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 (T’einostachyuni griffithii} are
of small size and assume a shrub-like growth and are of little commercial
importance (Zahiruddin 1959).