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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Scope of China's Logging Ban Expanded

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

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2/19/99

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

China's logging ban is being fully implemented. China must be held to

assurances that it will not import timber from the world market to

make up for a possible shortage that might be caused by its full-scale

logging ban. It is unacceptable to practice strict forest

conservation while causing the effects of deforestation elsewhere.

Viable restoration ecology methods will prove increasingly important as

more nations over-exploit their forest base and turn to ecosystem

reconstruction efforts.

g.b.

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Title: China- Logging ban scope expanded

Source: China Daily

Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint

Date: February 8, 1999

CHINA's logging ban in key natural forests will be fully implemented

this year regardless of difficulties it may cause. More than 1 million

former loggers are expected to be affected by the ban which could

create a timber shortage.

Meanwhile, China will intensify its efforts to plant quick- growing

and high-yield trees to meet its growing domestic timber demand, a

leading forestry official said yesterday in Beijing. Instead of

cutting trees, which was the traditional work of State-owned forest

farms, about 600,000-700,000 loggers are expected to become either

tree-planters or to be given jobs protecting or managing existing

forests, according to Wang Zhibao, head of the State Forestry

Administration (SFA).

Wang said China will preserve its precious forest resources, but will

also work to increase its forested areas. Although China's forestry

coverage rate is only 14 per cent, or about half the world's average,

its annual timber consumption is 150 million cubic metres. Demand

has exceeded the world timber trade volume of 120 million cubic metres

annually, Wang said.

Wang made it clear that: "China cannot expect to import enough timber

from the world market to make up for a possible shortage that might be

caused by its full-scale logging ban."

Within five years, China has plans to grow about 6.7 million hectares

of young trees to make up for a shortage in its domestic timber

market. The logging ban, initiated last year, and already implemented

in the Yangtze and Yellow River valleys and several other provinces,

will be implemented throughout China's major natural forest areas.

Instead of implementing the ban in just nine of China's major

provinces that contain rich natural forest resources as last year, the

ban will be expanded to 18 provinces with 1.2 million square

kilometres of woodlands. The area is three times that of last year,

Wang, said.

The original plan for the logging ban had to be revised by the

administration because of last summer's devastating floods, which were

partially caused by worsening soil erosion resulting from random tree

falling, Wang explained.

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