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Summary:

The Chaubas-Bhumlu Community Sawmill is the first community Sawmill in Nepal managed by Forest User Groups. The Sawmill is jointly owned by Chapani Kuwa FUG, Fagar Khola FUG, Dharapani Hile FUG of Chaubas VDC and Rachhma FUG of Salle-Bhumlu VDC of Kabhre Palanchok District. This report highlights some achievements and issues related to the Sawmill and gives some recommendations.

The adoption of improved forest utilization techniques has produced improvements in forest conditions. Local communities have benefited through increased provision of timber and other forest products. The Sawmill has generated substantial opportunities for local employment and the FUGs are now earning hundreds of thousands of rupees from the sale of logs to the Sawmill. The FUGs have started to invest their income in a number of community development activities. There appears to be an increased interest among FUG members about FUG activities and the representations of women and disadvantaged groups in the FUG committees have improved. Cooperation between the four FUGs and other organisations has intensified in recent years.

Still there are major gaps in communications between the FUG committees and users and between male and female. Many FUG members are still unaware about FUG income and expenditures, rules, policies, meeting dates, decisions, inputs, and planning. FUG attendance is often low in FUG general assemblies and FUG Committee meetings, and those who attend rarely fully participate in discussion and decision-making. Though there has been an increase in the number of women in the FUG and Sawmill committees, their roles in decision-making and in employment in Sawmill related activities has been low.

FUG Committee members have not been fulfilling their tasks as described by their FUG Constitutions or have taken tasks under different positions. Account-keeping practices are also very poor in both the FUGs and the Sawmill. So far, no consolidated development planning has been done to mobilize FUG funds or through external support.

The Sawmill is largely reliant on a single company to buy its products. Despite training provided by the project on air seasoning of timber, there has not been any efforts to improve the quality of timber through seasoning by the FUGs.

Recommendations to address these issues are:

•	Assist FUGs in developing long-term planning, in particular targeting women and disadvantaged groups for benefit.
•	Explore opportunities through sub-group organisation and group savings schemes among the participants of literacy classes, or in settlement-based sub-groups, for participatory decision making and development planning.
•	Develop effective leadership, promote adoption of a systematic and transparent accounting system, and incorporate more women in decision-making roles, and
•	Use suitable local NGOs or either professional organisations to assist the FUGs.