The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Council has launched a global ‘Governance Review’, directed by an international panel of experts, the majority of whom are independent of PEFC, and with support from the Z/Yen Group. The panel, chaired by Lord Jamie Lindsay of United Kingdom Accreditation Service, includes Björn Andrén of Holmen Skog AB, John Dee of Planet Ark, Hans Drielsma of Forestry Tasmania, Dr Maharaj Muthoo of the Hari Environment & Development Society, Frederick O’Regan of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Dirk Teegelbekkers of PEFC Deutschland eV. Building upon the unanimous adoption of PEFC’s Strategic Plan in October 2007, the Governance Review will focus on a number of important areas:

• making the PEFC organisation more effective
• Ensuring that PEFC’s rules and standards are simple and easy to understand, implement and operate
• Improving external perceptions of PEFC’s governance
• Ensuring that PEFC robustly implements and continuously monitors its own requirements at all levels
• Ensuring ‘buy-in’ from PEFC’s existing stakeholders
• Removing obstacles to dialogue with environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs).

PEFC anticipates the completion of the Governance Review by late spring of this year.

Whilst illegal loggers are threatening Sierra Leone’s few remaining forests, including the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, a turf war is being waged between key Government departments tasked with tackling such issues, according to NGO Global Witness. Global Witness has called for new President Ernest Bai Koroma to bring much needed direction and law enforcement to Sierra Leone’s forest sector in order to prevent further destruction. “The previous President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, shifted responsibility for environment and forestry from the Ministries of Lands and Agriculture, respectively, to the newly created National Commission of Environment and Forestry (NaCEF),” the organisation said. “Many believed this decision was taken because these two Ministries – and related Governmental agencies – were ineffective in stopping widespread logging operations.”  Over the past few years there have been rumours of corruption within the Ministries, however, in a recent speech Koroma linked environment and forestry with their old ministries, which have taken this as a cue to reclaim these portfolios, together with NaCEF’s $6 million of international funding. “It is critical that an urgent decision on the future of NaCEF is made given the recent upsurge in illegal logging, much of which is reported to have been carried out by Chinese loggers,” Global Witness stated.

The situation has become so severe that earlier this month the Government banned timber exports amidst fears that environmental degradation may force forest-dependent communities to move from their land. A coherent and effective Government response is unlikely until this decision has been reached, according to the NGO. Chris Squire, Executive Commissioner, NaCEF: “The Appraisal Mission for a Global Environment Facility (GEF) project to improve biodiversity management on five Protected Areas (PAs), and raise two of these PAs to the level of National Parks has been postponed four times in the last couple of months because the World Bank says the current institutional arrangements do not make it clear who is the counterpart institution in-country.  “Other projects under negotiation are also being held in abeyance on similar grounds.  We risk jeopardizing benefits intended for the country as a whole.” Patrick Alley, Director of Global Witness: “It’s good that the Government of Sierra Leone has banned timber exports, but the critical thing is to stop the illegal logging taking place at all. “On top of that, it is critical that President Koroma clarifies which arm of his Government is responsible for forests and environment, and gets them to act quickly to bring the illegal logging under control.”

The proposals contained in the energy and climate change package published by the European Commission on January 23 this year weaken the competitiveness of the Finnish forest industry on the world market, according to the Finnish Forest Industries Federation.

“Finland makes paper products for 100 million people, and that consumes a lot of energy. But it will do nothing to improve the state of the climate if the energy policy of the EU hamstrings the competitiveness of the Finnish forest industry and forces production to relocate to places where there are no climate regulations,” FFIF President and CEO, Anne Brunila, said. She said The reform of the emissions trading system must recognise the international competitiveness and energy-intensive nature of the forest industry. The costs of emissions trading cannot be transferred into the prices of end products in the pulp and paper industries, which must compete in the global marketplace. “We must remember that only one third of the world’s output of pulp and paper is governed by emissions trading. Since product prices are determined on the world market, those competitors who are located beyond the reach of emissions trading restrictions gain cost benefits. Emissions trading weakens the business potential of forest industry companies operating in the EU,” Brunila said. She said emission rights auctions were no solution. The total volume of emission rights on the market determines the volume of CO2 emissions in the EU. The method by which emission rights are distributed to companies does not reduce emissions “one bit”, according to Brunila. “The method for distributing emission rights does nothing to curb climate change. The emission rights auctions proposed by the commission would simply cause extra costs to the economy of the EU as a whole,” she said. “For the Finnish forest industry, emission rights auctions, that is, having to purchase emission rights, would result in additional costs of €125-300 million/y. It would not be possible to pass on this extra cost into product prices. “This would undermine the industry’s potential for investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. It is impossible to make clean energy investments when costs are being augmented by political decisions,” Brunila explained. The Finnish forest industry has reduced its CO2 emissions by about 40%/t produced, compared with the 1990 level. This is the result of €1 billion of investment in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

