MANAGEMENT OF FOREST NURSERIES

Translation
D.P. Archarya and M. Gautam

HMG/UNDP/FAO
Community Forestry Development Project
(Phase II)

Publishers:
Community Forestry Development Project
Hatisar, Kathmandu

Date of Publication:
June 1992

Printers:
Sigma Offset Press
Kamaladi - Kamal Pokhari

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Rinja Rai, Ang Pasang Tamang, Ram Bahadur Bissughorma and Dikurai Bissughorma of Muldi and Ram Bahadur Khotua, and Padam Bahadur Basnet of Neli for helping in the field with this manual. Also to Juddabir Pun of Salija for inspiring me, and mostly to Dr. Charlotte Flower for advice and help with the manuscript.

Adam Harrison

Foreword

This manual is intended to assist field staff in the operation and supervision of nurseries for Community Forestry or on-farm private planting. It is particularly suitable for use by organisations encouraging forestry activities at village level. Good management of nurseries is fundamental to producing good quality seedlings and good quality seedlings are the foundation of any planting programme, community, private or Government sponsored.

Considerable investment has been made in developing nurseries throughout Nepal to assist Community Forestry plantation programmes. While the major emphasis in activities is now shifting to management of natural forest, nurseries will continue to play a vital role in promoting on-farm planting and enrichment planting of degraded forests. Restoration of forest on bare ground that has lost its forest cover will only be achieved through plantation. Dry, warm southern slopes particularly, need to be established in plantation to create the underwood environment that might allow fodder species to re-establish and grow.

Failures in plantations under the Community Forestry programme have often been the result of poor quality seedlings. Production of low quality seedlings has many causes and is not always due to ignorance on behalf of nursery or field staff. Lack of budget, technical and moral support all contribute to causing poor work habits and result in the neglect of essential nursery operations. This manual is an attempt to ensure that for anyone who wishes to grow quality seedlings there are clearly explained nursery techniques in easy to follow instructions that can be understood by the less literate.

The editors greatfully acknowledge the assistance of A.L. Joshi, Sangita Khadka, Ishwari and Marten Bendz.

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software. FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.