Rapid silviculture appraisal to characterise stand and determine silviculture priorities of community forests in Nepal

Published online: 7 September 2016Community forestry in Nepal is an example of a successful participatory forest management program. Developments in community forestry in four decades have focused on the social and governance aspects with little focus on the technical management of forests. This paper presents a silviculture description of community forests and provides silviculture recommendations using a rapid silviculture appraisal (RSA) approach. The RSA, which is a participatory technique involving local communities in assessing forests and silviculture options, is a simple and costeffective process to gather information and engage forest users in the preparation of operational plans that are relevant to their needs. The RSA conducted on selected community forests in Nepal’s Mid-hills region shows that forests are largely comprised of dominant crowns of one or two species. The majority of studied community forests have tree densities below 500 stems per hectare as a consequence of traditional forest management practices but the quality and quantity of the trees for producing forest products are low. Silviculture options preferred by forest users generally are those which are legally acceptable, doable with existing capacities of forest users and generate multiple forest products. For sustainable production of multiple forest products, the traditional forest management practices have to be integrated with silviculture-based forest management system.Edwin Cedamon, Ian Nuberg, Govinda Paudel, Madan Basyal, Krishna Shrestha, Naya Paude

How understanding of rural households' diversity can inform agroforestry and community forestry programs in Nepal

Socio-economic diversity can help to bring about innovative development in agroforestry practices. The diversity of households in the mid-Nepal hills was analysed using survey data from 521 randomly selected households in six villages. A cluster analysis derived the following household typology based on socio-economic variables—Type 1: resource-poor Brahmin/Chhetri; Type 2: resource-poor Janajati; Type 3: resource-rich mixed-caste households; Type 4: resource-rich Brahmin/Chhetri; Type 5: resource-rich Janajati; Type 6: resource-poor Dalit households. The analysis revealed that social status (caste/ethnicity), household status on foreign employment and landholding are strong predictors of household segmentation in rural Nepal. This paper suggests revision of existing wellbeing ranking approaches using these socio-economic variables for more inclusive and equitable agroforestry and community forestry outcomes.E. Cedamon, I. Nuberg and K.K. Shresth

Pathways to forest wealth in Nepal

Nepal is one of the leading countries embracing community forestry with about 45% of households being members of community forest user groups. However, there has been a failure to deliver the full potential of forest wealth because of a lack of proper silvicultural management, a constraining policy environment and a complex socio-institutional context. Meanwhile, mid-hill agriculture has not kept pace with the changing economy and out-migration. Food insecurity is rife in a landscape of under-utilised forests and under-utilised land. Australian development assistance between 1978 and 2006 supported the establishment of 21 000 ha of community forests and significant contributions to community forest institutions. In the light of the under-performance of this sector, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research established the project Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods through Agroforestry and Community Forestry in Nepal, locally known as EnLiFT, which ran from 2013 to 2018. This paper aims to explain Australia’s contribution to Nepal’s forestry, with a focus on more recent achievements supporting pathways to realise the potential wealth in Nepal’s forests. It begins with an outline of the early Australian support and origins of community forestry in Nepal via the Nepal–Australia Forestry Project, and then the current status of community forestry. It then describes the research process of the EnLiFT project starting with new conceptual models and methods such as: (1) the Pathways Approach to link forest and food security; (2) the EnLiFT Bioeconomic Model of the Farm-Forest Interface; (3) the Silvo-Institutional Model for Scientific Forest Management; (4) Active and Equitable Forest Management; (5) Rapid Silvicultural Appraisal; (6) the Strategic and Inclusive Planning process and (7) EnLiFT Policy Labs. We also highlight many significant development impacts of EnLiFT. The demonstration and training of silvicultural methods released considerable forest wealth into the community. This occurred around the time of the 2015 earthquake when timber was in need for reconstruction. It was also associated with the re-vitalisation of a defunct sawmill by facilitation of community-private partnership. It was responsible for turning the public debate from resistance to acceptance of scientific forest management. It also developed inclusive planning processes for the revision of operational plans of community forests. On privately owned land, EnLiFT demonstrated: (1) the possibility for marked and rapid changes in livelihoods from relatively simple agroforestry interventions based on horticultural commodities and tree fodders; (2) an even greater potential for livelihood enhancement through private forestry and (3) articulated the current institutional and regulatory constraints on sale of trees from private land. We conclude by highlighting the contributions of EnLiFT in policy debate which led to policy outcomes that further the improvement of community forestry, agroforestry and bringing under-utilised land back into productive use.This work was supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research [FST/2011/076]

