People gathering firewood in the hills along North Korea’s northern border with China are dodging forest rangers who have intensified patrols to meet quotas for factories producing presents ahead of Kim Jong Il’s Feb. 16 birthday.
“Hyesan residents can’t go a single day without fuel in this intense cold, so they risk arrest to bring back firewood. But that has prompted an even tougher crackdown from forest rangers,” a source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK recently.
According to the source, the crackdown stems from firewood delivery quotas assigned to ranger stations by the provincial bureau in charge of environmental conservation and management. The firewood is needed to fuel factories producing presents for the birthday of Kim Jong Il (Feb. 16), one of North Korea’s biggest public holidays.
“When presents are being manufactured each year, the provincial authorities order lumber to be delivered to the factories, which don’t have a regular supply of electricity,” the source said.
Given the irregular power supply, these factories burn firewood to supply their energy needs.
The environmental conservation bureau has reportedly ordered each ranger station to submit three cubic meters of firewood by Feb. 10.
People travel farther to avoid patrols
“Rangers with the bureau are running patrols to confiscate firewood from anybody gathering wood in the hills. The rangers used to go easy on people, but now they’re not letting anybody off the hook. That’s led to a shortage of firewood among ordinary people,” the source said.
Crackdown or no, North Koreans still have to fight the cold, which is forcing people to travel even farther away to collect firewood.
Hyesan residents typically gather firewood near the villages of Unchong, Changan and Sinjong, which are about 24–32 kilometers (15–20 miles) from the downtown area. But since those areas are closely watched by the rangers, locals are reportedly obliged to travel even farther away.
“Locals are going around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the city center for their firewood. That entails packing several days’ provisions and camping in the forest. Many are willing to risk arrest because the cold weather is unbearable without firewood,” the source said.
“When Arbor Day comes back around, the government will be asking us to plant trees again. But without easy access to firewood, people have taken to chopping down any saplings they see. Under these conditions, all the government’s fine words about reforestation amount to empty talk.”
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