Madill Business Development International Vice President, Bob Larter, announced at the annual Truck Loggers Conference in Vancouver that the company has increased its distribution network into Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

“The forestry market is very active world-wide and we are pleased to be able to offer Madill machines in other markets to compliment our own at home in North America,” he said. Randalls Equipment based in Melbourne, Active Equipment in Rotorua, NZ, and Gibson Equipment Repair in Nelson, NZ, will represent Madill’s Hydraulic Product line-up. Gough, Gough and Hamer in New Zealand will continue to represent Madill yarders as they have done so for the past 15 years. In Russia, the company will partner Irkutsk-based Vudtex. “The vast forest lands in this country represent and excellent opportunity for both our companies,” Larter said. Madill is a world-wide leader in the manufacture of feller bunchers, log loaders, processors and yarders and is based out of Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island in Canada.

Tigercat has developed a dedicated processor carrier designed for roadside processing applications as well as light duty in-woods harvesting, which is being marketed worldwide with units sold and operating in such diverse areas as the US, Uruguay, South Africa and Australia.

The H250B was developed from the T250B loader platform and offers harvesting contractors a lower cost alternative to Tigercat’s 800 series harvesters while providing superior productivity in roadside processing applications compared to excavator conversions, according to the company. The H250B is powered by a turbocharged and aftercooled Tier III Cummins QSB6.7 engine, delivering 153 kW at 1,800 rpm. The high horsepower ensures that the carrier can operate the processing attachment to its full capacity, providing greater productivity. The lower engine rpm reduces fuel consumption as well as noise levels. According to designer Trevor Scott, the hydraulic system is tailored for processing applications. The hydraulic pump and valves can provide 360 L/min of flow and up to 290 bar pressure to the attachment. “The engine power ensures that the carrier can deliver high flow and high pressures simultaneously and maintain processing performance levels under tough conditions,” he said. “The load sense valves and pumps provide a system that can save fuel by delivering only the pressure and flow required by the functions.” Hydraulic hoses and tubes have been sized to handle the high flow required by these attachments and to provide low pressure drop at these levels. This results in added performance and productivity or reduced fuel consumption. Specifically designed for processing applications, the boom system provides a 9.68 m reach and a lift capacity suitable for attachments weighing up to 4 000 kg. The boom geometry also allows for convenient machine transport. The D6 undercarriage, upper assembly and cab are all designed for forestry use, offering greater strength and durability than excavator conversions without the need for additional guarding or protection. High capacity cooling ensures that engine and hydraulic oil temperatures remain cool even under extreme conditions, extending the life of major components.

Japan will start a five-year plan this year to harness a new form of energy using biomass to produce auto fuels and other industrial products currently made from imported petrol, according to a Reuters report on the Environmental News Network.

Japan can supply a part of alternative fuels made from wood-origin ethanol as well as raw materials for plastic and carbon fibres, the report said. The Ministry of Agriculture will provide 1.2 billion yen ($11.2 million) from the next budget to support a few private projects to develop an alternative processing system the petrochemical industry, pending parliament approval. Forest Agency Technology Development Office Director, Satoshi Ishihara, said up to 10 billion yen of the funding was set aside for a project or projects using wood for cellulosic ethanol technology. “We’re looking for a cellulosic technology using enzymes and yeasts to cut down the size of such a plant,” Ishihara told Reuters. Cellulosic is expected to create several billions of dollars in an industry globally in enzymes and fermentation organisms, which help break down the tough bits of the plants into ethanol, the report stated. Japan’s sole commercial cellulosic plant in Sakai city in Osaka prefecture, western Japan, uses an acid process to produce ethanol from biomass collected in construction sites. When the next fiscal year starts in April, the farm ministry also has plans to spend a total of 3.2 billion yen to support a few consortiums comprising farmers, engineers and regional governments to produce ethanol from non-food soft plant parts such as rice stems and use it locally, Reuters said.

