March 2007

DLH to phase out Burmese timber

22 March 2007

The Danish paper Berlingske tidende has reported that the timber giant, Dalhoff Larsen og Horneman (DLH) will phase out the buying of Burmese timber with the intention of completely ceasing in 2011. This was revealed in their annual financial report for 2007.

DLH has been criticized in the past by NGOs such as the Danish Nepenthes for buying timber from Burma. The sale of Burmese teak constituted last year of about 1 percent of the turnover in DLH.

Sources:

1. DLH vil lukke Burma-import, report in Berlingske tidende 22 March 2007.

UN report: Africa losing forest faster than any other continent

17 March 2007

The FAO report  "State of the world's forests 2007" has identified Africa as having lost over nine per cent of its forests between 1990 and 2005. This represents over half of all global forest loss, despite the fact that the continent accounts for just 16 per cent of global forests. The highest losses occurred in countries with high forest cover: Angola, Cameroon, DRC, Nigeria, Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The report also summarizes that while progress is being made in regards to sustainable forest management, it is uneven as progress is dependent on the level of institutional governance.

Sources:

1. State of the World's forests 2007, FAO report. 13 March 2007.

NGOs call for investor boycott of Samling

9 March 2007

A press release by the organisation Bruno Manser Fonds has revealed that 37 non-governmental organizations from 18 countries are asking investors and banks to shun the
Malaysian logging company Samling which was recently publicly listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. A quarter page advertisement of the Friday 9 March global edition of the International Herald Tribune was also released. Credit Suisse, HSBC and Macquarie Securities are named as bookrunners for the Malaysian timber and logging company.

Sources:

1. NGOs ask investors and banks to shun Malaysian logging giant, from Rengah website.
2. Advertisment in International Herald Tribune, 9 March 2007. Accessed from Rengah website.

Brunei intends to tap forest resources

9 March 2007

The Brunei Times recently reported that private companies and groups were asked to propose to the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and its Forestry Department projects to develop products derived from the country's rainforest resources. Brunei is one of the countries that have signed the Heart of Borneo Declaration in early February. The ministry though is not opposed to development. Mahmud Yussof, Acting Deputy Director of the department stated that
"We are not discouraging any development; of course we have to cut the trees for timber but it should be in a sustainable manner; economic development should be balanced with the natural resources."

Sources:

1. Firms And Groups Invited To Propose Projects To Tap Nation's Forests, originally in the Brunei Times, 15 February 2007.

Malaysian Timber Council's species database

9 March 2007

Launched in October 2006, MTC's Wood Wizard is a tool which provides technical information on Malaysian timber species.

Sources: 

1. Wood Wizard, MTC website. Available from http://woodwizard.mtc.com.my:8888/