FOREST RESOURCES IN A NEPALI VILLAGE IN 1980 AND 1990 - THE POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF POPULATION-GROWTH

This paper describes changes in forest condition and forest management practices in a Nepali village between 1980 and 1990, and attempts to identify the factors behind these changes. In 1980-81 the author spent a year studying forest-use practices and forest products in a village in the Middle Hills of central Nepal. Species composition, density (tree/ha), and tree size (basal area) were described. The quantity of forest products collected from forest lands was measured. Weekly accounts were kept from a sample of households on the amount of firewood and fodder collected, and the number of hours animals were grazed. In 1990 the author returned to the same village to resurvey forest lands and to assess changes in forest-use practices. Despite an annual population growth rate of 2.5%, forests were found to be in much better condition in 1990 than they were in 1980.