Buffer zone residents in Kanchanpur accused of deliberately killing Sal trees

Forest officials say locals peel the bark off and harm the roots to kill the trees and are also involved in timber smuggling.

The once abundant Sal (Shorea robusta) trees in the Chandev village of Laljhadi Rural Municipality-6 are dead and rotting. The village is close to the buffer zones of the Hariya Community Forest and Baijnath Community Forest of the Shuklaphanta National Park.