The director general of Myanmar’s Forestry Department submitted a proposal to the government to stop log harvesting nationwide for conservation purposes, according to Fordaq.
The Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association, a Myanmar-based NGO focused on sustainable forestry management, applauded the proposal. Its chairman, U Ohn, has been quoted urging a stop to teak and other hardwood log harvesting, according to Fordaq.
The proposal has not yet been made official. However, the Myanmar Timber Enterprise, a government institution within the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry responsible for harvesting and overseeing log harvesting in Myanmar, said through a senior official that it would end logging operations at the end of this fiscal year.
Although the private sector is not opposed to the halt, it would prefer a phased approach that would give time to adjust production and workforce, Fordaq reported. It said the current volume of domestic hardwood inventories could meet domestic demand for about two years.
