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Title: Reforestation of degraded hills in Nepal: Review of silvicultural and management issues

Conference · · World Resource Review; (United States)
OSTI ID:7206470
;  [1]
  1. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing (United States)

Nepal's Middle Hill regions have been excessively deforested. The government has launched a community-based reforestation project with help of international donors. However, results have been far from satisfactory. Plantation targets have not been met and survival rates of the planted trees are poor averaging around 60%. Social factors are given more blame than technical ones for these failures. However, an analysis of the available information indicates, rather, that about two-thirds of the failures were due to technical and administrative reasons. Only about 13% of the failures could be attributed to social causes. Poor quality seeds are used to raise undersized seedlings which are planted improperly during the wrong time of the year. Species selected are not appropriate for the site or the people for whom the plantations are being created; rather they are selected for the ease of planting and to meet administrative targets. The overall trend has been to plant conifers (mainly pinus roxburghii) and to plant on relatively easy sites. The result has been the creation of forest plantations which often do not have any management plant, while the few which often do not have any management plan, while the few which do are without any committed managers. There is a tremendous lack of information regarding user demand, growth, yield, and harvesting and utilization techniques. This paper stresses that research to improve practical methods in plantation establishment and training to produce competent, and dedicated resource managers be immediately initiated.

OSTI ID:
7206470
Report Number(s):
CONF-9004276-; CODEN: WRRVE
Journal Information:
World Resource Review; (United States), Vol. 2:2; Conference: 1. international conference on the scientific and policy issues facing all governments: global warming - a call for international coordination, Chicago, IL (United States), 9-12 Apr 1990; ISSN 1042-8011
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English