Sarawak Forests

Today, Malaysia, as a member of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) which is fully committed to ITTO's objectives, is striving towards the achievement of forest management that is environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable.

The following excerpt taken from www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my

There are about 80% or almost 10 million hectares of Sarawak's total land area of 12.3 million hectares covered with forest (including natural as well as secondary forests). The remaining 2.3 million hectares are under settlements, towns, agricultural crop cultivation and native customary rights land.

Secondary forests refer to ecological systems deriving from clearing of natural forests for shifting cultivation. These forests have been established through a long fallow period of natural regeneration and now contain minimum crown covers of trees and are associated with wild flora, fauna and natural soil conditions. Secondary forests are established after abandonment of 10 years or more by shifting cultivators. Secondary forest formations in Sarawak are closed forests.

Six million hectares of the State's forests are zoned as the Permanent Forest Estate which is meant for sustainable forest management and about 1 million hectares are designated as Totally Protected Areas.

Although five types of natural forest are recognised in Sarawak, three main types predominate. These are Hill Mixed Dipterocarp Forest (covering about 7 million hectares), Peat Swamp Forest (comprising about 1 million hectares) and Mangrove Forest (occupying slightly more than 0.1 million hectares). The other two types, the Kerangas and the Montane Forests, are minimal in size.

Where each of the forest types is found depends on the altitude, soil conditions and water availability. Hill Mixed Dipterocarp Forest is found in the interior, upriver areas, extending from coastal peat swamps up to heights of 1,500 meters. Montane Forest takes over beyond this altitude. The domain of the Peat Swamp Forest is lowlying coastal plains with a high water table reaching inland along the lower reaches of major river systems. The Rejang delta and the Batang Baram are fine examples of Peat Swamp Forest. Mangrove Forest, on the other hand, is found in tidal and estuarine stretches extending from mud flats to where the saline waters start while Kerangas Forest occurs on poor, sandy soil and terrain.

Forest harvesting plays a major role in Sarawak's economy. It provides jobs, alleviates poverty in rural areas and helps to reduce the spread of shifting cultivation.

The mangrove forest was the first to be commercially harvested - for poles and charcoal - before work began in the other types of forests. Systematic harvesting in peat swamp forest started only in the '50s followed by hill mixed dipterocarp forests in the '70s.

Forest harvesting is presently carried out in the permanent forest estate and state land forests. In the permanent forest estate, prescriptions in the forest management plan are implemented and followed. The control of yield of harvest on an annual basis is carried out using the annual coupe system.

Field studies of improved tractor logging practices named path logging were carried out as part of ITTO development programmes. Experiences in 1997 felling blocks with the PATH Logging indicate considerable reduction in damages as compared with conventional working practices.

As for the harvesting of hill forests in the remote and difficult terrain regions of Sarawak, the Forest Department is encouraging the timber operators to adopt helicopter harvesting in their operations.

Comment: I don't think it is advisable to log remote and difficult terrain using helicopters. It would be too dangerous and too costly.

Even with a sustainable logging plan, we still hear of grouses by the local indigenous people complaining their customary lands are being violated by the logging companies.The Forestry Department needs to enforce strictly the forest management plan to prevent loggers destroying the environment and encroaching on timber not meant to be harvested.

Lately we hear also of people forging Sarawak timber labels on their timber products.