After a typhoon or torrential rain, there are often landslides or lodged trees in national forests that lead to a large number of broken branches or tree trunks drifting along rivers to river mouths or sea shores, thus becoming driftwood. Residents in some areas often pick up driftwood pieces as a fuel source; wood carving artists also frequently search for driftwood to serve as carving blanks. However, according to the Forestry Act, driftwood from national forests is property of the state. In the past, whenever there was a large amount of driftwood, government agencies would complete the marking and transport of valuable wood pieces with auction value within their purview, and members of the public would then be free to pick up the remaining driftwood. However, since the collection period would often last only one month, this effectively meant prohibition in normal situations and permission only in exceptional situations. It was therefore not very practical for people who needed driftwood for fuel or creative materials. In addition, when picking up or transporting driftwood, many people ended up being banned from doing so because they were unaware of the provision that free collection is allowed only in the designated period. Today (17th), the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture (COA) announced that in order to strike a balance between people's habits, artists' needs, and enhanced wood resource management, relevant restrictions on driftwood collection will be significantly loosened (such as the provision that people can freely pick up ordinary driftwood pieces and valuable driftwood pieces below a certain size in the period from the designated date until the date of the next typhoon warning). This regulatory change effectively means that driftwood collection is permitted in principle outside extraordinary circumstances. People who are often in need of driftwood can now enjoy this benefit without having to worry about punishments. The Forestry Bureau stated that, according to the Forestry Act, when bamboo and wood within national forest areas drifted to the outside after a natural disaster, the local government had to complete cleanup and marking within one month. Those pieces not cleaned up or marked within this period would be free for local residents to pick up or take away. However, the collection period lasted only one month at most and the regulations also lacked flexibility. After comprehensive review, the Directions for Handling Driftwood in Natural Disasters were amended in May 2022. Except for the emergency period in the wake of a natural disaster, during which government agencies shall clean up driftwood and mark driftwood pieces as state property to prohibit collection, driftwood is now available for free collection by hand at any time. The Forestry Bureau further explained that according to the revised Directions in 2020, any piece of driftwood found at a sea shore or river mouth, regardless of its value, is available for the public to pick up by hand as long as it is uncut and less than 20 cm in end diameter and 2 m in length or less than 50 kg in weight, and does not bear government agencies' marks or slashes. The Forestry Bureau also reminded the public that after picking up pieces of driftwood, those who find them resalable, processable, or in need of vehicle transport due to their large size shall bring their personal identification document and visit a provisional forest product inspection station or a workstation of the local Forest District Office to register these driftwood pieces in order to collect official registration documents and obtain proofs for legal property rights of the driftwood. Valuable driftwood pieces shall be registered individually, while those without high value shall be registered in batches based on weight. Registration is not required for driftwood pieces picked up as fuelwood or collectibles for private use. The Forestry Bureau also stressed out that the areas in which driftwood can be freely picked up are located in river mouths, sea shores (beaches), or other locations outside national forests. As stipulated in the Forestry Act, driftwood/drift bamboo pieces located in streams and rivers within national forests are state property and are not available for collection. Those who pick them up arbitrarily may risk violating the law. The Forestry Bureau said that the notices on driftwood collection by its Forestry District Offices or county/city governments with jurisdiction over the area, relevant regulations, and relevant simple guides have been updated in the "Driftwood' section under "Domestic Timber" on the Forestry Bureau's website. Please visit the website for the latest information.
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