Bara, August 31

District Forest Office, Bara, has felled as many as 7,500 trees for scientific forest management. A total of 2,538 trees were cut down last year alone.

Halkhoriya and Gadhimai Forest Management Groups chopped down the trees with permission from DFO.

The district started scientific forest management from the fiscal 2016-17. Assistant Forest Officer Ramganesh Sah of Bara DFO said 7,500 trees were felled in three years. According to Sah, the forest areas have been protected with wires after felling the trees.

The felled trees have produced 2,61637 cubic feet timber and firewood. The timber and firewood were sold in line with the prevailing regulations.

Locals, however, complained that timber had not been managed well. “Timber kept near Nijgadh have started decaying,” said Man Bahadur Lama, a local.

Bakaiya Nagmani Community Forest Committee Chairman Rabiraj Dangal said that sale of timber was delayed as it took time for technical assessment of the trees felled by the Nepali Army in fast-track area.

The Halkhoriya Partnership Forest Management Committee has fixed forest area, west of Pasaha khola, east of Dudhaura Khola, south of the East-West Highway and Manarhawa Dumarwana, for scientific forest management.

The committee started forest management work on 2038 hectare land. Similarly, Gadhimai Partnership Forest Management Committee has started forest management work on 998 hectare land.

As per scientific forest management programme, the committee has built eight blocks in the designated area. The blocks have been segregated into units where forest management work is under way.