Plants are used as ethnomedicine by indigenous people living all around the world. In Nepal, plants are being used for healing diseases since a long period by various ethnic groups of rural areas due to difficulty in the availability of modern medicines. Many researchers have contributed to the documentation of ethnomedicinal knowledge on plants in Nepal; however few studies have been carried out on hilly districts. Our study aims to review and compile all the published research documents on ethnomedicinal uses of plants by various ethnic groups of hilly districts in Nepal. Altogether 35 published documents till August 2020, accessed through Google Scholar and Research Gate were selected for our study. A total of 215 plant species from 93 families was found to be used for the treatment of 139 types of diseases by 10 ethnic groups of 13 hilly districts. Also, leaves were used for the treatment of maximum numbers of diseases (69). Plants from Fabaceae, Asteraceae, and Poaceae, etc. were used to treat major diseases like; diabetes, asthma, stomachache, fever, jaundice, etc. Traditional knowledge on medicinal uses of plants is needed to be explored and documented to preserve traditional medicinal knowledge as well as medicinal plants.

This study was conducted to assess biomass and carbon stock along slopes in Depard community forest, Manahari-6, Makwanpur district of Nepal. In Nepal, carbon stock estimation has been less practiced in community forest. A random sampling method was applied in this study to collect biophysical data i.e. DBH and height by non-destructive method to estimate the quantity of tree biomass and carbon stock. 21 sample plots with 1% sampling intensity were established within the study area. The circular area of 250 m2 was predetermined with the radius of 8.92 m for this study. Secondary data were collected through published and unpublished literature. Data were pooled and analyzed with SPSS software. The total biomass and carbon stock were calculated to be 1381.30 t/ha and 649.21 t/ha, respectively. The biomass and carbon stock were highest (563.12 t/ha and 242.42 t/ha) in 0-5% slope, and lowest in >20% of slope (334.75 t/ha and 143.60 t/ha). The difference of biomass and carbon in slopes may be due to the accumulation of more organic matter and other minerals in the less sloped areas through rainfall, landslide.

Genetic diversity helps to survive forest trees in several environmental changes and disease conditions. Different forest management activities such as harvesting, thinning, natural or artificial regeneration, seedlings or coppice forests, fragmentation, and overexploitation have a tremendous influence on the genetic diversity and population structure of forest trees. This paper aimed to review the impacts of these activities on the genetic diversity of forest trees. For this, we reviewed several scientific literature related to forest management practices that affect genetic diversity. Altogether,75 papers were reviewed, interpreted, and evaluated to prepare our final manuscript. The result of this study recommends that the level of genetic impacts varies with management activities, stand structure as well as species characteristics. There is very limited information about the impacts of forest management practices on the genetic diversity of forest trees since it is only focused on the growth of stands. The field research activities for species-specific must be executed considering ecological and reproductive parameters to assure sustainable forest ecosystems. Hence, this review will be beneficial for forest conservationists, researchers, and managers for the management of forests through better forest management activities preserving a genetic pool of the forest trees, and sustainable utilization of forest products.

Non-timber forest products are the major source of income for mountainous countries like Nepal. This article attempts to explore a case of traded non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Jajarkot district and its contribution to the economy. Collection of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) and resin tapping are some of the major sources of employment for a large number of rural people. 53 different types of NTFPs are traded from the Jajarkot district. Local people collect these NTFPs from the forest and export them within and outside the district mainly to India and China. Jajarkot district on average exported 1,590,681.72 kg NTFPs worth NRs. 3,819,271.6 (equivalent to USD 32,081.88) from the year 2015 to 2020 to the national economy through royalty. NRs. 2,246,719.4 (equivalent to USD 18,872.44) per year came from MAPs and NRs. 1,572,552.2 (equivalent to USD 13,209.4) from resin during the years 2015 to 2020. If this district could produce all the commonly available NTFPs in a large scale, then there would be a high possibility of transforming the current unviable economy into a practical and vibrant economy. A proper inventory, identification and sustainable harvesting, are essential to promote and conserve these NTFPs.

Background: Plants are being utilized worldwide as a primary health care need. The reliance is also prevalent in Nepal, aided by its high biological diversity. The rich floral composition in Puranchaur offers a remarkable opportunity for ethnomedicinal research. This study aimed to index the ethnomedicinal knowledge of plant species of Puranchaur of Kaski district.Methods: Open-ended semi-structured questionnaires were conducted to collect data during October 2021 to November 2021 using Key Informant Interview (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The reported traditional uses were asked with traditional healers and cross-validated with previously published literature. Data were analyzed and represented in a tables, graphs, radar, and pie charts.Results: A total of 131 medicinal plants, belonging to 67 families and 119 genera were recorded to treat 156 different ailments. Poaceae and Asteraceae families represent the maximum number of plants used (N=11). Herbs were most frequently used (N=67) among the different habits of plants. The most preferred form of medication was paste (N=56), followed by juice (N=54), raw (N=47), powder (N=34), decoction (N=19), and cooked (N=10). Leaf cured a large number of diseases (N=112). Commonly used plant parts were seed (N=67) followed by leaf (N=58), flower (N=32), root (N=31), stem (N=29), fruit (N=25), bark (N=22), whole plant (N=13), latex (N=7), tuber (N=6), rhizome (N=5), bulb (N=1), and cornsilk (N=1).Conclusion: This study concluded that documentation and preservation of biodiversity and its associated knowledge is necessary which could generate further research activities. Ocimum sanctum is the most frequently cited medicinal plant with Relative Frequency Citation (RFC) 0.44 followed by Acorus calamus L. (0.41), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (0.40), Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. (0.38), and Mentha spicata L. (0.37) and the Informant Consensus Factor (Fic) was found to be highest for digestive alignment category (0.8) and lowest for ear (0.00). The pharmacological and phytochemical studies of these medicinal plants should be carried out for their scientific validation.