PR081103A FSC FM public report CEB v11 [03 06 ... - Bureau Veritas

FSC Certification System 

CERTIFICATION PUBLIC REPORT 

FOREST MAMAGEMENT CERTIFICATION 

Report ended on: 17 th December 2008 

CEB - PRECIOUS WOODS 

SMFC CEB PRECIOUS WOODS 

Forest(s)’ Situation: Republic of Gabon, 

Provinces of Ogooué Lolo and Haut Ogooué 

Manager’s Address: 

ZIP Code: BP 2262 - Town: Libreville - Country: Gabon 

Contacts: 

Christine Baboulin in Libreville (e-mail: christine.baboulin@preciouswoods.com) 

BUREAU VERITAS CERTIFICATION 

60 avenue du Général de Gaulle - 92046 Paris - La Défense Cedex - FRANCE 

Tel: + 33 1 41 97 02 05 - Fax: + 33 1 41 97 02 04 

www.certification.bureauveritas.com / fr 

Contact in Africa: Caroline Duhesme (caroline.duhesme@fr.bureauveritas.com) 

Contact in other countries: Héloïse d’Huart (heloise.dhuart@fr.bureauveritas.com) 

Initial Audit Date: from July 21 st to 28 th , 2008 

Last complementary audit date: from September 11 th to 15 th , 2008 

Certificate number: BV-FM/COC-840169 - Certification date: October 9 th , 2008 

Lead auditor and Report Author: Jean Paul GRANDJEAN

Ref. Document: PR081103A version 1.0

Bureau Veritas Certification 

92046 Paris La Défense Cedex 

www.certification.bureauveritas.fr 

CERTIFICATION DE GESTION FORESTIERE FSC 

RAPPORT PUBLIC DE CERTIFICATION 


Dernier audit : 15/09/08 

R.A. : Jean Paul GRANDJEAN 

Réf. : PR081103A 

Version : 1.0 

SOMMAIRE 

1 - Legal, administrative and earth use context.................................................................. 4 

2 - Description of the Forest Management .......................................................................... 5 

2.1 - Description of the applicant forest entity, its history, and regional context.............................5 

2.2 - Description of the system and the forest management scheme:..........................................16 

2.3 - Summary of management plan:............................................................................................18 

2.4 - Summary of the control and monitoring procedures of the certified organisation ................21 

2.5 - Forest areas potentially excluded .........................................................................................21 

3 - Standards(s)................................................................................................................... 22 

3.1 - Standard(s) used during the audits.......................................................................................22 

3.2 - Adaptation of the standards and stakeholders’ comments...................................................22 

4 - Initial assessment bases ............................................................................................... 23 

4.1 - Summary of the certification process....................................................................................23 

4.2 - Composition of audit teams ..................................................................................................37 

4.3 - Data collection’s approach....................................................................................................39 

4.4 - Site Visit(s) ............................................................................................................................49 

4.5 - Stakeholders’ identification and consultation........................................................................51 

5 - Observations during the audit ...................................................................................... 52 

5.1 - Main strengths and weaknesses...........................................................................................52 

5.2 - Results of the assessment based on FSC standards’ requirements....................................53 

5.3 - Elements that may lead to controversy.................................................................................68 

5.4 - Major Corrective Action Requests previously expressed .....................................................68 

5.5 - Pending Recommendations and Minor Corrective Action Requests....................................68 

6 - Scope set for the certificate .......................................................................................... 68 

6.1 - Geographical demarcation at entity level..............................................................................68 

6.2 - Limitation at forest products level .........................................................................................68 

7 - Certification Decision .................................................................................................... 69 

7.1 - Proposal concerning the certification decision......................................................................69 

7.2 - Certification Decision ............................................................................................................69 

8 - Appendixes .................................................................................................................... 70 

8.1 - Revision of pairs following the initial audit ............................................................................70 

8.2 - Answers to stakeholders.......................................................................................................75 

PR081103A FSC FM public report CEB v11 [03 06 09].doc Page 3 de 83










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1 - Legal, administrative and earth use context 

• Agreements and international agreements relating to sustainable forest 

management of which the Republic of Gabon is signatory (non exhaustive 

list): 

- 2 nd February 1971 RAMSAR agreement relating to humid zones of international 

importance 

- Agreement for the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage (taken up 

by the UNO, in Paris, on 16th November 1972) 

- CITES agreement (Agreement on international trade of endangered wild fauna 

and flora species signed on 3 rd March 1973 by 87 States, included into the United 

Nations Programme for the environment in 1991) 

- ILO agreements (International Labour Office), some fifty different agreements of 

which the list is available on request 

- Master agreements on climatic changes and biological diversity defined in 1992 

during the United Nations Rio Conference on environment and development 

(known as Rio Declaration or Earth Summit Agreement); 

- Kyoto Protocol on CO 2 emissions; 

- Vienna Agreement for the protection of the Ozone layer. 

