Timber exports to Vietnam doubled in 2016
Vietnam – an amount valued at nearly $150 million – compared with nearly 375,000 cubic metres the year before.
The volume, Forest Trends noted, was significant nonetheless.
Long-time anti-logging activist Marcus Hardtke said that although the government’s “crackdown” had put “a dent” in cross border trade, the figures suggested things were “back or normal, or worse”.
He said the end-of-year spike in log exports corresponded with anecdotal reports of increased logging following the end of last year’s rainy season.
“There’s been an increase in logging activity this dry season, which is amazing because the government is stating the opposite,” Hardtke said.
“Where did this wood come from? There are no large-scale timber plantations in Cambodia [so] we have to assume it is from natural forests.”
According to ForestTrends, the O’Yadav district crossing in heavily forested Ratanakkiri province saw the greatest volume of logs. The data also notes the average price for logs fell from $285 per cubic metre in 2015 to $235 last year.
A quarter of the logs were graded by the Vietnamese as belonging to the second-highest grade of wood. Large amounts of sokram and pchek timber, designated as first-grade timber by Cambodia, were among the exports.
Reached yesterday, several officials declined to comment on the figures, saying they had not verified them.
Eng Hy, spokesman for the military police, hung up on a reporter when asked if the crackdown on logging and timber smuggling had been successful.
Environment Ministry spokesman Chea Sam Ang said he had not seen the data and referred questions to the Forestry Administration, whose spokesman could not be reached.