Harvard graduate and former UPM-Kymmene Strategy Executive Vice President, Heikki Malinen, has been appointed as Pöyry President and CEO. Malinen will take up the position on June 1, 2008. He replaces Erkki Pehu-Lehtonen. In the past ten years Pöyry has become a major player in the consulting and engineering sector under Pehu-Lehtonen’s leadership.

The company has experienced a three-fold sales increase, about 10-fold increase in the market capitalisation and it has a strong financial position. Chairman Henrik Ehrnrooth: “I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Erkki Pehu-Lehtonen for our excellent cooperation during his very successful era at Pöyry. The decision to appoint Heikki Malinen is the outcome of a thorough global search process. We were looking for a people leader with international experience and drive to continue the profitable growth strategy of Pöyry. “I am confident that Mr Malinen is a perfect fit for the role, being an exceptionally international person with extensive and relevant experience for this position. The fact that he has professional services experience from Pöyry in 2000-2001 will help him get a head-start in this new role.” Malinen said he was very excited to be taking up the position.

Research in Australia showing that Murray River flows are strongly impacted by bushfires has vindicated calls for conservation forests to be actively managed to reduce the frequency and severity of major bushfires. Research by scientists at the CSIRO Forest Biosciences has found that the 2003 bushfires could reduce flows into the Murray River by more than 80,000 megalitres a year by 2020. This is due to the intensity of regrowth required after bushfires such as the 2003 fires, which saw 3 Mha of forests burn across Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, particularly in national parks. NAFI CEO, Catherine Murphy, has campaigned strongly for more active management of forests in reserves so that the intensity of wildfires can be reduced.

“The Australian forest industry’s position has always been that forests need to be actively managed to reduce the frequency and severity of bushfires,” she said. “That means activities like bushfire fuel reduction targets must be met, access roads must be maintained and park management staff should be increased to allow more staff to be allocated to ‘on the ground’ activities.” Murphy also noted the severe greenhouse emissions impact of the fires: “The 2003 fires have been estimated to have emitted 130 Mt of CO2 into the atmosphere, equal to one quarter of Australia’s annual greenhouse emissions.

Forests should be managed so that they do not become major carbon emitters and cause further negative climate change impacts.” “If the destruction, through bushfires, of forests in reserves is having negative environmental impacts such as damaging our waterways and emitting huge amounts of carbon, then they are contradicting the environmental intent of reserving the forests in the first place,” she said.

Pöyry has divested its French subsidiary Pöyry Energy (Strasbourg) and sold its 100% ownership in the company for to €600,000 because the subsidiary’s profile and product portfolio is not in line with the current strategy of Pöyry’s Energy business group. The company’s annual net sales are about €2.5 million and it is debt-free. As the effective date of divestment was 31 December, the company is not consolidated in Pöyry’s 2007 balance sheet. The sale has a positive effect of about €200,000 on the energy business group’s profit for 2007. Pöyry’s net sales in 2006 amounted to about €620 million. Pöyry is a global consulting and engineering firm focusing on the energy, forest industry and infrastructure and environment sectors.

Chinese authorities this week unveiled a reforestation plan to plant 2.5 billion trees covering more than 5.3 Mha in 2008, China’s top forest management official said yesterday.Last year, the country increased its forest coverage by 5.2 Mha, equivalent to 2.27 billion trees. It produced forest goods valued at about 1.2 trillion yuan, 9.85% more than in 2006. State Forestry Administration Director Jia Zhibang said a recent United Nations survey on global forest resources showed that China’s annual forest plantation growth accounts for 53% of human-generated global forest growth.

China’s man-made forest coverage accounts for a third of the world’s total. About 666 Mha of trees in the world are cut down annually, but China contributes more than 400 Mha of forest growth to stem that, the SFA’s figures show. “China is one of the countries that embraces fast growth of forest coverage. It has made contributions to counter the negative effects of logging,” Jia said. Jia said forest administrations of all levels will give priority to protecting and planting trees. “China’s target of increasing green coverage from the current 18.21-20% in 2010 must be met,” he said. Aside from reforestation, protecting wetlands, controlling desertification and protecting wildlife are also on the SFA’s agenda for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The wetlands of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers will be put under protection, Jia said. So far, 47% of the country’s wetlands have been effectively put under conservation, he said. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the country’s Three-North Forest Shelterbelt Program, a greenbelt established in the northwest, north central and northeast regions to buffer desertification. Jia said Minqin county and the Shiyang River basin in Gansu and the Loess Plateau will be key areas for planters fighting encroaching sands.