TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL Improved Cultivation Technique for High- yielding Bamboo Stands for Industrial Pulp and Paper Production INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN

Bamboos grow more rapidly than trees and start to yield within three or four years of planting. Plantation establishment requires minimal capital investment and builds upon the inherent plant-cultivation skills of local farmers and foresters. Bamboos can be harvested annually and non-destructively. Bamboos are excellent for rejuvenating degraded lands and protecting against soil erosion. Bamboos may easily be intercropped with shallow-rooted crops. As well as the culms, all other parts of the bamboo plant can be used in rural livelihoods - shoots for food, leaves for fodder, and branches for items such as brooms and for firewood.

Why Manage Bamboo Stands for Industrial Pulp and Paper Production ? Bamboo culms are excellent raw materials for processing into different kinds of paper. Bamboo has a high cellulose (40~60%) and low hemicellulose content, and the fibers are strong, long ( mm), have a high length to width ratio and thick walls, which are beneficial for papermaking. Pulp and paper production for the world market is increasing and requires large amounts of raw materials. Commercially productive bamboo stands for pulp and paper production benefits the ecology and economies of rural communities.

What are High-yielding Bamboo Stands for Industrial Pulp and Paper Production ? The aim of Improved Cultivation Techniques for High-yielding Bamboo Stands for Industrial Pulp and Paper Production is to implement modern cultivation and management techniques to meet the increasing demand of raw materials for pulp and paper production. The bamboo stands are managed for culm production, and specific cultivation and harvesting techniques are used. The standing bamboo culms are harvested on short rotation cycles. B.lapidea McClure

How do I establish bamboo stands for pulp production? 1. Select the species 2. Remove the old stumps : 3. Loosen the soil 5. Practice Rational Culm Harvesting 4. Timely application of fertilizer 6.Constant monitoring and improvement

Main development attributes of high-yield bamboo stands for pulp and paper production Reduces dependence on timber resources and thereby increases environmental protection and conservation. Permits rehabilitation of degraded lands through increased areas of bamboo plantations and increases land productivity. Creates employment opportunities because it is labor intensive with very low investment. Builds on the inherent plant cultivation skills of local farmers and foresters and hence is easily adopted, and the work is gender insensitive - women can be employed in all stages of paper production. Requires organic inputs such as fertiliser for optimum plant growth.

Some salient facts The development of bamboo stands for pulp and paper production should be market oriented, otherwise success will be unlikely. The participants in bamboo management requires suitable financial and service supports in order to operate properly. Choice of species is important. Species should have high- yield productivity and have fibre characteristics that make them suitable for pulp and paper production It are important to regulate bamboo stand structure and practice rational cutting and fertilizing. Photo: D.membranaceus

Requirements for success Land available for bamboo cultivation Interest in local communities in planting bamboo. Start up capital for the purchase of propagules, fertilisers and labor costs. Easy access to market with cheap transportation. Institutional and policy support. Proper market linkages to the purchasers of the bamboo culms. Photo: B. textilis

Financial aspects of a new sympodial bamboo plantation (based on an example of B.rigida plantation in south China) WORKING CAPITAL (Yuan/ha) Fertilizer (annually) 750 Transport (year 4) 25 Transport (annually, year 5-15) 50 Plantlets (1st year only) 3,700 Salaries/management (1st year) 3,850 Salaries (annually, year 2 - 3) 400 Salaries (years 4) 742 Salaries (years ) 1,180 Miscellaneous(annually) 50 ANNUAL OUTPUTS (Yuan/ha) YEARS 1 - 3Zero YEAR 43,810 YEAR (each) 8,100 Note: The annual outputs from the 5 th year to the 15 th year are 30 tonnes of culms and 0.9 tones of shoots per ha, and price of culms and shoots are 240 Yuan/tonne and 1000 Yuan/tonne respectively.

For further information See TOTEMs Community bamboo nursery TOTEM Bamboo shoot plantation TOTEM. Homestead bamboo plantations TOTEM. Smallholder bamboo plantations TOTEM. Community rattan nursery TOTEM. Bamboo papermaking TOTEM Websites INBAR: RISF: China National Bamboo Research Centre (CNBRC): Contact INBAR, Beijing , China Bamboo Research Division, Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry (RISF), Chinese Academy of Forestry, 73 Daqiao Road, Fuyang, Zhejiang, China.