Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) is an important native conifer tree species in Nepal. It has dominated the coniferous forests of the country, which comprise 17% of the total area. There has been a great interest during the 1980s in chir pine plantation because of the high survival rate and ease of establishment of the species. In 1981 and 1982, 57% of all trees planted by the Community Forestry Development Project were chir pine. It was considered a suitable pioneer species for the rehabilitation of severely degraded exposed sites of the hill.
Community forestry is a major activity in the hills of Nepal. It mainly focuses on the fulfilment of immediate needs of farmers for fuelwood and fodder. Since pine needles have no use as fodder and is also less preferred by the local people for fuelwood, chir pine plantations have generated considerable debate among the public. Thus, forestry personnel have been compelled to start planting more socially acceptable broadleaf tree species on degraded sites regardless of their ecological adaptability. The consequence is a large-scale mortality in many community forestry plantations such as in Sindhu Palchowk and Kavre Palanchowk districts of Nepal.
Chir pine is used for various purposes. It is serving as a major construction timber in hilly areas and even in cities like Kathmandu it is the best alternative construction timber. It is also widely used for making furniture. There are hundreds of furniture factories operating in Nepal, many of which are unable to operate at full capacity due to the shortage of raw materials. Similarly, two plywood mills have been operating at 52% capacity due to the shortage of raw material. Sustainable management of the chir pine forests could contribute to the alleviation of these shortages. In addition, resin from chir pine trees is used to manufacture turpentine, rosin and other products. In many inaccessible forest patches of the country, where timber production is not practicable, chir pine forest could be used solely for resin collection. HMG, ADB and FINNIDA estimated in 1988 that the requirements of existing rosin and turpentine industries would be 6600 metric tonnes by 2010-2011.
Chir pine has a potential to uplift the rural economy through the establishment of industries and opportunities employment. Chir pine-based industries could be a viable option to mitigate the domestic demand and earn foreign currency by exporting required products to international markets.
The Forest Research and Survey Centre (FORESC) has established a chir pine provenance trial in Syanja district. Eight provenances of Nepal are being tested.
