Sarawak’s reforestation programme is plagued with problems that could jeopardise timber supplies, according to the state’s industry association.
Datuk Leo Chai, president of the Sarawak Timber Association (STA), said that doubts over which species to plant, high establishment costs, a shortage of seedlings, the long gestation period and problems with the locals were delaying the programme.
Mr Leo said that, as a result, it was inevitable that most of the smaller licences and operators faced being phased out or redeployed to the plantation sector, leading to a drop in log volumes for export and the processing industry.
On the issue of certification, Mr Leo called on STA members to their concessions certified under the Malaysian Timber Certification Council scheme.
“Though timber certification is still a voluntary scheme, we need to recognise that sooner or later we might not be able to see uncertified timber to certain markets,” he said.
