. On average, 2,500 cubic feet of timber will be produced from one hectare of forest, said Sapkota. 

Evaluating the state of the forest, especially with 80 years for sal (shorea robusta) trees and 10 years for growth of new saplings, the forest is divided into eight sections, and each section is managed as a periodic block, he explained.

Senior Forest Officer, Sudan Dhimal said that new saplings are grown in the harvested areas, with a 10-year periodic cycle, returning to the same place in 80 years. “The forest timber is decaying, and fires are also destroying it. Many trees have become hollow like ‘hemp pipes’ (hollow trees),” he said.

Currently, this programme is implemented in Lumbini Partnership Forest and Kanchan Community Forest in Rupandehi. Rajendra Prasad Chaudhary, president of the Lumbini Partnership Forest, said that after the introduction of programme, timber and firewood will be provided to consumers in a simple and accessible manner.

Rs.860 million revenue collected

Lumbini Province has adopted a policy of collecting Rs. 2 billion in revenue from forests in the coming fiscal year. In the current fiscal year, Rs. 860 million in revenue has been collected from forests in Lumbini Province. Apart from benefitting the environment, forests provide grass, firewood and timber for the people living in its vicinity.

Due to the improper use of forests, forest resources have been destroyed, causing various environmental hazards. About 70 per cent of the forests in the province are accessible. With migration, agricultural land in the hilly districts has turned into forests, increasing the forest area.

Out of the total forest area of 6.6 million hectares in Nepal, Lumbini covers 14.74 per cent. Lumbini Province has 4,037 community forests, eight partnership forests, 406 leasehold forests, 932 private forests, 30 religious forests, two government-managed forests and two protected areas. If conservation-based forest management is fully implemented in the province, employment opportunities can be created, said Forest Officer Bijaya Raj Subedi.

“This will make the province self-sufficient and contribute to the nation's prosperity. As Lumbini Province has started conservation-based forest management for the first time in Nepal, everyone's support is necessary for its successful implementation,” said Subedi.  

The federal government has also initiated the Forests for Prosperity programme by creating laws to implement conservation-based forest management, prioritising this in the policies, programmes and budgets of all seven provincial governments.