Following a change in rule for the allotment of subsidised timber for the construction of rural houses, people in Bumthang are finding it difficult to construct a house with the allotted 18 Drashings (standing tree). As per the Forest and Nature Conservation (Amendment) Rules and Regulations, 2020, rural households are provided 18 drashings or 4,000 cubic feet (CFT) of logs from the Natural Resources Development Corporation Limited (NRDCL) for the construction of a new two-storied house, once in 25 years.
Households can either apply for logs from the NRDCL depot or on standing trees.
Until 2017, people were allotted 80 standing trees for cham and eight Drashings to construct a new house. However, with the latest revision in 2020, people can either opt to have 18 sawing timbers (Drashing) or buy 4,000 CFT of timber from the NRDCL. In Bumthang, no household has opted to buy from the NRDCL so far.
“18 trees won’t be enough to construct even a toilet in the olden days. We now might have to buy timber due to the shortage, which is difficult for farmers like us,” said Kezang Phuntsho from Dhur of Chhoekhor Gewog.
“The park authority issued permits for only eighteen sawing trees per household this year. People say it is impossible to construct a house with timber from eighteen trees. As the change is massive, people are left confused,” added Sonam Phuntsho, Tshogpa of Dhur-Lusibee.
The matter was also deliberated in the recent Bumthang Dzongkhag Tsogdu. Local leaders want the Agriculture and Forests ministry to reinstate the old allotment rule.
“If we go by the size of trees here in Bumthang, it would be very difficult to build a house with that number of trees even if we look for the biggest trees in the forest. My request to the government is to implement the old rule of allotting 4000 cft of logs or eighty standing trees and 8 Drashings,” said Tang Gup Ugyen Nima.
“If we are to construct a concrete building, then we would require timber only for doors, windows and planks but because we have to follow traditional architecture for house construction in Bumthang, it requires a lot of timber, so I think people’s claim about the insufficiency of timber is true,” added Jampel, Chairperson of Bumthang Dzongkhag Tshogdu.
The Chief Forestry Officer (CFO) of Bumthang Divisional Forest Office said the rule was not changed and rather it is the options provided to the people that have been interchanged as per people’s demand.
“When the Forest And Nature Conservation Rules And Regulations, 2006 was amended in 2017, we kept the option as 4000 cft of timber as most people chose that. Likewise, we had to change the 4000 cft to eighteen sawing trees in 2020 as per the demand of the people. All these options were there since 2000,” said Pankey Dukpa, Chief Forestry Officer of Bumthang Divisional Forest Office.
He also said people might have to look for bigger trees to address the inadequacy issue.
“We expect the people to work a little harder in finding bigger trees to overcome the shortage. As of now, most people look for trees near roads depleting the forest of bigger trees. That’s why people are left only with the smaller ones. This is causing the shortage.”
However, people say it is difficult to find bigger trees that would provide enough timber for building a new house. In Dhur village, the problem is further aggravated as the village’s nearby forest is used as NRDCL’s commercial logging area.
“Foresters want us to look for bigger trees but such trees are very far from the village and it is very difficult to transport them to the construction sites. Moreover, the cores of big trees are usually hollow. In a place like Dhur, there are no big trees at all and the area, which has a good number of sawing trees has been identified for NRDCL’s logging activities. We would be grateful if we are also allotted timber from NRDCL’s area,” said Dhur-Lubisee Tshogpa Sonam Phuntsho.
The CFO said he will inform the Agriculture and Forests ministry about the issue as the Forest and Nature Conservation Act is currently under revision. The rule might change again if the issue is the same throughout the country according to the CFO.
Kipchu, Bumthang
