Burma to stop timber production in Pegu Range in the 2017-18 fiscal year

[webfact]

Burma to stop timber production in Pegu Range in the 2017-18 fiscal year



YANGON: -- Timber harvest in the Pegu Range, home to Burma’s major forests, will next fiscal year for a period of ten years in order to protect the range which has largely been stripped of its forest cover, The Irrawaddy Online reported on Tuesday.

Pegu Rang, also known as Pegu Yoma, is a series of low mountains crossing Rangoon and Pegu divisions. The hills have experienced marked deforestation particularly due to the harvest of valuable teakwood.

The Forestry Department will take control of all restricted forest reserves in the Pegu Range and will also ban logging by villagers in the surrounding areas.

Aye Cho Thaung, deputy general manager of Forestry Department, said that the government recently ordered timber production in all ranges banned starting from this year but the Forestry Department would allow other areas to resume timber production next year.

Illegal logging has been rampant, contributing to the destruction of forests and natural habitats of wildlife.

Under Burma’s long history of military rule, many timber producers exceeded the legal limit of timber exports – particularly in the 1900s – with some military officials implicated in the trade alongside businessmen.

The Htoo group of companies which is owned by wellknown tycoon, Tay Za, was among the major players in timber production unti 2011 when the government shifted to a quasi-civilian government.

Although the Pegu Range is capable of producing 50,000-100,000 tonnes of timber per year, the production amount has been limited to just 5,000 tonnes annually.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/burma-stop-timber-production-pegu-range-2017-18-fiscal-year/

-- Thai PBS 2016-07-07

[boomerangutang]

Good to hear. Any news of curtailing logging is good news.

[Emster23]

"...protect the range which has largely been stripped of its forest cover"

Should be enough time to finish off what is still standing.

[boomerangutang]

I like many aspects of Burma, but environmentally, they're primitive.

Every stream and river is polluted, and most of that is avoidable (feces and plastic are most often found). People there (similar to Thais) just simply toss garbage into bodies of water. I've even seen whole trash bags tossed in. Hillsides are in danger. Again, similar to Thailand, hills over 45% degree slope are fair game. Seemingly no awareness of erosion. I've even seen hills as steep as 60+ degrees being stripped of greenery in order to get planted. A worker on a slope that steep has the dirt 2 feet in front of his face.

On a more positive front, a Burmese official had the courage to say NO to China wanting to build a big dam on the Salween. Kudos to that person.

[boomerangutang]

I had emails from an Indonesian who was hired by a Chinese company. He wanted me to guide him into Shan State to get ROSEWOOD. It's protected, but in Asia anything is possible for the right price. I said 'no' to the Indonesian because I fancy myself as an environmentalist. I don't want to contribute to the further decimation of beautiful rosewood trees (I've planted about 30 of them on my Chiang Rai property. They're 2 to 3 meters tall in their 2nd year).

Last I heard, the Indonesian got robbed in Bkk, so it took the wind out of his sales. Chinese would take the last member of any species, fauna or flora, if they could make 10 cents on it.

[Tomtomtom69]

Lots of rosewood seizures taking place in Isarn over recent months/years, often at isolated locations like in Beung Kan province. Friend of mine is head of quarantine at the Nong Khai crossing. She has participated in many seizures as did her former boyfriend, also a friend of mine, though he is now in Japan.

Plenty of rosewood loggers from Cambodia arrested or shot on sight when attempting to cut down rosewood in the forests near the Cambodian border.

Myanmar is the third most deforested country in the world, according to an article I read a couple of months ago. Thailand has been doing a lot to protect it's forests, kudos to the Thai government, even if some of the measures imposed (such as forceable evictions) would send human rights groups into a state of panic, but sometimes this is the only language some people understand. So I fully support the Thai government, Thai forestry department etc. and hope they enforce the law even more fully in the future.

Myanmar is a different story, just like Laos they are full of corruption. They'll sell their own family members if it means a quick buck. They have no idea about conservation of forests and natural resources. I hope they start waking up soon - this law, if properly enforced, is a step in the right direction. However, it could be too little too late if the government doesn't strictly enforce a logging ban throughout the country.

[Tomtomtom69]

I had emails from an Indonesian who was hired by a Chinese company. He wanted me to guide him into Shan State to get ROSEWOOD. It's protected, but in Asia anything is possible for the right price. I said 'no' to the Indonesian because I fancy myself as an environmentalist. I don't want to contribute to the further decimation of beautiful rosewood trees (I've planted about 30 of them on my Chiang Rai property. They're 2 to 3 meters tall in their 2nd year).

Last I heard, the Indonesian got robbed in Bkk, so it took the wind out of his sales. Chinese would take the last member of any species, fauna or flora, if they could make 10 cents on it.

I used to work for a Chinese company involved in transporting some forestry products (not trees, but another agricultural cash crop) to China. I decided last year would be the last time I do it, because I'd rather help the Thais and Burmese develop a local processing industry and secondly, I don't want to see the eventual extinction of this product just to make a quick buck. Fact is, value adding brings in the big bucks and is more sustainable, selling a raw cash crop brings in a little bit of money in the short term but that's it.

The good news is that apparently, this year the Thai government has banned the export of certain agricultural products including this one, meaning it won't be possible to do this business anymore. From Myanmar, it will be because they have not enacted a similar ban, but even from there I wouldn't be supporting that Chinese company anymore. Besides, they promised me a high up position in their company and then reneged on their deal with no notice or reason given, so as far as I'm concerned I wouldn't mind seeing them go into the ground.

Anyway, I'm a competitor now helping to build up the Thai industry (and in the future, will expand across the border to Myanmar) so I want to see us prosper.

[boomerangutang]

TT69 can you mention what the product is? If not, that's ok.

I'd like to see hemp become legal to grow. I subscribe to a hemp online newsletter. Some progression in the US. If the US legalizes it, it will become legal in many other countries. As you probably know, it's already legal in China and several countries now. Even Volvo uses hemp hurds in their car seats. And there's a popular breakfast cereal in Canada, Hemp Nuts, which is nutritious and good tasting. I wish I could get some here.

Since rice is such a low-value, low-nutrition crop, I'd like to see at least some paddies devoted to growing hemp.

[Tomtomtom69]

Sent you a PM. Yes, hemp would be interesting. However, it needs to be legalised first of course!

Didn't know it was already legal in China?