Page 23 - 4. Pre-Course Reading-Training on Forestry Audit 2019

Chapter 2: Sustainable Forest Management

the international level, the national government’s role is bigger Illegal logging may occurred because of a difference between
than that of other party, but at the management level the role of demand and production, weak law enforcement, and socio-
private sector dominates. economic problems in the human forest communities.
As an example, the gaps between demand and production for
a particular country are illustrated in Table 2.1 below.
2.6 UNSUSTAINABLE
FORESTRY MANAGEMENT Table 2.1
Timber’s Demand and Production

Unsustainable forest management can result in a number of TIMBER’S DEMAND AND PRODUCTION VOLUME (million m ) 3
risks to forests. For the purposes of this document, ‘risk’ is
taken to be a probability or threat of damage, injury, liability, Log’s demand (1999)
loss or other negative occurrence, caused by external or 1. Industries related with 50
Licensed Forest Company (LFC)
internal vulnerabilities and which may be neutralized through 2. Industries not related with LFC 30
pre-mediated action. Forest audits need to anticipate those Total demand per year 80
risks. These major risks to forests include:
Log’s production (1995-1999)
Average production per year 35
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Logging as a cause of deforestation Gaps between demand and production 45
Logging as a cause of deforestation caused by harvesting, trans-
porting, processing and trading of forest products in violation The pulp and paper industry is currently expanding in tropical
of national law. Depending on the scale of the operation, illegal Asia, with several huge mills under construction in several
logging can harm forests and undermine sustainable forest countries. Large areas of mature forest are being cleared
management. Governments need to develop regulations, policies, for pulp fiber then converted to other uses such as oil palm
and mecha-nisms to mitigate or prevent illegal logging activities. plantations. The recent and accelerating loss of forest has
led to a significant number of species being moved to higher
threat categories on the IUCN Red List (IUCN Standards and
Commercial clear-cutting and selective logging for timber is, Petitions Working Group. 2008).
directly or indirectly, responsible for much of this deforestation,
especially in Asia. Many countries try to mitigate the effects
of logging through regulation and programmes designed to Logging’s impact on biodiversity
advance sustainable forest management. However, enforcement Logging can be selective and well-managed, but often it is
is often poor, and illegal logging predominates in some regions. not. Even selectively logged forests support consistently fewer
In addition to its direct impacts, logging also exposes forest to
encroachment and settlement, and other damaging disturbances forest-specialist bird species than primary forests. Those
species that do persist often become rare. Many of them are
like hunting and fire.
understorey insectivores and unable to survive in the open
forest. In Indonesia, loss of forest habitat due to logging and
human settlement threatens the survival of the Sumatran tiger
and the Sumatran elephant. The exhibit below documents the
specific activities that go to make up illegal logging.
Sakhalin Island, Russian Far East
In Russia, a dark conifer forest has been deforested by
logging and fires. Before exploitation began, bamboo grew Illegal logging and associated activities
as mountain vegetation at higher altitudes than the dark
conifer forest (and also grew rather feebly in the under- Some examples:
growth). Bamboo roots are resistant to high temperatures • Logging protected species.
and it can reproduce extremely well after fire. It can there- • Duplication of felling licenses.
fore quickly take over a new space, creating a thick, • Girdling or ring-barking, to kill trees so that
impenetrable carpet. they can be legally logged.
• Contracting with local entrepreneurs to buy
Huge areas of dark conifer forest have now been trans- logs from protected areas.
formed into bamboo wilderness in the South part of the • Logging in protected areas.
island. The inability of dark conifer to reestablish them- • Logging outside concession boundaries.
selves quickly after clear cutting and fires, together with • Logging in prohibited areas such as steep slopes,
the focus on spruce and fir timber for the paper industry, riverbanks and water catchments.
has led to significant depletion of dark conifer taiga. • Removing under-/over-sized trees from public forests.
Logging on Sakhalin has always been accompanied by • Extracting more timber than authorized.
replanting program. But it has never compensated fully Logging without authorization.
for the amount logged. • Obtaining logging concessions through bribes.

Source: Dimitry (2008) Source: UNECE Timber Committee and FAO European Forestry Commission