Desert forests are of great significance to the inhabitants of sandy regions (koomly), as they supply them with pastures, firewood and, on a small scale, household construction materials. As for sandy areas, continuous sowing and planting have resulted in 680,000 ha of woods and pasture-protection forests. According to nonofficial sources, including experts’ estimates, the annual supply of wood from sanitary cuttings does not currently exceed some 10,000 m3, while demand is estimated at about 50,000-55,000 m3. The provision of free natural gas to the population has proved to be an important means of preventing illegal logging.