The forests of Nepal
In barely 200 km from the plains to the peaks, Nepal's forest changes from tropical Sal to rhododendron and high-altitude fir. Here is what grows where — and the community-forestry movement that turned the green back on.
Forest cover
≈45%
forest + other wooded land
Forest belts
5
from Tarai to treeline
Community forest groups
22k+
≈2.3M ha managed
National flower
Lali Gurans
Rhododendron arboreum
What grows where, from plains to peaks
Climb out of the Tarai and the forest changes with every thousand metres. These are Nepal's five great forest belts and their characteristic trees.
Tarai & Bhabar
60–300 m · Tropical, monsoonal
The lowland plains hold Nepal's prized Sal forests — tall, valuable hardwood — alongside the riverine Khair–Sissoo forests of the floodplains and the wildlife strongholds of Chitwan and Bardiya.
Churia (Siwalik)
300–1,000 m · Subtropical, fragile soils
The Churia foothills are geologically young and easily eroded. Their Sal and mixed hardwood forests are vital for holding soil and recharging the springs the plains depend on.
Middle Hills
1,000–2,000 m · Warm to cool temperate
The densely settled hills are a mosaic of Schima–Castanopsis broadleaf forest, Chir pine on dry ridges, and the terraced farmland in between — the heartland of community forestry.
High Mountains
2,000–3,000 m · Cool temperate
Above the hills, oak and rhododendron forests give way to conifers. In spring the rhododendron — Nepal's national flower — paints whole hillsides red and pink.
High Himal & treeline
3,000–4,500 m · Subalpine to alpine
Near the treeline, fir, birch and juniper hold on before the forest gives way to alpine shrub, meadow and the bare high Himalaya above.
Nepal's signature trees
Sal
सालShorea robusta
Tarai & lower hills
Nepal's most valuable timber tree — strong, durable hardwood that dominates the lowland forests and underpins the legal timber trade.
Rhododendron (Lali Gurans)
लाली गुराँसRhododendron arboreum
Middle & high mountains
Nepal's national flower. Its blood-red spring blooms are a symbol of the country; the flower is also made into a popular juice.
Chir pine
सल्लो (खोटे)Pinus roxburghii
Dry middle-hill ridges
A resilient conifer of dry, south-facing hill slopes, tapped for resin and a quick coloniser of degraded land.
Sissoo
सिसौDalbergia sissoo
Tarai floodplains
A fine furniture hardwood of the riverine forests, paired with Khair in the Khair–Sissoo associations of the plains.
Lokta
लोक्ताDaphne bholua
Middle & high hills
A shrub whose bark makes the famous handmade Nepali Lokta paper, a sustainable forest livelihood and an export product.
Pipal & Bar
पीपल / बरFicus religiosa / benghalensis
Villages nationwide
Sacred fig trees planted at chautari rest-stops and temples — cultural and shade trees at the centre of village life.
How Nepal grew its forests back
Facing severe deforestation in the 1970s, Nepal began handing forests to the people who live beside them. Today more than 22,000 Community Forest User Groups manage around 2.3 million hectares, and the country's forest cover has climbed back to roughly 45% — one of the developing world's most cited conservation turnarounds.
Local control
User groups protect, harvest and replant their forest, and reinvest the income in village schools, trails and water.
Cover recovered
Independent satellite studies confirm Nepal roughly doubled forest cover in parts of the hills over a few decades.
Protected wild lands
Around 23% of the country sits within national parks and protected areas, home to tigers, rhinos and red pandas.
Nepal's forests, answered
How much of Nepal is covered by forest?+
About 45% of Nepal's land area is under forest and other wooded land (roughly 41.7% forest alone), according to the national Forest Resource Assessment. Forest cover has risen over recent decades, largely thanks to community forestry.
What types of forest are found in Nepal?+
Nepal's forests change with elevation: tropical Sal forests in the Tarai and Churia, Schima–Castanopsis and Chir pine in the Middle Hills, oak and rhododendron in the High Mountains, and fir, birch and juniper near the treeline before alpine shrub takes over.
What is the national flower of Nepal?+
The national flower of Nepal is the rhododendron, locally called Lali Gurans (Rhododendron arboreum). Its red spring blossoms cover the middle and high hills and are even made into juice.
What is the most important timber tree in Nepal?+
Sal (Shorea robusta) is Nepal's most valuable timber tree, a strong tropical hardwood that dominates the lowland forests of the Tarai and lower hills.
What is community forestry in Nepal?+
Community forestry hands the management of government forest to local Community Forest User Groups. With more than 22,000 such groups managing around 2.3 million hectares, it is one of the world's most successful participatory forest programmes and a major reason Nepal's forest cover has grown.
Sources & data note
Forest cover and community-forestry figures are approximate, drawn from the national Forest Resource Assessment (FRTC/DFRS) and the Ministry of Forests and Environment. Species lists are characteristic, not exhaustive. The commentary is Amarnepal's own.