Article 13’s call for log exports ban misinformed– Forestry Commission

The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has come out swinging at civil society group, Article 13, for what it says is a misinformed, emotional and nonfactual call for the immediate ban on the exportation of logs.

The GFC in a statement said that Guyana exports below 20% of its actual log production with the remaining 80% going towards the local market for processing and use in the domestic economy. Additionally, the processed logs are also exported as finished and valueadded products.

“This 80% 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 tariff on imported pine and plywood was increased a few years ago to the maximum level of 40% and 45% respectively from the previous levels of 5%. This alone is a direct benefit and protection mechanism for the domestic manufactures and value-added, processing operators,” the GFC explained.

Last week, Article 13 called for full disclosure of all foreign companies operating in the forestry sector along with the immediate ban on the export of logs.

“The people of Guyana deserve to know the present rate and quantity of forest degradation, including a breakdown delineating foreign versus domestic usage. In this regard, Article 13 holds that Guyana must immediately ban all exports of logs,” a statement issued by Article 13 spokespersons Ramon Gaskin, Yog Mahadeo and Jonathan Yearwood had said in wake of President Irfaan Ali’s recent address to the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.

Additionally, the group also called out President Ali for what it said was the duplicitous nature of his engagements when he pledged support for the removal of subsidies from fossil fuel production while his government is doling out and continues to defend the granting of concessions to oil companies in Guyana.

The GFC, in the statement posted to its website on Wednesday did not make any disclosures on foreign companies operating in the logging sector. It said that Article 13’s “false assertion” that President Ali was duplicitous at COP26 whilst calling for a ban on log exports is presumptuous and reckless.

“Firstly, Cop26 was not about country positions but rather a global call for 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,” the statement read.

Providing context for its claims, the GFC said that about 50 billion tons of carbon are emitted annually. It added that Guyana’s annual deforestation is among the lowest in the world averaging 0.056% per annum and that deforestation does not occur in the forest sector based on the guidelines that are strictly enforced.

“Guyana practices sustainable forestry management in a very robust and systematic manner. Our practices are recognized internationally as one of the best. This has been confirmed by numerous independent international audits,” it said.

With 50% of national forests unallocated, the Forestry Commission contended that Guyana can practice selective logging at the rate of 20m3 per hectare over a 60-year cycle which is equivalent to approximately three trees per acre or six trees per hectare. It further explained that the annual allowable sustainable production from the allocated forest is 1.2Mm3 and revealed that the current actual production is 400,000m3 per year. Guyana has had in place a log export policy since 2006. The GFC statement said that the rates charged per m3 of logs exported have been continuously adjusted upwards and currently, the rates are among the highest compared with other tropical timber-producing countries. Additionally, it said that log bans in other territories have proven to be ineffective as they were not implemented in conjunction with other measures.

Speaking to the economic benefits of the forest, the Commission said that approximately 20,000 Guyanese, mostly from the hinterland, are employed within the sector and putting them on the breadline is not a move that it supports.

“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 producer and manufacturing groups before the log export policy was developed,” it said.

During his address to world leaders at COP26, held in Glasgow, Scotland, Ali committed to a 70% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. Additionally, Guyana signed on to the Glasgow Declaration on Forests in which it signaled its commitment to eliminate deforestation to protect its existing forests.