Belize

Co., and BEC) accounting for almost two-thirds of production.
The many small sawmills providing sawn wood for the
local market are inefficient and produce poorlydimensioned
lumber. Government price controls on lumber
are a disincentive to upgrading sawmills and producing
better quality lumber. Because of the poorer quality oflocal
lumber, demand exists in Belize City for imported lumber.
Except for the few sawmills oriented to exports, the Be!ize
sawmilling industry is characterized as hopdessly antiquated
and sawmills are in need of replacement (Fellows
1976 ).
The Forest Department and the GOB believe that
forestry can contribute much more to the national
economy. Forestry development in Belize has been thoroughly
studied by several international organizations
(Melhuish 1973; Bassili 1976; Fellows 1976; FAO 1978;
Berl-Cawthron 1982). These reports generally concur that
the annual cut of timber is only about 5% of the potential
annual cut on a sustained-yield basis. However, that potential
will only be possible if the forest reserves are protected
from slash-and-burn agriculture, local wood processing
facilities are improved, effective forest management plans
are implemented and the technical and administrative
capabilities of the Forest Department are strengthened.
Forest Management
The management of Belize's forests is strongly rooted
in colonial forestry principles developed in more than a
century of practice throughout the British Empire. Due to
the economic preeminence of timber exploitation in tropical
colonies, the British became leaders in tropical
silviculture, wood products, and forest soils. British
expcrtise in tropical forestry still plays an important role in
R e Iize forestry with research activities of the Commonwealth
Forestry Institute (Oxford) and technical and
personnel assistance to the Forest Department from the
Overseas Development Administration (ODA).
The Forest Department (FD) is a dependency of the
MNR. Current staffing is six professionals with provisions
for a seventh, three forest technicians, II rangers and two
conservation officers (who function as rangers) and 20 forest
guards (0. Rosado, pers. comm.). The FD is decentralized
with only two senior staff (who are two of the six
professionals) in Belmopan (Chief Forest Officer and Principal
Forest Officer). The other four professionals include
one western and three southern district officers, two of
which are the Forest Research Officer (with country-wide
responsibility) and District Forest Officer for Utilization,
both based at Melinda (0. Rosado, pers. comm.).
Table IV-9. Estimated exploitable area (kml) and volumes (m 3 ) in productive forests of Belize. (Recalculated from FAO
1978)
Primary Secondary
Area (Mahogany Hardwoods Pine TOTAL
& Cedar)
Cockscomb Basin 410 24,600 1,410,400 1,435,000
Columbia River &
Maya Mountains 1,340 80,700 8,142,300 8,223,000
Chiquibul 1,850 80,800 3,434,600 3,515,400
Belize Estate 2,430 444,000 4,148,700 4,592,700
Mountain Pine Ridge 515 10,600 205,800 216,400
Other Forest Reserves 2,614 ND 3,647,800 454,300 4,102,100
Other Private or
Government 4,850 ND 4,672,500 140,000 4,812,500
TOTAL 14,009 630,100 25,466,900 800,100 26,897,100
ND :::: No Data
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