Ministerial Decree Allows Use of Flood-Damaged Timber to Speed Up Sumatra's Recovery
INFO TEMPO — Piles of logs carried by the floods continue to block several river flows and residential areas in Aceh. This hinders post-disaster recovery and has the potential to trigger further flooding due to blocked waterways.
To accelerate the clearing and recovery efforts, the Minister of Forestry issued Ministerial Decree Number 191 of 2026 on February 24 regarding the utilisation of timber originating from natural disasters.
In the decree, several points regarding the utilisation of timber are outlined. For example, it states that the timber that can be utilised includes roundwood or wood chips carried by the current, buried, or accumulated as a result of floods and other natural disasters in affected areas.
The implementation of the utilisation will be carried out by local governments, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), or designated parties. Each activity must begin with an inventory and measurement of the volume of timber in the field as a basis for reporting to the Ministry of Forestry.
The timber resulting from the disaster will not be treated as timber harvested from forest areas. Its status is designated as disaster material, so it can be utilised to support environmental recovery, the construction of public facilities, housing facilities, the normalisation of river flows, and community needs as required.
The decree also emphasises the obligation of supervision in its implementation. Local governments are asked to ensure that the utilisation is carried out transparently and not misused, including to prevent the entry of timber from other sources not related to the disaster.
The issuance of this decree is the result of coordination with the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian. It is known that President Prabowo has appointed him as the Head of the Task Force for Accelerating Rehabilitation and Reconstruction after the disaster in the regions of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
During his visit to Pidie Jaya on Thursday, February 19, 2026, Tito saw firsthand the piles of wood on the riverbanks. “I was on the riverbank and from the bridge, I could see piles of wood all around,” he said.
According to Tito, the logs have the potential to be utilised for reconstruction needs and community needs. “The logs can be used to build houses or bridges. They can also be used by the community to be made into planks,” he said.
He had previously also highlighted the issue of timber utilisation in a meeting with the Post-Disaster Recovery Task Force at the DPR on February 18, 2026. This is because several private companies are interested in utilising the timber, but Tito believes that a policy framework is needed to ensure that its utilisation does not cause legal problems.
Therefore, the issuance of the decree provides legal certainty in the utilisation of disaster-affected timber. With this policy framework, the process of clearing materials in the affected areas is expected to be accelerated while also supporting the rehabilitation and reconstruction needs of the community. (*)