Part II- Diversifying Community Forest Benefits: Zhasela Community Forest

The Country’s vision of maintaining forest coverage of atleast 60% for all time to come can be realised through effective participation of local communities in natural resource management. This is possible by handing over the rights of ownership, sustainable management and utilisation of the forest in proximity to the Communities. The rationale behind the inception of Community Forest in Bhutan is also to help reduce the poverty level in the rural pockets which is the main emphasis of the Tenth Five Year Plan. This can be achieved by generating income through sale of excess products, if any, from the Community Forest.

Zhasela Community Forest in Menjay Geog under Lhuentse Dzongkhag was approved by the government on 2nd February 2005. From among the three objectives, the second objective is stated as ‘to generate income to enhance the living standard of the community’ in the Management Plan (Courtesy: Zhasela Community Forest management plan, Page No. 9).
The worked out annual Harvesting limit (AHL) in the plan and approved by the Department of Forests and Park Services has that the Community forest has a total of potential to annually harvest (Annual Harvesting Limit, CF Management Plan, Page No. 9) 56 Nos of Drashing. However, the Community themselves requires 11 Nos of Drashing for their constructional purposes. This leaves the excess of 45 Drashings which is explicitly mentioned for sale to generate income. Clauses No. 23 of the by-law of the CF Management Plan suffices that CF fund can be raised through realization of royalty fees, imposition of fines, penalties, compensation and sale of excess products.
Chapter IV, Section 34, sub-section 4 (b) of the Forest and Nature Conservation Rules, 2006 states that ‘when the amount of forest produce harvested from the Community Forest in accordance with the Management Plan exceeds the requirements of the members of the CFMG, the CFMG may sell (or authorize its members to sell) the excess produce to persons, agencies or in the market’.
Supported and backed up by the above mentioned legal frameworks, the Zhasela Community Forest was engaged in sale of the excess produce from the designated Community Forest areas. The sale will be continued in strict adherence to the Forest and Nature Conservation Rules, 2006 and the subsequent clauses in the Community Forest Management Plan. The sale is mainly to meet the set objectives of the Community Forest during the inceptions i.e. to generate income through sale of excess produce for the purpose of reducing poverty and uplifting the living standard of the rural populace.

Sale of logs

The primary product sold from the Zhasela Community Forest is the logs. The total of 4 nos of standing trees of the Champ species is sold in the log form. The logs were sold to the different buyers which include the contractors, individual wishing to construct their private house, furniture and others. The elaboration of the sale is:

Sl No	Date of sale	Name of buyer	Type of product	Quantity	Rate	Total Amount
1	15/6/2009	Kinley Dorji, Mongar	Logs	392.56 cft	106.83	41,937
2	28/11/2009	Karma, Bumthang	Logs	136.36 cft	110	15,000
3	9/2/2010	Dorji Tshering, Lhuntse	Logs	1369 cft	150	220,350
4	Pema Tshewang, Bumthang	Logs	100 cft	150	15,000
Total income from sale of logs				2,92,287

Sale of Planks & BattensIn an effort to diversify the CF Products on sale, the timbers extracted from the Community Forest are converted into different forms. This includes planks and battens. Since the demands are made in different forms, the sale of products is done accordingly. The detail of the sale is as follows:

Sl No	Date of sale	Name of buyer	Type of product	Quantity	Rate	Total Amount
1	26/4/2009	Kinley Dorji, Menbi	Planks	1.2 cft	240	240
2	16/5/2009	DzFS, Lhuentse	Planks	11 cft	210	2310
3	17/5/2009	GFEA, Khoma	Planks	11.95 cft	210	2510
4	2/5/2010	Passang, Thimphu	Planks	59.90 cft	210	12,579
5	2/5/2010	Passang, Thimphu	Batterns	9.55 cft	210	2005.5
Total income from sale of planks & Batterns					19,644.50

Sale of finished productsThe finished products also sold from the Community Forest. This includes mainly the altar (Chhoesham). The detail of the sale is:

Sl No	Date of sale	Name of buyer	Type of product	Quantity	Rate	Total Amount
1	Dzongkhag Adm, Lhuentse	Altar	3 nos	14000	42,000
2	15/6/2009	Kinley Dorji, Mongar	Altar	1 no	8172	8172
Total Income from sale of finished products					50,172

Grand total  of income generation=3,62,103.50 (Three Lakhs Sixty Two Thousand One hundred and Three Chetrum fifty)

So, the total income accumulation of Nu.3,62,103.50 (Three Lakhs Sixty Two Thousand One hundred and Three Chetrum fifty) only has been made. This exclude the income generation through realisation of royalty fees, imposition of fines, penalties and compensation. The income reflected is only the gross since the expenditure incurred is not deducted.