Q-factors is a useful guide for selection silviculture on Nepal's community forests

There is growing interest by forest users, government forestry officers and policy makers on maximising forest goods and livelihood provisions from community forestry in a sustainable manner. However the way several mature community forests are currently managed based on selection, e.g. negative thinning and crown thinning is questionable as it results to decline in forest stock, timber quality and regeneration. To assist forest users in managing their community forests, an action research has been implemented in Kavre and Lamjung to manage planted Pine (Pinus spp.) and naturallyregenerated Sal (Shorea robusta) through selection system. This paper describes what is q-factor and its relevance for sustainable community forest management in Nepal. The simple guideline for selection system introduced to 30 community forest users groups in six sites are presented for wider adoption and policy recommendation.Edwin Cedamon, Govinda Paudel, Madan Basyal, Ian Nuberg and Krishna K Shresth

Crown and regeneration responses to silviculture systems in Pine and Sal forests: preliminary results from silviculture trials in Mid-hills Nepal

Silviculture trial plots were established in Kavre and Lamjung districts by the EnLiFT Project (Enhancing livelihoods and food security through improved agroforestry and community forestry in Nepal) to examine stand response to selected silviculture systems – uniform shelterwood, selection system, and negative thinning and as a showcase to forest users for these silviculture systems. This paper analyses the extent of canopy gaps on these trial plots after one-year of application of silviculture treatments and regeneration development. Using crown photographs, crown cover was estimated and compared between silviculture systems. The analysis showed that rigid silviculture systems like shelterwood and selection systems created canopy gap larger than negative thinning in Pine plantations and the rate of natural regeneration was directly related with the canopy gap. However, in Shorea robusta-Castanopsis- Schima (Sal-Katus-Chilaune) forest, negative thinning created canopy gap larger than selection system due to removal of 4-D trees, majority of trees were Schima wallichii (Chilaune),which typically have large spreading crown. Although, it may be too early to conclude the relationship between regeneration development and canopy gap from the trial plots, it became clear that silviculture operations have significant role in promoting higher regeneration. Selection and shelterwood systems are better than current silviculture regime represented by negative thinning in this study.E. Cedamon, G. Paudel, M. Basyal, I. Nuberg and N. Paude

Applications of single-tree selection guideline folllowing a DBq approach on Nepal's community forests

There is growing interest by forest users, government forest officers and policy makers on maximising forest goods and livelihood provisions from community forestry in a sustainable manner. However, the way several mature community forests are currently managed based on selection, e.g. negative thinning and crown thinning, is questionable as it results to decline in forest stock, timber quality and regeneration. To assist forest users in managing their community forests, an action research was implemented in Kavre and Lamjung to manage planted Pine (Pinus spp.) and naturallyregenerated Sal (Shorea robusta) through selection system. This paper describes the q-factor and its relevance for sustainable community forest management in Nepal. The simple guideline for selection system introduced to 30 community forest users groups in six sites are presented for wider adoption and policy recommendation.E. Cedamon, G. Paudel, M. Basyal, I. Nuberg and K. K. Shresth

Canopy gaps and regeneration development in Pine and Sal Forests Silviculture Demonstration Plots in Midhills Nepal

