Over 52,000 saplings planted in Gulmi

By Ramesh Bishwokarma,Gulmi, Aug. 4: Over the past year, more than 52,000 saplings have been planted in various locations across Gulmi. 

According to the Division Forest Office, Gulmi, a total of 52,231 saplings were planted in community forests, national forest areas and private lands in the fiscal year 2023/24 under different programmes.

These saplings were distributed by the Division Forest Office and planted across 32.64 hectares of land in 26 different locations in the district.

Rajen Kunwar, Information Officer and Forest Officer at the Division Forest Office, Gulmi, informed that saplings of various species, including walnut, Sichuan pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon, myrobalan, bamboo and others were planted.  The highest number of walnut saplings were planted under different programmes in community forests, national forests and various private lands during the last fiscal year.

Tree planting was carried out through community forest user groups and on private uncultivated land. The Division Forest Office's statistics indicate that 22,784 saplings were planted on private land, covering 14.24 hectares of land in one year.

According to the Division Forest Office, 16,663 saplings were planted across 10.42 hectares of community forests in 13 different locations in Malika Rural Municipality through user groups. 

These included 560 saplings of bay leaf and other species planted on 0.35 hectares of vacant land at Thanapati Lower Secondary School in Malika Rural Municipality - 8.

Similarly, 6,384 saplings were planted across 3.98 hectares of community forests in eight different locations in Resunga Municipality through user groups.

In Dhurkot Rural Municipality, 3,200 saplings were planted across 2 hectares of land in two different locations. Similarly, 3,200 saplings were planted across 2 hectares of land in two different locations in Gulmidarbar Rural Municipality, Information Officer Kunwar said.

The office reported that Rs. 4.47 million was spent on sapling production, planting, and protection over the past year. A total of 57,703 saplings of 10 different species were purchased and distributed last year. 

These included 16,005 Sichuan pepper, 14,773 walnut, 350 sandalwood, 700 lychee, 900 mango, 555 avocado, 1,500 lemon, 20,000 broom grass, 2,720 agarwood and 200 rudraksha saplings.

In one year, the Division Forest Office, Gulmi, produced a total of 132,213 one-year-old saplings and 144,042 multi-year saplings. Timber saplings totaled 44,618 one-year-old and 21,315 multi-year saplings. 

Around 51,494 one-year-old herbal saplings and 80,870 two-year saplings. Other saplings (including ornamental species) 36,101 saplings of one-year-old and 41,857 multi-year saplings. Kunwar said that tree plantation is carried out not only to increase forest production and improve the economic value of forests but also to control floods and landslides in various locations.