Kathmandu, August 28

Newly appointed Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Shankar Bhandari today directed subordinate bodies of the ministry level Development Action Committee to ease timber supply for post-quake reconstruction.

After a briefing on overall development works of fiscal 2015/16 from subordinate bodies, Bhandari instructed them to ease the supply of timber and stop import of timber products from other countries by implementing sustainable forest management programme.

According to Chief of Biodiversity and Environment Division at the ministry Bijaya Poudyal, Bhandari expressed

serious concern about the rapid import of timber from other countries.

“As the chair of the committee, Bhandari was for replacing timber import by effectively implementing sustainable forest management programme in Nepal and for easing timber supply for post-quake reconstruction,” said Poudyal.

Subordinate bodies of the ministry level Development Action Committee comprise the Department of Forest, Sagarmatha Forest Development Project, Timber Corporation Nepal and District Forest Product Supply Committees, among others.

As per the study of the Department of Forest, the country needs 51.82 million cubic feet of timber for reconstruction of homes, monuments and other structures destroyed by last year’s devastating earthquake. The study also shows that Nepal does have the needful stock of forest resources to meet the timber demand for rebuilding houses and structures damaged by the earthquake.