Silviculture demonstration plots were established in Kavre and Lamjung districts by the EnLiFT Project to examine stand response to selected silviculture system ~ uniform shelterwood, selection system, and negative thinning and as a showcase to forest users for these silviculture system. This paper analysis the extent of canopy gaps on these demo plots after silviculture treatments and regeneration development one-year after treatment. Using crown photographs, crown covers are estimated and compared between silviculture systems. The analysis have shown that rigid silviculture systems like shelterwood and selection system can create significant canopy gaps than negative thinning in pine plantations and that the rate of natural regeneration is directly related with the canopy gaps. In Sal-Katus-Chilaune forest however, negative thinning created canopy gaps larger than selection silviculture demo plots due to removal of 4-D trees, majority are Chilaune trees, which typically have large spreading crown. Although conclusion from the demo plots at this stage may be too early to make on regeneration growth and canopy gap relationship, it is clear that silviculture operations have significant role in promoting higher rate regeneration growth and that rigid silviculture operations like selection and shelterwood systems are better than current silviculture regime represented by negative thinning in this study.Edwin Cedamon, Govinda Paudel, Madan Basyal, Ian Nuberg and Naya Paude

Contrasting water use patterns of two important agroforestry tree species in the Mt Elgon region of Uganda

Published online: 22 Jan 2019.Lack of information on water use of key agroforestry species is an obstacle to understanding their influence on crop productivity. Cordia africana and Albizia coriaria are the dominant tree species of smallholder farming systems in the Mt Elgon region of Uganda and have multiple uses in agroforestry systems. This study deployed six sap flow meters on stems of three selected trees each of C. africana and A. coriaria on-farm. The objective of the study was to assess the daily water use patterns of these agroforestry tree species at different times of the year. We measured the daily sap flow of these two species using the heat ratio method over a period of 18 months. There was a significant main effect of the interaction between tree species and season on daily water use. The two species show contrasting patterns of seasonal water use across leaf shedding stages characterised by episodes of reverse flow in A. coriaria at specific periods of the year. We propose that reverse flows in A. coriaria were triggered by leaf shading while the zero flows in C. africana, which occurred during rainfall events, could have resulted from a lag phase, an indication that the two species may have different water-use strategies. Although C. africana uses 12–15 l day−1 and A. coriaria uses 20–32 l day−1 based on the study trees, C. africana generally uses 12% more water than A. coriaria on a standardised daily basis. Albizia coriaria exhibited radial variation of sap velocities between the inner and outer thermocouples at different periods of measurement, a phenomenon worth investigating further. The leaf shedding patterns of the two trees provide an opportunity for maximising the temporal complementarities of agroforestry systems where these trees exist. This knowledge of C. africana and A. coriaria tree water use provides critical insight for developing successful long-term tree monitoring and management programs in agroforestry systems.J. Buyinza, C. W. Muthuri, A. Downey, J. Njoroge, M. D. Denton and I. K. Nuber

Narrative Insights Reveal the Motivations of Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs in Laos

The participation of youth in agricultural entrepreneurship (agripreneurship) is beneficial for the sustainable development of agrarian societies that are transitioning towards the commercialization of agriculture. Accordingly, we investigated the phenomena that motivate practicing young, small- and medium-scale agripreneurs to pursue their careers, using the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) as a case study. To achieve this, we applied narrative inquiry techniques to the accounts of 74 young Laotian agripreneurs regarding their entry into agripreneurship. This enabled us to identify and describe common and influential paradigms that were subsequently interpreted from the perspective of entrepreneurship and behavioral studies of career decision making to explain the influence of motivations on the young agripreneurs. Our study has shown that despite the characteristics that set agripreneurship in Laos apart from entrepreneurship in general, commonly identified typologies of entrepreneurial motivation, particularly income, extrinsic benefits and emotional paradigms also motivate Lao youth to become agripreneurs. The application of narrative inquiry has revealed the emphasis some practicing agripreneurs in Laos place on the attainability of their career, which resulted in its practice by both opportunity-driven and necessity-driven entrepreneurs, with implications for the sustainable development of other countries in transition to commercial agriculture