No forest harvesting without operation plans – GFC

No forest harvesting without operation plans – GFC
Kaieteur News, 16 January 2008
No logging company is allowed to harvest any forest for this year
unless they submit their Annual Plan of Operations to the Guyana
Forestry Commission (GFC).

This plan has to be submitted with supporting inventory information for
approval by the GFC before authorised harvesting can take place.

This is also applicable to all holders of active Timber Sales
Agreements (TSA) and Wood Cutting Leases (WCL).

In a public notice, the GFC announced that any breach by companies will
result in appropriate action being taken against them.

Failure to submit the Forest Management Plan and Annual Plan of
Operation will result in operations being temporarily suspended.

Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, Public Relations Officer, Jaime
Hall, said that the Commission does have a degree of flexibility with
some concessionaries.

He noted that if companies cannot submit the entire document on time
then they can go into the Forestry Commission and have a discussion on
the issue rather than not submitting it at all.

Forest Management Plans should follow a three- to five-year period and
must be approved prior to the submission of Annual Plans of Operation.

Hall noted yesterday that to ensure that companies are complying with
the requirements, officers at forest stations across the country
monitor the operations.

There are 21 forest stations within the country, he noted. Officers
from those stations, he added, are tasked with the responsibility to
ensure that all the forestry guidelines are carried out.

GFC is also advising all persons transporting forest produce to ensure
that reflective triangles or other such clearly distinguishable signs
are prominently displayed on vehicles and other forms of transport at
all times.

The Forestry Commission also announced that all unused tags for 2007
must be returned.

Companies are required to submit to the GFC, the volume and number of
pieces of produce on the ground together with the tags used on this
produce.

Permission will then be granted to remove only this produce in 2008 as
production from 2007.