Indonesian Government To Take Over All Forests, Logging Companies

[hatrack]

JAKARTA, Feb 6 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government plans to take over the management of all forests that may result in the liquidation of all logging firms (HPH), the newspaper Bisnis Indonesia reported Monday.
Forestry Product Director General Hadi Susanto Pasaribu said the forestry ministry will revoke all licenses extended to forestry companies to utilize timber from natural forests.

Currently, there are 283 licensed logging companies but only 127 are active in operation while the others have stopped operating or are bankrupt.

Pasaribu said a large part of the role of HPH to supply logs to timber processing factories will be taken over by a government agency called Forest Administrator (KPH).

EDIT

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060206/4/2fc1x.html

[Angry Girl]

1. Yup, we're starting to run out of wood

Remember when wood prices jumped a few years ago because the military was using so much with "reconstructing" Iraq and also the Chinese were (and still are and will be in the future) using a wad of it?

Hardwood prices have skyrocketed and instrument makers throughout the world are having a real hard time. My drum sticks now cost double what they did five years ago.

Did you know that Indonesia has the world's fastest rate of deforestation?

Government officials estimate that Indonesia is losing an area of forest close to the size of Switzerland every year. Out of control logging activities - both legal and illegal – have brought the current rate of deforestation to 3.8 million hectares per year, double the rate of five years ago. This means that Indonesia loses 7.2 hectares – more than 7 football fields - every minute.

Illegal tropical timber

Indonesia sells plywood, sawn timber and paper products to over one hundred countries. Almost 90% of all Indonesian timber in the current market is produced illegally.

Continued....
http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/hutan/jeda/logging_info/

More on Indonesia's timber problem here...
http://www.mtc.com.my/news/pr149.htm

Thanks, hatrack, for posting this!