GANDAKI, JULY 16
Insufficient supply of timber has resulted in the outflow of millions of rupees to foreign countries in the import of timber, furniture, aluminium and steel, according to available data. Aluminium and steel are used as alternatives to timber.
On the contrary, timber worth hundreds of thousands of rupees is found rotting in the forests of Nepal.
Trees of various species including pine in the community forests and government protected forests are appropriate for use in making furniture.
Cutting down a mature tree for commercial purpose, and planting 10 more tree saplings in its place could help expand forests, said forestry expert Naya Paudel Sharma.
According to him, timber and furniture worth millions of rupees have been imported from various foreign countries including China, India and Malaysia.
However, the lengthy and cumbersome policy of taking the timber from community forests and costly supply have created difficulties for wood industries at home to purchase wood, he said, adding that in this regard, there must be coordination and cooperation among the government, the private sector and community forest users groups.
"Forests cannot be destroyed by felling trees in a scientific and manageable way. If things are managed in a scientific, planned and technological manner, it can be a good source for drawing foreign currencies from the export of forest products including timber along with contributing to a healthy environment and an increase in carbon reserves."
The maximum utilisation of natural resources with the adoption of the sustainable forestry management policy can make the country self-reliant in wood and create green job opportunities, he said. "Forest areas should become a basis for prosperity. But sadly, the returns from the forest areas spanning around 45 per cent of the total area of the country are low."
The concept of the community forestry management has become a milestone in Nepal's forest cover that were significantly reduced in the past due to deforestation, said Sindhu Dhungana, member secretary of the President Chure Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Board. Community forestry is a branch of forestry dealing with the communal management of forests from which local people can generate income from timber and non-timber products as forms of goods while giving them the majority say in decision-making.
According to available data, Out of the 44.74 per cent forest cover of the total area of the country, 30 per cent is managed by community forest users groups.
A study carried out in 2019 says Nepal can annually produce 120 million cubic feet timber from the total forests of Nepal.
Wood demand in the Nepali market is around 60 million cubic feet. The country can get an annual income of millions of rupees from the export of surplus timber to foreign countries, said Dhungana. According to a report, out of the total forest cover in the country, forests have occupied over 5.9 million hectares (40.36 per cent), and shrub lands 48,000 hectares (4.38 per cent).
Not only timber, there has not been the effective utilisation of valuable medicinal herbs, he said. "There is no alternative to connecting forests with income sources and employment opportunities by adopting a policy of allowing the use and consumption of forest products in a facilitating way."
A version of this article appears in the print on July 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
