The North Korean regime is cracking down on the use of firewood in conjunction with ongoing reforestation efforts. Although there is high demand for firewood in the markets to prepare for the upcoming winter, it is not widely available for sale.
A source from Ryanggang Province told Daily NK on 15 November that due to the crackdown by forest management offices on the use of firewood, “it has become increasingly difficult to acquire.”
The crackdown, he explained, can be attributed to a new reforestation policy enacted by Kim Jong Un.
In the past, only the selling of trees such as bald cyprus and birch in log form was prohibited, but the scope of the crackdown has now been expanded to include the selling of most kinds of firewood. Only branches and firewood riddled with knots are excluded.
“Typically the period for making money by selling trees is the five months between November and March. But due to being limited to selling twigs, firewood sellers are at a loss as to how they are supposed to make money this year,” the Ryanggang-based source told Daily NK. ......
[Source: Daily NK]
