Since the 1970s, the rapid
depletion of timber stocks in the Philippines has led to a shift in emphasis
from timber harvesting and utilisation to protection, development and
conservation of forest land. The Master Plan for Forestry Development outlines
general goals of conserving forest ecosystems and genetic resources, whilst
meeting peoples needs for forestry products in a sustainable manner, and
promoting social justice.
A Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) programme is in place to provide
more equitable distribution of opportunities, income and wealth to local
people. The programme allocates tracts of state forest to communities to
manage. Community rights and responsibilities are agreed with the government
through a CBFM agreement.
Deforestation and land degradation are serious problems, caused by decades of
intensive logging, agricultural expansion, inequitable land distribution and
failed policies. The government established more than 270 protected areas,
encompassing more than 4.2million ha, and forest conservation areas now cover
an estimated 2.7million ha. Logging is banned in old growth forests and on
steeply sloping areas, but a recent FAO study concluded that the government is
struggling to implement this.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recognises that
combating illegal logging requires strengthening forest protection measures and
law enforcement efforts, and monitoring the activities of illegal forest
occupants. The CBFM programme tries to engage illegal loggers in forest
protection measures.
In May 2008 the government instructed all governors to intensify efforts to
combat illegal logging and to arrest and charge illegal loggers in their
provinces, and in June 2008 shut down 60 illegal mini sawmills. Representatives
from NGOs and churches have called for more action against the loggers.
However, there have been suggestions that some regional authorities are
complicit in illegal logging operations.
800 Timber
500 Glencore
Cannot see the wood for
the trees?
Timber
is a unique natural resource. Unlike other commodities such as various metals or
oil, it replenishes itself. Unlike agricultural products, which have an annual
production cycle, timber production cycles last up to 100 years. But timber is
an incredibly versatile material: it is used in construction, for furniture,
for display purposes - think picture frames - for flooring, for boats, in cars,
and for a variety of decorative purposes.
And of course, for fuel in many parts of the world.
In
terms of timber and wood products' exports, Canada is firmly No. 1, while in
descending order, next come Chile, Malaysia and Vietnam; as diverse range of
climates and cultures as you could ever imagine.
Canada,
though, has been in dispute with its neighbour, the United States of
America, over alleged timber subsidies from the Canadian government. This is
one of the most enduring trade disputes in recent history, affecting primarily
British Columbia, the major exporter of softwood to the United States.
The
US claims that the Canadian timber industry is substantially subsidised by both the provincial and federal governments. The Canadian government denies that subsidies
are provided, citing the fact that as timber is supplied to a multitude of
industries, the U.S. cannot invoke its so-called ‘trade remedy' law which
applies an additional tax to any product or products believed to be unfairly
subsidised.
Since 1982, there have been four
occasions on which the dispute has flared up.
The first such occasion was when the US petitioned its own Department of
Commerce to intervene. The DOC could not
find evidence that Canada's system was specific to any one industry and
dismissed the demand.
In 1986, the US again petitioned the
Department of Commerce and this time the DOC did find that the Canadian forest
industry was unfairly subsidised and imposed an additional levy of 1.5%. At the
time Canada and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The third occasion the row surfaced was in
1991 when Canada informed its neighbour it was withdrawing from the MOU, but
still the DOC imposed additional duty on timber products from Canada.
In 1996, the United States and
Canada reached an agreement: the Softwood Lumber Agreement. Under this agreement, Canadian lumber exports
to the United States were limited to 14.7 billion board feet (approximately 34
million cubic metres) per annum.
European
Community
The EU is endeavouring to stop
illegal lagging within its borders. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas says: "Forests
are home to half of all known species. When forests disappear, so does a vast
array of plants and species, with disastrous and irreversible consequences.
These precious resources also play a vital role in regulating climate change.
Developed and developing nations must unite to protect the world's remaining
forests. We must also send a firm message to timber suppliers that illegal
timber or timber products will not be tolerated on the EU market." The European
Commission is proposing a regulation to minimise the risk of illegally
harvested timber and timber products being placed on the European market. The
proposed regulation will make it an obligation for traders to seek sufficient
guarantees that the timber and timber products they sell have been harvested
according to the relevant laws of the country of origin.
The
Commission proposes to work at international negotiations on climate change
towards the development of a Global Forest Carbon Mechanism through which
developing countries would be rewarded for emissions reductions achieved by
taking action to reduce deforestation. This indicates that at EU level an
appropriate level of funding is required from 2013 to 2020 to fight
deforestation. The total amount of funding will depend on the level of mitigation
actions undertaken by developing countries.
China
It
is estimated that China's imported timber demand will exceed 100 million cubic
metres this year; about half the country's annual consumption.
According
to Zhang Jianlong, deputy administrator of the State Forestry Administration,
China's total timber consumption increased from 457 million cu. m in 2009 to
477 million cu. m. last year, and the demand for timber imports for domestic
consumption will grow from 100 million cu. m to 150 million cu. m. in 2011.
Zhang Jianlong pointed out that the farming need for timber cannot be met only
by importing more. It is urgent to promote domestic timber supply, allocate
land areas for wood and timber production and improve forest management.
According
to the recent national forest inventory, China's total forest cover is 1.9 billion
hectares accounting for 20 per cent of the total land area, with a 13.7 billion
cu. m. standing wood stock volume. China's total area of plantation is the highest
in the world, making up 38 per cent of the global total. In recent years,
China's forest resources have been increasing due to large scale reforestation
efforts, conversion of agricultural land to forests and through the
implementation of the Natural Forest Protection Programme.
According
to the statistics from Shandong Forestry Bureau, some 17 forestry enterprises
from the province have been setting up businesses in foreign countries for
logging, timber processing and establishing forest plantations. These
enterprises have rented or bought a total of 3.5 million hectares of forests
with 400 million cu. m. of standing wood stock, which is four times more than
the total provincial forest resources.
Zaozhuang
Mining Industry Group invested US$ 200 million to buy forests with 1.6 million
cu. m. of standing wood stock in Canada and to build a downstream processing
base in Rizhao City. Yangxin Eurasia Woodwork rented a forest area with 1.2
million cu. m. of standing wood stock while Yantai Northwest Forestry rented
forest area with 45,000 cu. m, both in Russia. In Gabon, Shangdong Longsheng
acquired a concession with 450,000 cu. m. of standing wood stock. Shandong Sun
Paper rented forests with a total of 99,900 cu. m. standing stock from south-east
Asian countries such as Laos to initiate pulp and paper production.
According
to the statistics, in the first half of 2010 wood-based panel imports from
Thailand that passed through Ningbo Port were 60,000 cu. m., worth US$ 21
million. Thailand tripled its wood-based panel exports over the same period in
2009, making up 38 per cent of the total wood-based panel imports through
Ningbo.
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