STA: Forests must continue to generate legitimate economic value

KUCHING (April 1): Forests must continue to generate legitimate economic value if they are to remain protected over the long term, says the Sarawak Timber Association (STA), outlining the importance of adopting a balanced approach to forest management that takes into account both ecological and socio-economic considerations.

This was among the highlights by STA chairman Dato Henry Lau Lee Kong in his report on the association’s 2025 workings ahead of its annual general meeting here on Tuesday.

Lau outlined the many challenged faced by timber operators during the year, including the fact that multi-billion ringgit worth of plants, equipment, machinery and vehicles have been left idle.

“Many workers have been retrenched and companies are facing financial difficulties. The impact on the private sector is significant by any standard or definition,” he noted.

“Mwanwhile, members from the tree plantation category were blamed for poor performance in planting, and in some instances, even faced unwarranted cancellation of licences, thereby affecting the replacement of wood supply from natural forests.

“In reality, many of these problems arose from land encroachment, illegal claims, as well as continued renewal of forest timber licences for overlapping areas and alienation of land to third parties from areas within the License for Planted Forests (LPF).”

Lau noted that like any industry, there were unscrupulous timber operators carrying out illegal logging activities, including over-cutting and evading payment of dues to the Government.

At the same time, many of Sarawak timber operators are law-abiding and have been at the forefront of sustainable forest management practices.

“Yet, whenever illegal activities are exposed in the media, all timber operators are often perceived as black sheep,” he noted.

“Natural forests are immensely valuable assets in many respects, ranging from environmental enhancement, protection of high value conservation attributes and yes, for their economic value as well.

“Forests must continue to generate legitimate economic value if they are to remain protected over the long term. It is vital to adopt a balanced approach to forest management that takes into account both ecological and socio-economic considerations, so that natural forests remain viable and sustainable.

“Otherwise, forests that do not maintain such balance will invariably succumb to other competing land uses.”