Timber trouble

While timber harvested in Nepal is rotting away, the country is also importing all kinds of wood products.

Nepal’s lowland is home to many forests, including the invaluable Sal ( Shorea robusta ). Yet, due to mismanagement, much of the timber harvested from these trees remains unused. For instance, in the eight districts of the Madhesh province, approximately 210,000 cubic feet of wood lie unused in various Division Forest Offices. Some have been lying in community forests for over two decades. Some timber collected from the trees felled in 2019 to construct the 400 kV Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Duhabi transmission line are now starting to rot. Worse, logs are also subject to wildfire, as recently happened at the Gaindatar subdivision forest in Ward 3 of Chandrapur Municipality in Rautahat district. A total of 22 piles of logs and 11 stacks of firewood were ablaze in the wildfire in April. The problem, however, extends beyond Madhesh Province.iles of logs and 11 stacks of firewood were ablaze in the wildfire in April. The problem, however, extends beyond Madhesh Province.