KATHMANDU, MARCH 11

Forestry experts have underlined the need of a new plan for forest management after the government scrapped the Scientific Forest Management Work Procedure.

At a talk programme 'Forest management and challenge of timber supply' organised by Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) on Wednesday, experts highlighted the urgency of an alternative plan for the management of forestry.

On the occasion, chief of Forest Management Division under the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation, Dinesh Mani Tripathi expressed the commitment that the government would explore an alternative to scientific forest management. 'The government is doing the ground work to that end,' he said.

Senior vice-chairperson of Federation of Forest-based Industry and Trade Nepal, Diensh Raj Regmi, urged the government to resolve complications and challenges of scientific forest management. Around 110 million cubic feet timber can be extracted from forests while annual supply of 50-60 million cubic feet timber is adequate to address the country's need, he said. 'Import of timbers amounting to Rs 18 billion from foreign countries is disheartening in this context.'

Likewise, vice-chairperson of Nepal Foresters' Association, Shree Prasad Baral, asserted that the government scrapped the scientific forest management system without any preparation, noting that it was wrong to revoke the scientific forest management work procedure without placing alternative measures.

Secretary of Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), Thakur Bhandari, said the users are aspiring for timber management in a simple and easy manner and highlighted the need of people's participation in forest management. He further said that the Federation was positive to the right to easily provide timbers to the users by devising plan for sustainable forest management.

Ecology expert Baburam Yadav, however, argued that the scientific forest management was a measure to cheat people and deceive the leaders. Forest expert Dr Binod Bhatta said that stakeholders should lay emphasis on the plantation of saplings for sustainable management of forests.

NEFEJ chairperson Kosmos Biswokarma stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders for the sustainable management of forest and also shared that the organisation has been consistently conducting such discourses.