Ministry Of Transportation Allows Drifting Wood To Be Used For Emergency Needs For Disaster Recovery

Residents passed among the piles of logs in settlements in Tabiang Bandang Gadang, Nanggalo, Padang, West Sumatra, Tuesday (9/12/2025) BETWEEN PHOTOS/Iggoy el Fitra/nz

The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has allowed wood that washed away during the Sumatra floods to be used for emergency needs to accelerate recovery in the three affected provinces, with several mechanisms that must be met.

The Director General of Forest Management Lestari (PHL) of the Ministry of Forestry, Laksmi Wijayanti, stated that wood material that accumulates at disaster sites can be used for emergency needs to accelerate recovery while maintaining aspects of legality and preventing abuse in the field.

"That the use of drift wood for disaster emergency management, rehabilitation and post-disaster recovery, as well as material assistance for the community affected by the construction of facilities and infrastructure, can be carried out on the basis of the principles of people's safety and humanity," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 9.

However, he reminded that this use was not carried out without regulations. The wood that is carried away by the flood currents has a clear legal status.

According to him, the drift wood carried away by the flood can be categorized as wood finding whose handling mechanism adheres to Law No. 18 of 2013 concerning Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction, so that implementation is still needed that upholds the principles of prosecution and tracking.

Thus, any use of wood washed away must follow reporting and recording procedures so as not to open up gaps for illegal logging and timber laundering practices by utilizing disaster momentum.

The Ministry of Transportation ensures that the distribution of wood is washed away for the benefit of the community is not carried out unilaterally. Laksmi conveyed that the process must be carried out across institutions.

"The distribution of the use of wood washed away for post-disaster handling and recovery is jointly held in an integrated manner between the Ministry of Forestry and related agencies in provincial governments, district/city governments and various elements of law enforcement officers," he explained.

A joint approach is an important step, especially to avoid overlapping in authority and ensure that wood really reaches people in need.

In addition to regulating the use of wood, the government has also taken strict policies to prevent fraud in the midst of an emergency situation.

"The utilization and transportation of roundwood from the location of forest utilization activities in the three provinces has been temporarily suspended until further provisions," said Laksmi.

This temporary suspension is intended to avoid potential illegal logging disguised as wood washed away, clarify the source of the wood material in circulation and ensure the focus of the apparatus and the community is focused on disaster management.

In the context of recovery, the wood is an asset that can accelerate reconstruction, as well as a practical solution in the midst of limited logistical access to affected areas.

However, its utilization remains in the corridor of strict supervision. With a humanitarian approach accompanied by the principle of tracking, the government is trying to ensure that every stick used really benefits the community, not an opportunity for those who try to take advantage in the midst of a disaster.

This policy affirms the government's commitment to combining aspects of humanity, legality, and forest protection in the midst of an emergency situation.