The extent of natural bamboo forests in the mixed bamboo areas in the Kassalong and Rainkhiong Reserve Forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh are 76192 ha (188275 acre) and 27256 ha (67352 acre) respectively (Anon. 1963).

Bamboos in these forests occur as an understorey with the tree species. Eight bamboo species are indigenous to the area. Four of these species— Muli (Melocanna bambusoides), Mitinga (Rambnsa tuldd), Daloo (Teinostaebyum dtdlooa) and Orah (Dendrocalamtis longispathns) are of commercial importance. A fifth species Kaliserri (Oxytenentbera auriculatd) reaches commercial size but is of limited occurance. The remaining three species, Kali (Oxytenantbera nigrociliata) Bariala (Bambtisa vtdgaris ) and Bazali (Teinostachyuni griffithii} are of small size and assume a shrub-like growth and are of little commercial importance (Zahiruddin 1959).