Dear Editor,
I have passed through a number of large scale logging concessions throughout Guyana and observed some techniques that seem to indicate a wanton waste of logs.
Two of the main areas in which this has been observed is in the construction of bridges within the concessions and apparent waste of logs at logging ponds.
There are a number of bridges across some large creeks, for example the Lower Kaburi River, where there are layers upon layers of logs that have been piled on to each other to create the bridge. With the case of the Lower Kaburi bridge, there are at least fifteen layers of logs, each containing at least twenty large logs. This gives a total of at least 300 logs being used to build a bridge. It seems such a wanton waste that so many logs are needed to construct such a bridge. Wouldn’t it have been better to use sawn lumber to construct the bridge? It has also been observed that bridges constructed from raw lumber have shorter life spans than those constructed using sawn lumber.
For example, a bridge has been constructed across the Demerara River, within DTL’s concession, using sawn lumber. This bridge has been able to withstand the rigors of the timber trucks much better than the other log bridges within the concession that frequently need replacing.
There is also the case of old logging ponds that have large numbers of abandoned logs. I have seen old logging ponds in the upper Kaburi area where there are loads of old logs now overgrown with bush and obviously abandoned. There were even old purple heart and green heart logs with diameters greater than five feet. There is also the sawmill site of Demerara Timbers Ltd (DTL) where there are numerous piles of rotting lumber, overgrown by bushes and obviously discarded. This site is out in the open and can be easily observed.
What does the regulatory body, GFC, do about all of this waste?
There are so many small scale
loggers that could benefit if this wanton waste could be reduced. If a small logger is found cutting wood within these concessions he is given a very harsh penalty. Yet the amount of logs that he cuts is much less than those that are left abandoned or wasted.
Couldn’t something be done to minimise this apparent wastage?
For example, why can’t GFC regulate that all bridges that are to be constructed within a logging concession must use sawn lumber instead of large numbers of logs? It may seem more expensive to the owners of the concession but ultimately it would save on our forest and also ensure longevity for the bridges since raw logs are short term bridges.
What about the logging ponds? If the concessionaire knows that he is not going to use all of the logs that he has cut or that the type of logs is not what is required, couldn’t he go into an agreement with a small scale logger to utilise this wood?
It seems that there are options to reduce this apparent waste. The bigger question is if the governing agency and the large scale loggers are willing to adopt these measures in the interest of preserving our forests.
Yours faithfully,
J. Fredericks
