Forest Certification in Developing and Transitioning ... - UTas ePrints

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forest certification in developing and transitioning countries
Table 4 Certified forest management units in Guatemala, as of February 2004
Organization Area Population Year of Certification
(ha) benefiting certification status
Community Suchitan 12,217 191 1998 Certified
concessions San Miguel 7,039 145 1999 Certified
La Pasadita 18,217 386 1999 Suspended
Carmelita 53,797 388 2000 Certified
Uaxactún 83,558 688 2001 Certified
San Andrés 51,940 1,015 2001 Certified
Arbol Verde 64,973 7,452 2002 Certified
Laborantes del
Bosque 19,390 392 2003 Certified
El Esfuerzo 25,328 250 2004 Certified
Custosel 21,176 423 2004 Certified
Sub-Total 357,635 11,330
Industrial GIBOR 64,869 n.a. 2001 Certified
concessions Baren Comercial 66,458 n.a. 2003 Certified
Sub-Total 131,327
Cooperatives La Técnica 4,607 298 1999 Certified
and municipal Bethel 4,149 523 1999 Suspended
Ejidos Unión Maya Itzá 5,924 1,059 2001 Certified
Ejido Sayaxché 7,419 5,000 2002 Certified
Sub-Total 22,099 6,880
Plantations Ecoforest S.A. 2,242 n.a. 2003 Certified
Los Alamos 1,120 n.a. 2003 Certified
Sub-Total 3,362
Total 514,423
Source: Author’s elaboration based on FSC (2004)
Note: n.a. = not applicable
Additionally, seven chain-of-custody certificates have been granted, three of which
belong to the two certified industrial concessions. However, these enterprises buy
only small volumes of certified wood from the community concessions, due largely
to problems with quality, prices and timely delivery.
Current Status of the Certified Marketplace
For the time being, demand for certified wood on the domestic market is virtually
nonexistent. Almost the entirety of certified wood is exported to the USA, Mexico,
and to a lesser extent, Europe. All exports of certified products must go through the
handful of enterprises that have chain-of-custody certification. Despite the large area
certified, annually harvested volume is low. The annual harvested area is less than
10,000 ha, with less than 2.5 m3 harvestable volume per hectare. In 2002, this translated
into an annual cut of approximately 20,000 m3 (CONAP 2003). Less than half
of this timber is being sold as certified sawn wood, principally mahogany (Swietenia
macrophylla) and some secondary species such as santa maría (Callophyllum
brasiliense), manchiche (Lonchocarpus castilloi) and pucté (Bucida buceras) (Table 5).
Based on timber extraction in ten community concessions in 2000, Ortiz et l. (2002)
yale school of forestry & environmental studies