Private forest (PF) program has the potential to be one of the most efficient forest management programs in Nepal but it has not gained the momentum compared to the other forest management regimes. Considering this, this paper aims to portray policy provisions, existing institutional arrangements as well as landholder experiences and perceptions over the existing mechanisms of PF registration, management, and forest product harvesting. Using the Sudoorpashchim province of Nepal as a case study, we conducted policy and literature reviews, key informant interviews, household surveys, and field observations. We found only 300 PFs registered in the Sudoorpashchim province, with lowland districts having the highest proportion (87%). Institutional arrangements and procedures for timber harvesting and selling were found to be lengthy and complex, with this being a major issue for PF owners with small forest areas. Government initiatives are inadequate to facilitate PF development due to poor implementation of policy provisions, as well as the lack of appropriate incentives and program packages. Despite a very small government investment in PF development, we found the return from PFs in terms of timber supply to be substantially higher than other forest management regimes. Among others, PF owners perceive the cumbersome regulatory procedures and lack of technical support to be the most pertinent factors responsible for the limited growth of PFs. Based on our results, we have discussed and recommended a number of policy and institutional measures to mainstream PF development programs, in order to support economic prosperity of the nation.

中文翻译：

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为什么私人森林计划在尼泊尔受阻？

私人森林（PF）计划有可能成为尼泊尔最有效的森林管理计划之一，但与其他森林管理制度相比，它并没有获得动力。考虑到这一点，本文旨在描述政策规定、现有制度安排以及土地所有者对现有 PF 登记、管理和林产品采伐机制的经验和看法。我们以尼泊尔的 Sudoorpashchim 省为案例研究，进行了政策和文献回顾、关键知情人访谈、家庭调查和实地观察。我们发现在 Sudoorpashchim 省注册的 PF 仅有 300 个，其中低地地区的比例最高（87%）。发现木材采伐和销售的制度安排和程序冗长而复杂，对于拥有小森林面积的 PF 所有者来说，这是一个主要问题。由于政策规定执行不力，以及缺乏适当的激励措施和一揽子计划，政府举措不足以促进公共财政的发展。尽管政府对 PF 开发的投资非常少，但我们发现 PF 在木材供应方面的回报远高于其他森林管理制度。其中，PF 所有者认为繁琐的监管程序和缺乏技术支持是导致 PF 增长受限的最相关因素。根据我们的结果，我们讨论并推荐了一些政策和制度措施，以将 PF 发展计划纳入主流，以支持国家的经济繁荣。