Call for immediate ban on log exports Misinformed – Forestry Commission

…forest managed with less than 1% annual deforestation

The Guyana Forestry Commission has regarded the calls for an immediate ban on log exports as illogical and distanced from fact-based information which currently provides a clear understanding of Guyana’s forestry sector.
In a statement on Friday, the Commission stated that false assertions indicating that President Dr Irfaan Ali was duplicitous at COP26 is “presumptuous and reckless at its very least”.
While it noted that constructive and fact-based criticisms are welcomed, calls were made for Article 13 to seek clarification and present factual data, rather than making statements that are “erroneous and have no linkage” with what was reported by the Head of State at COP26.
It pointed out that COP26 was not about individual positions of each country but was rather a global call for the reduction of emissions. Guyana’s forests, managed by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) under sustainable forest management standards, continue to perform an essential service in climate balance through carbon storage and sequestration.
“For the uninformed, Guyana’s forest stores 19.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, and sequesters approximately 154M tCO2e annually. For comparison, the entire world emits about 50 billion tons a year. Guyana’s annual deforestation is among the lowest in the world, averaging 0.056 per cent per annum,” the GFC schooled.
Contrary to the misinformed article, said the statement, deforestation does not occur in the forestry sector based on the guidelines that are strictly enforced. Guyana practices sustainable forestry management in a very robust and systematic manner.
“Our practices are recognised internationally as among the best. This has been confirmed by numerous independent international audits. Guyana can practice selective logging at a maximum allowable conservative rate of 20m3 per hectare over a 60-year cycle (the equivalent of approximately three trees per acre, or six trees per hectare). However, even though the annual allowable sustainable production from the allocated forest is 1.2Mm3, the current actual level of production is 400,000m3. Additionally, about 50 per cent of the State forest is unallocated.”
Guyana has had in place a Log Export Policy since 2006. The rates charged per m3 of logs exported have been continuously adjusted upwards, and are currently among the highest, compared with other tropical timber-producing countries.
It is of great interest, too, that log bans have proven to be ineffective in many other countries. If not implemented in conjunction with other measures, a ban would quickly destroy the sector, as it can lead to a glut in the market and lowering of prices, thus forcing producers out of business, the Commission underscored.
“The Guyanese forestry sector provides employment to approximately 20,000 Guyanese, many of whom live in the hinterland regions. Our Government does not make impromptu decisions when considering such important factors that impact these 20,000 forest sector workers; multiple national consultations were done with all stakeholders, inclusive of the major producing and manufacturing groups, before the Log Export Policy was developed,” it added.
The statistics would also show that current levels of log export are below 20 per cent of actual production. Thus, over 80 per cent of logs produced are available for local sales, for processing and use in the domestic economy, and for export as finished and value-added production. This 80 per cent is more than adequate, given the current processing capacity in-country.
The Government also has various protection measures for the local processing and value-added industry. For example, the tariffs on imported pine and plywood were increased a few years ago to the maximum level of 40 per cent and 45 per cent respectively, from the previous levels of five per cent. This alone is a direct benefit and protection mechanism for domestic manufacturers and value-added processing operators.