Bamboo as a resource base for Mizoram

Mizoram has abundant natural bamboo resources, the first record of nine bamboo species in Mizoram appeared in “ The flora of the Lushai Hills” by Fisher (1938). Later, Naithani (1994) in his report on the preliminary survey of bamboo species in Mizoram have mentioned 18 species and the same number were recorded by the Department of Environment & Forest. The current listings now indicate that out of 150 India’s bamboo species, as many as 64 species occur in North-East India, out of which 22 species have been recorded from Mizoram. Some of the bamboos found in Mizoram are clump-forming e.g. Bambusa, Dendrocalamus etc, The clump forming bamboos are limited to steep gradients and are relatively inaccessible, they are mostly distributed in the sub tropical regions. The non-clump forming bamboo species are commonly found in the cooler, higher parts of the state with exception of Melocana baccifera which is a major component of secondary vegetation on previously jhumed lands in tropical areas. According to the survey conducted by the State Forest Department, the five most dominant species in Mizoram are Melocana Baccifera (Mautak), Dendrocalamus hamiltonii (Phulrua), Dendrocalamus longipathus (Rawnal), Bambusa tulda (Rawthing) and Schizostachyum dulloa (Rawtla), of which Melocana Baccifera contributes almost 98% of the total bamboo growing stocks while a meager 2% is shared by clump forming species. Mizoram has abundant natural bamboo resources, these bamboo forest are most abundant in the five northern districts. Most of the bamboo species occurring in the State are found between 40-1500 m and their distribution is somewhat restricted to above 1550m. Bamboos also grow as understorey plants in Tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests, in pure stands along river banks, in and around villages and as dominant secondary vegetation on abandoned jhum lands. Clearing of primary forests results in establishment of bamboo especially Melocanna baccifera which dominates the species composition. Bamboos found in Mizoram are both clump and non-clump forming, the non-clump forming are commonly found in the cooler, higher parts of the State while the clump forming are mostly distributed in the sub-tropical region. According to the survey conducted by the State forest Department, five most dominant species are Melocanna baccifer Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus longispathus, Oxythenantara parreifolia and Neohouzeua dulloa of which Melocanna baccifera contributes almost 98% of the total growing stock while a meager 2% is shared by clump forming species. The bamboo forests area covers about 6,118 sq km which accounts for 29.01% of the total State area. According to the survey conducted by the State forest Department, the total growing stock is estimated at about 25.25 million metric tons, and the annual availability from the growing stock is estimated at 5.828 million metric tons. Bamboos in Mizoram are widely used for construction, furniture, fencing weaving pulping etc, out of 22 species, four species are edible and the are eaten in a large scale and forms a dominant food item. Bamboo shoots are also processed and packed in tins and are available throughout the year.