50 Years Ago, Nepal Adopted Eucalyptus As Fast-Growing Firewood Source; It Became An Agricultural Disaster
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The initiative came as Nepal’s forestry sector faced a crisis following the nationalization in 1957 of all forests within the country. Although that policy was meant to protect trees from private landowners, it resulted in unintended consequences. Private owners cleared their forested land to prevent their land being nationalized, leading to massive deforestation across Nepal, which saw forest cover shrink by at least 1.7% annually. From 1966, the Australian government sent in experts such as White to to help Nepal with its reforestation plans. White and his team suggested replanting the hill tracts with pines brought in from higher elevations and beyond: from khote salla (Pinus roxburghii) and gore salla or Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana), to the nonnative Mexican weeping pine (Pinus patula). For the lowland Terai plains, they suggested eucalyptus, according to Popular Gentle Bhusal, a Nepali environmental and social science researcher at Charles Sturt University in Australia.
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The Sagarnath project planned for an initial harvest of eucalyptus trees after nine years, with subsequent harvests every eight years. By the time the first harvest was carried out in 1989, tree cover had increased and wood supply had improved. Because the project had met its broad objectives, it was deemed successful. But around 2015, during the fourth harvest period, a eucalyptus frenzy swept through Sarlahi district as farmers saw firsthand the truckloads of fuelwood leaving the Sagarnath forests. Enticed by the low maintenance and quick yields, they cleared their rice, mustard and wheat fields to plant eucalyptus. The plant’s popularity spread to more than 20 districts across the Terai region.
In response to this enthusiasm, the district forest office distributed saplings on a massive scale. Although various reports, both from within Nepal and abroad, warned about the possible ecological consequences of the tree, farmers who planted eucalyptus on their fertile land said they were never informed. A 1993 report noted that while eucalyptus was more water-efficient than indigenous species and hadn’t depleted water tables as feared, its high water consumption per hectare could reduce yields on nearby agricultural lands. Eucalyptus can also deplete soil nutrients, harming local soil and leading to declining yields and desertification if not managed with fertilization.
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But the government has refused to accept that promoting the exotic species among farmers was a mistake. Deepak Gyawali, joint secretary of the Ministry of Forest and Environment, said there’s no scientific basis for the accusations. “It has not been proven so far; it is just a hypothesis,” he said, adding that farmers were benefiting from eucalyptus; he cited the tree’s use in plywood factories to make furniture. “The issues have been observed in certain regions, but they are minor compared to the benefits,” Gyawali added. Scientific research suggests otherwise. Research has shown that eucalyptus, which has been introduced to various regions around the world, has long raised significant ecological concerns. Eucalyptus trees have high water consumption, pose increased fire hazards (as seen during the recent L.A. fires), displace native forests, and have negative impacts on local wildlife and plant diversity.
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https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/in-nepal-a-eucalyptus-boom-became-an-ecological-cautionary-tale/