Forest Act revision to ease outdated rules on felling of trees

By The Nation

 

 

Privately grown trees outside protected forests could in future be legally cut down for logging as long as people were able to show proof of ownership via land-deed documents, according to a public hearing held yesterday on amending the 77-year-old Forest Act of 1941.

 

The proposed amendment forms part of the forestry reform plan steered by the natural resources and environment reform committee, appointed last year under the national reform law.

 

Under the proposals, people would also be allowed to cut down trees prone to harming life and/or property. 

 

However, for those trees growing in the Kingdom’s forests, more stringent measures would be put in place to control illegal logging, the hearing was told. 

 

Those found to have illegally logged precious trees, such as teak, rosewood and other prohibited wood, would face severe penalties of up to 20 years in jail or a maximum fine of Bt2 million.

 

Log processing would also be tightly controlled, the forum heard.

 

Last but not least, the vague definition of “forest” would be redefined.

 

Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, vice chair of the natural resources and environment reform committee, who heard and gathered views from the forum, said the amendment of the law would be completed by the end of next month. 

 

It would then be forwarded to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry with a view to its submission to the Cabinet for further legal proceedings, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30337548

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-1-30

When you see the amount of encroachment, abandoned plantations, illegal logging going on and then take into account the vague boundaries, they arent doing anywhere near enough...but par for the course here...

17 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

"....people would also be allowed to cut down trees prone to harming life and/or property."

So does the new law apply to protect people in situations like the two old men who some time back cut up a DEAD tree across the road to the local tip so as to clear the way for the traffic. These two old men aged about 65 were arrested and jailed for cutting for cutting up a protected species of DEAD tree blocking the road.

The idiocy of the Thai law enforcement defies belief.........sorry; it doesn't defy belief at all!

4 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

So does the new law apply to protect people in situations like the two old men who some time back cut up a DEAD tree across the road to the local tip so as to clear the way for the traffic. These two old men aged about 65 were arrested and jailed for cutting for cutting up a protected species of DEAD tree blocking the road.

The idiocy of the Thai law enforcement defies belief.........sorry; it doesn't defy belief at all!

Terribly selective enforcement on soft targets.  Makes the cops feel good I suppose.