Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has recovered and repurposed 769 flood‑damaged logs — about 1,260.49 cubic metres — to support reconstruction efforts in North Aceh, following severe flooding that devastated homes, public facilities and community infrastructure across the region.
That is, according to the Head of the Gunung Leuser National Park Authority (BBTNGL), who said recovered driftwood is being sorted so it can be reused immediately. “The driftwood has been sorted in residents’ yards and at riverbanks to be reused, particularly for constructing temporary housing,” Subhan said in a statement on Saturday.
In Langkahan Subdistrict, North Aceh, 87 Forestry Ministry personnel, supported by 38 heavy machines from the ministry, the military and the Public Works Ministry, have been deployed to accelerate post‑disaster operations, with much of the work focused on sorting timber near homes to ensure it can be used quickly and efficiently.
It comes as humanitarian organisations like Rumah Zakat are already using the salvaged timber to construct temporary shelters (huntara). In addition, 54 personnel from the Forestry Ministry and Saka Wanabakti have carried out clean‑up operations at several local schools and educational facilities.
Across the border in North Sumatra, Wood Central understands that timber‑sorting operations in Garoga have reached 100% completion in Garoga I, II and III, and 80% completion along the Garoga, Huta Godang and Aek Ngadol routes.
As of Thursday, authorities had processed 228 additional logs (3.1560 cubic metres), bringing the cumulative total in the region to 793 logs with a combined volume of 12.0035 cubic metres. These materials are being allocated for temporary housing in Batu Hula Village, Batang Toru Subdistrict. Beyond timber utilisation, recovery efforts include environmental management
The recovery work comes as new evidence links illegal logging to the catastrophic floods and landslides that killed more than 1,100 people and displaced over one million across northern Sumatra. According to a joint investigation by Earthsight and Auriga Nusantara, covered by Wood Central earlier this month, hundreds of hectares of certified natural forest were illegally cleared inside the concession of pulp and timber company PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), located in the Batang Toru watershed — one of the areas worst affected by the disaster.
The ENGOs report that much of the clearing occurred on steep upland terrain officially designated as protected forest and recognised by the Indonesian government as highly prone to landslides. “This was not just a natural disaster,” said Timer Manurung, Chair of Auriga Nusantara. “Many experts have said this was also an environmental disaster. What we are seeing is how deforestation in upland areas worsens the impacts of extreme weather,” he said, adding that the findings were intended to support “fact‑based discussion and policy debate.”
Manurung said Auriga’s analysis combined satellite data with field investigations in flood‑affected watersheds across North Sumatra. “We documented logging roads, heavy machinery and piles of tropical logs in areas that should have been protected. This happened on a very large scale over several years,” he said. “It is hard to believe activity of this magnitude could occur without the knowledge of both the company and local authorities.”
According to the report, at least 758 hectares of natural forest were cleared within TPL’s concession, with a further 125 hectares cleared beyond its boundaries. Field surveys also identified logs lacking the markings required under Indonesia’s timber legality system, suggesting potential illegal sourcing.
Government Crackdown Intensifies After Cyclone Senyar
Last month, Indonesian authorities cancelled more than 1.5 million hectares of forestry permits and launched a sweeping criminal probe after new research linked large‑scale illegal logging in North Sumatra to the catastrophic floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Senyar — one of Southeast Asia’s deadliest natural disasters in 2025.
In late November, relentless rain hammered northern Sumatra for three straight days, with one district in Aceh Province recording 16 inches in a single day. Four villages were destroyed, and farther south, the storm unleashed another hazard: torrents of timber smashing into homes.
“When Cyclone Senyar made landfall, it sent logs and debris into residential areas of North Sumatra Province,” said Sarma Hutajulu, a volunteer helping clear wreckage in Tukka District who spoke to the New York Times. “Everywhere you look — left and right along the road — there are piles of timber. Those are what smashed into people’s homes.”
