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Logging with a sense of conscienceTimber remains an important export earner for Malaysia. Its continued economic viability, however, may be contingent upon the industry adopting sustainable forest management practices, write IDROS ISMAIL. It's easy to be cynical when one talks about sustainable forestry with a man who for 25 years, had been 'plundering' timber from Malaysian forests. He confesses that environmental concerns were the least of his priorities during all that time. Then in 1995, like a repentant 'born-again' religious man, he saw the (environmental) light! He saw the deleterious effects of imprudent logging on the forest soils, rivers and wildlife. As he wistfully puts it: "It's so sayang (shameful) - all of those gone!' Datuk Seri Dr Wong Yeon Chai is now the managing director of Rimbaka Forestry Corporation Bhd - a leading timber company that has, it claims, fully subscribed to sustainable forest management (SFM) practices even the company's tagline reads 'Rimbaka - Friends of the Forest'. The company has since 1999 been extracting timber at a peat swamp forest near Pekan, Pahang. It has adopted the Malaysian Criteria and Indicator (MC&I) for SFM - a set of guidelines that captures the spirit and principles of sustainable forestry. The traditional method of logging often resulted in unnecessary damage to young trees and shoots. This was attributed to the indiscriminate movement of bulldozers during log. extraction and poorly-planned access of timber lorries into the logging areas. Wong is determined to see that his company does not tread the same old traditional road. It makes sense to minimise damage to young trees. He reckons that in 20 years' time these trees would grow large enough to be harvested, ensuring logging sustainability. 'We have to comply with the MC&I to gain credence in the logging industry. We now plan to obtain international recognition of our SFM practices by complying with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines,' says Wong. The FSC is an international non-profit organisation that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC introduces an international labelling scheme for forest products, A which provides a credible guarantee that the product comes from a well-managed forest. The implication for Wong and Rimbaka (and even for Malaysian timber in general) is enormous. FSC certification would mean unhindered access to Europe, America and Japan - countries that insist all timber and timber products must come from 'well-managed forests'. 'If not for anything, FSC-certified timber and timber products make for good commercial sense,' says Wong. A lot of research and documentation is needed in the FSC certification process, like forest management and environmental action plans. Other factors taken into consideration include social impact studies, workers' rights, tenure and indigenous people's rights. Rimbaka has had to engage a third party forestry auditor that certifies the company's compliance with both the MC&I and FSC requirements. The auditor peruses all the pre-harvest plans, checks harvest and post-harvest practices, to ensure they are SFM-compliant. 'Before the concession is even opened, we have to submit the papers - the plans, operational methods and management, access roads, including designs and calculations,' says Wong. The auditor then endorses these plans before submitting to the Forestry Department. Logging commences only when the department is satisfied that SFM principles are adhered to - at least on paper. 'These auditors are very strict. if during logging operations they find we have strayed from our plane, they will issue an immediate stop-work order. No negotiations with them!' say Wong. Wong admits that he sometimes worry his workers on the ground will take short cuts and disregard SFM practices. That's why he literally drops in on then, in his company helicopter on surprise visits. But he says he is confident that all the training and environmental 'indoctrination' he has imbued in his workers would not be in vain. 'They may have years of logging experience, but their old ways may not he suitable in the new SFM paradigm. The old thinking was 'cut, extract, remove' as much as possible, without regard to forest damage. The training the company provides will change this mindset,' says Wong optimistically. He confesses that his company didn't log until one year after the concession award 'We started, but was frustrated by the watery and swampy ground condition. We had to find a more efficient way to fell the logs and transport them out without flouting MC&I rules," says Wong. 'We couldn't drain the streams and the swamps. That would've affected the natural ground water table and upset the ecological balance. But we had to find a way to extract the logs without being bogged down by ground conditions,' says Wong. He considered all options - modified crane, direction felling, heli-logging, balloon logging - but all had some disadvantages in one way or another. After months of contemplation, Wong found the solution. It came in the form of a conventional excavator but modified to become a high-lift, line machine specifically for timber extraction. Called the Rimbaka Timber Harvester, the machine can pull and lift the cut timber by a cable wire extension up to 150 metres. It uses a modified cabling-system to winch the felled logs. The use of the machine leaves the forest relatively intact after harvesting. Damage to the forest structure and wildlife habitat is minimised. The Harvester has indeed been well-tried and tested. According to A.W. Klassen, regional director, Tropical Forest Foundation, the machine has helped Rimbaka achieve considerable success at reducing the overall negative impact. The overall site disturbance was below 15 per cent, well under the 30 per cent threshold set by the Forestry Department. Wong is looking ahead to market the Rimbaka Harvester for logging operations overseas like Indonesia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and some Pacific islands, exporting not only the machine but also Malaysia's own brand of sustainable forestry practices. |
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6 July 2003
MTC’s
