Commonwealth Forestry Review

AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH 2S
The University and the Research Institute which are, happily, members of this
Association should work together with State Forest Services in solving their management
and staffing problems. Problems will continually rear their heads as you go
deeper into intensive forestry. Problems associated with the marketing ofour unknown
timber species will be worth looking into. The University should provide facilities for
training and servicing forestry personnel through the organising of special courses,
seminars and symposia.
I am happy this Association includes members of the timber trade. The need has
always existed for the "growers" of wood and its "hewers" to work together and
promote forestry in this country. The Forest Services must always have at the back of
their minds the supply of the needs of the trade. They must strive to supply wood in
the form acceptable to the trade. The members of the trade on the other hand must
find suitable forms of use for the wood being grown. They must think of more
sophisticated and modern methods of processing wood in order to minimise wastes.
I have mentioned the establishment of integrated wood industries and the marketing
of our unpopular timber species. I understand that the export of lumber is more
advantageous than log export in that it is more profitable and less capital intensive.
The need for providing employment locally is an added justification for advocating
a policy involving the processing of timber before export.
I have tried to touch on some of the immediate forestry problems that need tackling
in this country. I have by no means exhausted them but I am sure you will be deliberating
on these very fully in your sessions. I have mentioned the uniqueness of your
association in projecting the image of forestry and forest industry in this country to
the outside world. You have the pride of place of being the best organised association
of this nature in the tropics and I hope you will feed factual information on Nigerian
forestry to your counter-parts in other countries. I do hope you will meet regularly
to exchange ideas and views of common interest.
I know you have a heavy programme to go through and I shall leave you to carry
on with your deliberations. Thank you.
SABAH
Logging in Forest Reserves in Sabah
THE GOVERNMENT of the State of Sabah, Malaysia, recently announced that it has
advised the 12 companies logging under 21 year licence agreements in forest reserves
that these agreements will not be renewed when they expire. The licence agreements
of 8 of the companies, which are private, will expire at the end of 1978 while those of
the other 4 which are public including Sabah Timber Co. (formerly British Borneo
Timber Co.) will expire later-the final one at the end of 1984. The total annual coupe
of the 12 companies, which are working on a theoretical sustained yield basis, is 73 sq.
miles with the coupe equal to one hundredth of the total concession area. In addition
a new licence agreement is being concluded with a foundation established by enactment
called The Sabah Foundation, which will have an annual coupe of 30 sq. miles divided
into 10 sub coupes. It is not certain when this will come into force but probably before
the end of 1970.
The reason for the issue of this licence agreement is basically to try and distribute
the profits from the timber industry more evenly among the people. With this end in
view the Sabah Foundation proposes to provide funds and facilities for education,
housing and other projects for the benefit of the peoples of Sabah. At the same time
it hopes to invest in the exploitation and development of other natural resources in
the State in particular oil and minerals.
Forest Inventory: Sabah
A FOREST INVENTORY is at present being carried out in Sabah under a Canadian aid
programme. The inventory is divided into three phases. Phase I is the provision of
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