From Plantation to Urban Forest

At the Kirat Religious Forest in Hattiban, Lalitpur, Rotary clubs are working with forest authorities, local government and the community to grow a native mini-forest using the Miyawaki method — not a one-day plantation, but the same site developed year after year.

2025–26
5 Rotary clubs · 655 tree saplings · 500 vetiver plants
~95%
Early survival of the first-year planting
2026–27
10 Rotary clubs · 1,000 tree saplings · 1,000 vetiver slips

How it works

The Miyawaki method plants a diverse mix of native species densely (3–5 saplings per square metre) in improved soil, covered with mulch. Watering, weeding, protection and replacement of seedlings during the first two to three years help the planting establish and develop towards a multilayered forest. Vetiver is planted on eroding ground to stabilise the soil and reduce runoff.

Partners

Rotary clubs (five in 2025–26, ten in 2026–27), the Division Forest Office Lalitpur, local government and the Kirat Manghim management committee, with technical guidance from forest authorities.

Results so far

Follow-up observations of the first-year planting, reported in Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41, recorded approximately 95% survival. This is an early establishment indicator, not proof of long-term forest success. The programme follows a simple sequence: Plantation → Survival → Monitoring → Expansion → Mini urban forest. Real success will be measured by how many trees survive, how the forest develops and whether the partnership stays strong enough to protect it.

Source: “From Plantation to Urban Forest: The Miyawaki Approach in Lalitpur”, Rtn. Khadak S. Bisht and Durga Karki, Forest Officer, Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41, pp. 74–75. Interested in discussing support for maintenance or monitoring? Get in touch.