Tanahun developing into largest exporter of saplings in Gandaki state

Kathmandu - Krishna Neupane Tanahun district is being developed as the centre for sapling production. Of the Division Forest Offices of 11 districts of Gandaki state, the Division Forest Office Tanahun has produced highest number of saplings. Chief of Division Forest Office, Tanahun, Kedar Baral, said that the office produced the saplings at nurseries located at different places of the district and distributed in and outside the district.

He said, “We have been distributing saplings to general people of Tanahun district free of cost. We have become successful to distribute outside the district from this year too. So, the District is being developed as the centre for sapling production.” The office has produced 888,000 saplings this year.

The office has produced saplings at 11 places at the investment of Federal, state governments and Tanahun Hydropower Project. There is a provision that the project has to plant sapling in place of cutting the trees as 416 hectares of forest area would be inundated due to the project. The project provided some amount to the office after it failed to manage time for sapling production.

A total of 530,000 saplings were produced from the mount provided by the project, he added. The Division Forest Nursery has cultivated 50,000 plants under the federal grants, 100,000 plants on the support of state government and 90,000 with the help of Department of Forest. Similarly, 68,000 plants have been grown at the Byas Sub Division Nursery through the federal grants while it was assisted by the Hydropower Project to plant 50,000 plants while Myagde sub-division nursery has 50,000 plants through the federal grants.

Among the grown up plants, 384,900 have been distributed within the district while 34,100 have been dispensed outside the district. The Office is yet to distribute 419,000 plants. The distributed plants include chanp, rudraksha, nareshwor, bay leaf, wood apple, kurilo, kalkiphool, peepal, sugandhakokila, jack fruit, jacaranda, sandalwood, rose, guava, tanki, dragon fruit, badahar, sisau, gooseberry, ashoka, bakaino, khayar, chiuri and so son.

The office distributes plants to several district-based community and private forests and the distribution is taking place as a campaign to promote forestation in the district. The office seeks to enhance the go-green campaign in the district, it is said. The district's forest area stretches to 82,549 hectares of land and there are 617 community forests and 485 leasehold forests throughout the district.