By Tika Bahadur Basnet
Dang, Aug. 10: Bamboo Saplings have been planted in a community forest of ​​Dang to control the increasing encroachment of the forest areas.
According to the Division Forest Office, Dang, bamboo saplings have been planted in the forest areas of Babai and Dangisharan Rural Municipalities and Tulsipur Sub Metropolitan City.
Khim Bahadur KC, an information officer of the forest office, said that bamboo saplings were planted in 19 kilometres of forest range near the settlement as encroachment was increasing in the area.
“We have started a new effort to control forest encroachment this year. We have planted bamboo saplings in the forest areas of Babai and Dangisharan Rural Municipalities and Tulsipur Sub Metropolitan areas of the district where there is more encroachment,” KC said.

Since bamboo grows fast, 9,500 bamboo saplings have been planted at a rate of 500 saplings per kilometre.
According to KC, “The forest office believes that the encroachment will be controlled as the bamboos will work as a permanent boundary between the forest and the settlement. Bamboo is planted for multiple purposes and the farmers can make money out of it.”

KC said that the office also aims at reducing human-wildlife conflict near the forest area by controlling forest encroachment. "We have planted bamboo to reduce the encroachment of the forest area near the settlement every year.”

“We have planted bamboo saplings aiming to reduce the encroachment of forest area near the settlement, to control human-wildlife conflict, and the loss of forest by domestic animals,” he said.
According to KC, bamboo has been planted in six community forest areas in Ghorahi Sub Metropolitan City -- three in Babai Rural Municipality, two in Tulsipur Sub Metropolitan City and one in Dangisharan Rural Municipality -- under the priority programme of the Lumbini province government.

"The office has provided Rs. 200 per sapling to the community forest users’ group for plantation,” KC said.