Forests and forestry
Forest products
Govt vows to standardise wood processing plants
The government has instructed authorities in charge to inspect wood processing plants nationwide to ensure the plants’ operations meet production and environmental quality standards. Inspection will be launched into all licensed 1,595 plants across the country and a number of criteria will be used to assess ...
Pulp and paper supplier denies draining peat on island near Singapore
A NASA satellite detected 140 hotspots in West Kalimantan on September 12 as smallholders in the province continued to burn land for agriculture, Indonesia’s disaster management agency said on September 13. Data from Global Forest Watch shows the district of Ketapang recorded 144 fire alerts over the ...
Only certain plantation tree species may be exported: govt spokesman
Only certain species of trees grown in managed plantations may be exported, not all species, the government spokesman said last week. Eucalyptus and kathinnalong trees whose trunks measure 12 centimetres or less may be felled for export but trees with larger trunks must not be used ...
Banks pump billions into deforestation-linked firms in Southeast Asia: study
Banks have financed companies responsible for rainforest destruction in Southeast Asia to the tune of billions of dollars, a study showed on September 6, and called on lenders to stop “fuelling forest crime”. Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s most diverse rainforests, but ...
Modern machinery, technical skills needed to improve wood processing
Modern machines and technical skills are required to enhance the competitiveness of the Lao timber processing industry in line with other countries in the region. Chairman of the Okawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Japan, Mr Yuji Sonoda made the observation during an interview with Vientiane ...
More than a thousand furniture plants ordered to shut down
The government has ordered some 1,154 family-unit furniture plants across the country to shut down their illegal operations, a government spokesman announced on September 1. Additionally, more than 20 wood processing plants located in or near conservation and protected forests areas were also ordered to close ...
PM tries again on deforestation
In recent months Prime Minister Hun Sen has made an effort to show that the government has a handle on the voracious deforestation that has ravaged the country’s forests over the years. Yet his speeches and decrees have done little to slow down, much less ...
Logged forests are havens for endangered species in Southeast Asia
A logged forest isn’t a lost forest, new research reveals. In recent surveys, scientists from Imperial College London found a surprising number of endangered species living in logged forests in Borneo.The forests in question aren’t clear cut, but “selectively logged.” Only a specific tree species ...
Replanting scheme touted
A government announcement that it will promote the replanting of trees in areas reclaimed from unused economic land concessions has drawn a broadly positive response. But Buntenh, a monk and environmental activist, on August 22 said that while the idea was good, it was not clear ...
EPF extends support to combat illegal hunting and trading of wildlife
The Environmental Protection Fund has budgeted over US$ 1 million for two projects aiming to support the combat of illegal hunting and trading of wildlife in the country. The project known as Timber and Non-timber Forest Product Trade and Law Enforcement will receive US$568,862 and will ...
