Archived press release

Timber industry blamed for indonesian fires

29 September 1997

As massive forest fires spread across the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo [1],the UK continues to import thousands of cubic metres of wood from Indonesia [2].

Despite that fact that Indonesia is the UK's second largest supplier of tropical hardwoods,and that the UK's Timber Trade Federation acknowledged yesterday that Indonesian forest management is not under control [3], the industry resists independent third party certification of forests to show consumers which wood is from well managed forests.

Since 1994 controlled burning on plantations and timber estates in the dry season has been banned, yet the companies continue to use fire. The Indonesian Government has now named some of the timber companies responsible for starting the fires, but if it had enforced its own laws, this catastrophe might not have happened.

The so called 'selective' logging of rainforests for timber also makes forests more prone to fires [4].

Sarah Tyack, Rainforest Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said:

“It's time the timber industry faced up to its responsibilities. Illegal and unsustainable forest practices started thses fires, which have got out of control in the exceptioanlly dry conditions to create an international environmental disaster. Some hard lessons should be learnt here and the international tropical timber industry must immediately address the issue of long term sustainable forest management. UK timber traders must immediately cease business with the Indonesian firms responsible for these fires.”

“Half of Indonesia's tropical rainforests have already been sacrificed to supply the world with wood products. Now as the forests and plantations burn, it is the poor local people who have relied on these forests for their own livelihood who will suffer the most.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] Over 600,000 hectares of forest have already been destroyed and the fires continue to rage. The fires in the forests of South East Asia are out of control due to the current drought in the area, which is linked to El Niño, a periodic natural event that makes conditions in the south-east of the region much drier.

The smoke from the fires has combined with pollution from cities to create a choking smog which is affecting thousands of people who are suffering from respiratory complications in the toxic air. Deaths related to the smog have already occurred. It has been estimated that the smog will last till next April.

[2] In 1996, the UK imported a total of 201,650 cubic metres of tropical timbers (logs,sawn timber, plywood, veneers and boards) from Indonesia (Tropical Timbers April 1997). Indonesia harvests approximately 26 million cubic metres of timber from its forests annually (Tropical Timbers Dec 1996) and is the biggest player in the international tropical timber market. Over 1 million ha of forest are lost in Indonesia every year (FAO State of the World's Forests 1997).

[3] Michael James, Hardwood Executive of the Timber Trade Federation admitted that the 'Indonesians haven't quite got their forest management under control' in a Radio 4 interview yesterday.

[4] Forest fires are more prevalent in areas affected by logging, because of the build up of dead branches and leaves on the ground, and thinning of the canopy allowing more sunlight to penetrate the forest.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust