2 August, 2009 - At least 2,040 trees could be saved every year if the lemon grass oil distillers in the four eastern dzongkhags recycle the lemon grass and dry pine leaves in place of firewood to extract the cash generating oil.

Forest officials, who trained 95 distillers at Sherichu yesterday and demonstrated the use of ‘spent grass’ and dry pine leaves as substitute fuel for extracting lemon grass oil, said the substitute would save money and the forest.

The project chemist, Sangay Phuntsho, said that several trials have been carried out and that the outcome was the same. “The advantage of using spent lemon grass and dry pine leaves is that it’s cheap and the distiller can save the amount spent on firewood.”

“The quality and quantity of oil and the time taken when using spent grass are the same,” he said.

To begin with, the distillers need to use dry pine leaves. After the initial distillation, they can use the spent grass, as it takes only about an hour to dry, according to Sangay Phuntsho.

The distillers use about 1,020 truckloads of firewood in a season every year. The lemon grass season lasts for four months every summer.

Tshewang Dorji, 50, from Chaskhar, said that, though using spent grass saved forests, it required a person to constantly tend the oven. “If we use firewood, we feed it once and have time to collect the grass or fetch firewood.”

Foresters from Trashigang dzongkhag, who attended the training, said that the result of using the spent grass would benefit the ecology.

“You’ll need to spend only a minimum amount to avail the dry pine leaves. At the same time, we’ll be saving forests, which will benefit the farmers in the long run,” said Donu, a ranger with the Trashigang territory division.

Officials from the essential oils development program also proposed changes in the oven used by the distillers.

Some distillers appreciated the innovation, but others pointed out that the change in the oven could create some inconvenience. Earlier, they used to heat the boiler in the open, now they’d have to construct a stone oven. According to project officials it would prevent heat from escaping.

Chairman Tenzin Namgyal of the lemon grass cooperative said that the idea could save thousands of ngulrums for the distillers. “We have to hire people to collect firewood, obtain permits and pay royalty,” he said. A distiller on an average spends Nu 15,000 every season on firewood.

There are 170 members of the cooperative from the four dzongkhags.