SARLAHI: The District Forest Office, Sarlahi, is preparing to convert 26 hectares public land in the district to  forest under the forest decade programme. District Forest Officer Kedar Dahal said that plants of different species would be planted in five different VDCs. Dahal added that six hectares of land each in Kisanpur, Kabilasi and Basantapur VDCs and four hectares each in Bela and Brahmapur VDCs would be made forest areas. Dahal shared that the Office could not find sufficient public land for afforestation to increase the forest areas. Dahal further said that as many as 20,500 saplings would be distributed in 12 VDCs of six constituencies that lack public forests in the district, for the plantation. “Delayed rainfall has slightly affected the afforestation job. We will immediately begin once the rainfall starts,” Dahal said. Of the total 125,948 hectares land, forest area covers 29,362 hectares in Sarhali district.