Indonesia has suspended all timber harvesting and transportation in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra after flash floods and landslides killed nearly 1,000 people and caused widespread destruction to public infrastructure. Announced yesterday, the Indonesian Forestry Ministry said large amounts of timber debris prompted the emergency policy, which was swept downstream during the floods, with Wood Central still to determine the impact on the supply of pulpwood, palm oil and native and plantation timber products.
As reported in the Jakarta Post, Laksmi Wijayanti, Director General of Sustainable Forest Management, said extreme weather and the accumulation of logs in river flows have raised urgent concerns about mitigation and accountability. “The current climate conditions require all parties to adjust and adopt serious mitigation measures because disaster risks are increasing,” the minister said.
The suspension will remain in force until further notice.
Under the moratorium, all forestry businesses must revise their annual work plans with an emphasis on protecting ecosystems, with companies ensuring that flood‑control infrastructure is functioning, that waterways remain clear of log debris, and that stockpiled timber is safely secured: “The government’s main focus now is handling floodborne timber, which can be used to accelerate recovery efforts in affected areas,” she said.
Last week, Wood Central reported that logs dislodged by Cyclone Senyar caused massive damage in Northern Sumatra, displacing thousands. “Everywhere you look — left and right along the road — there are piles of timber,” said Sarma Hutajulu, a volunteer helping clear wreckage in Tukka District who spoke to the New York Times. “Those are what smashed into people’s homes.”
At the time, Indonesia’s Environment Ministry said it would summon eight firms suspected of contributing to the floods, demanding they explain the presence of timber swept downstream. The ministry is also investigating permits in Batang Toru, where deforestation has undermined natural flood defences.
Government officials have acknowledged the role of logging.
As it stands, large areas of Sumatra’s forests have been converted to palm oil estates, pulpwood farms, and mining operations, alongside extensive logging concessions. Timber debris from these sites became battering rams once the storm hit. “I saw it myself in the field, there were so many logs being carried away,” said Walden Sitanggang, a pastor and environmental activist who told the New York Times. “Logs don’t just fall from the sky — they must have come from logging activities upstream.”
Already, Greenpeace Indonesia has warned that the island’s ecological capacity is now “critically endangered,” citing thousands of extractive industry permits that have fragmented forests and destabilised river basins. Analysts estimate Sumatra has lost more than nine million hectares of forest since 1990, leaving communities increasingly exposed to extreme weather.
