• Consumers can utilise the forests as a source of income if used in scientific way

Bhojpur, December 4

Bhojpur Division Forest Office has started scientific forest management aiming to make the community forest a source of income in the district.

The Division Forest Office started the work to make consumers independent with regard to their income sources.

Work has already started in the districts of the Tarai. The materials decayed in the forest have been removed and new trees have been planted in the same place using scientific methods. This noble work has been linked with the economy.

Chief at the Division Forest Office Phanendra Pokhrel said the forest had been managed in such a way that consumers would benefit from forest-related materials, especially in the rural areas. “The noble work may be a pathway to income generation for consumers along with the management of the forest,” he said.

Pokhrel said useless wood, among other forest-related materials in the forest, could be utilised as a source of income through scientific methods.

The work had started from Banchare Community Forest at Jarayotar of Arun Rural Municipality recently.

According to the Division Forest Office, three other community forests are in the process of being selected for the scheme. With the scientific management of forest, old trees will be removed and new trees will be planted in the same place, which will help the next generation.

Federation of Community Forest Consumers Nepal central member Sabina Rai said consumers had to be alert taking into account that illegal timber smuggling might take place in the name of forest management. She said wood, cardamom farming, medicinal herbs, among others, could be sources of income.

There are as many as 562 consumers’ community forests and 191 leasehold forests are under the Division Forest Office. As many as 52,595 households and 1,596 poor households will benefit from community forest.

Representative of Federation of Community Forest Consumers, Bhojpur. Rajan Rai said it was necessary to take the message of the noble work to the local level.

He said the forests could not be used as source of income till date even though there were more than 500 community forests in the district. “The consumers can utilise the forests as a source of income if the forests are used in a scientific way,” he added.

The national forest spreads over 8,471 hectare land.