• Legal and administrative national requirements (non exhaustive list): 

- Labour Laws (21 st November 1994 Law nb 3/94, changed by nb 12/2000 law of 

12 th October 2000); 

- Forestry Act, 31 st December 2001 nb 16/01 law; 

- Environment law (26 th August 1993 16/93 law and its implementing decrees): 

539/PR/MEFEPEPN 15/07/05 decree, regulating the impact surveys on the 

environment. 

541/PR/MEFEPEPN 15/07/05 decree regulating waste elimination. 

542/PR/MEFEPN 15/07/05 decree, regulating the pouring out of certain 

products within the superficial underground water and seawater. 

543/PR/MEFEPN 15/07/05 decree setting the legal system of the listed 

installations. 

545/PR/MEFEPN 15/07/05 regulating the reclaiming of used oils. 

- Collective labour agreement of the forestry sites of the Gabonese Republic (19 th 

February 1986) 

- 23 rd August 2004 Nb 689 decree defining the technical standards of management 

and sustainable management of registered productive state-owned forests; 

- 24 th August 2004 nb 692 decree setting the conditions of exercise of customs 

rights concerning forest, fauna, hunting and fishing; 

- 1 st March 2004 nb 117 order setting the admistrative minima logging diameters of 

timber; 

- 1 st March 2004 nb 118 order bearing regulation of forestry, mining, farming, fish 

farming, cynegetic and touristic activities within a buffer zone; 

- 1 st March 2004 nb 119 order setting the composition of the exploitable groups of 

species; 

- 30 th August 1993 nb 1206 decree setting the general and particular clauses of 

specifications concerning forestry; 

- Collective labour agreement of the sector of Gabon’s timber, sawing and veneer 

industries. 











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• Legislative and/or regulation reference in the process of being adopted 

- Decree setting the methods of transfer of forestry license for the SMFCs grouping 

or setting-up (application of articles 147, 155 and 297 of the FC “Forest Code”); 

- Decree setting the conditions of obtaining professional accreditations for forestry 

and timber processing (article 102 of the FC); 

- Decree setting the methods of realization of the damaged sites’ renewal and 

rehabilitation works; 

- Decree regulating the exploitation, processing and marketing of forest products 

other than timber; 

- Decree setting the conditions of creation of wild animal species farming units; 

• Documents with a prescriptive character 

- NTG: National technical guide for registered productive state-owned forests 

management. (30/05/2004 Temporary version). 

- Documents relating to the training workshop for monitoring and control methods 

for the forest management schemes implementation (from 25 th to 28 th May 2004 

in LASTOURVILLE). Documentary framework. 

2 - Description of the Forest Management 

2.1 - Description of the applicant forest entity, its history, and regional 

context 

2.1.1 - General description and identification 

a) Name of the forest management organization / the managers: 


Address: BP 2262 

Postcode: - 

Town: Libreville 

Country: GABON 

Legal Status: Business Corporation 

Legal Identification Code: RC Port Gentil 130/B NIF: 790261 G 

Telephone Number: + 241 73 45 79 

Fax: + 241 73 87 80 

E-mail: ceb@preciouswoods.com 

Web Site: www.preciouswoods.com 

Number of Employees: 

- Sawmill: 118 

- Planing site: 26 

- Libreville: 16 

- Bambidie logging site:370 (Office/Service : 145, mecanic : 75, Forest : 150) 

- Total: 530 including 88 fixed-term contracts 

Annual Turnover: 25 000 000 € 

President of the forest management organization: M. Andréas HEUSLER Chief 

Executive Officer Precious Woods 

Manager of the forest management organization: M. Xavier JAFFRET 

(Managing Director) 

Contact (FSC Certification manager): Mrs. Christine Baboulin 

Manager of FSC label use: Madam Christine Baboulin 











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b) Activity: 

Type of activity: management and forestry and timber processing 

(sawing/planing). 

Detailed activity: 

CEB Company (Compagnie Equatoriale des Bois) was created in 1946 in 

Doussala, southern Gabon, and was relocated in 1987 in Lastoureville area. 

From 1989 to 2007, it was part of the Thanry Group. Since 2007, it belongs to 

the PRECIOUS WOODS group, which includes other forestry companies 

operating in a tropical environment. 

The headquarters are located in Libreville, and are composed of general 

Management, Administrative and Financial Management and General 

Accountancy. The logistics department and sawn timber marketing department 

are based in Owendo. All forestry-related activities are based in Bambidie site, 

within the SMFC (“Sustainable Management Forest Concession”). 

CEB employs a subcontractor, TWD (Tropical Wood Development) company, 

which ensures for CEB exclusively the treatment and exportation of long poles 

from Owendo harbour. 

Bambidie Site 

Bambidie, the main living base, is located 30 km east of Lastoursville, is where 

all operations are centralised (forestry, sawmill, management, workshop, 

transport, roads maintenance). It consists of administration offices and other 

technical departments’ offices (such as management), an equipped garage, an 

infirmary, accommodations for executives and workers. Approximately 300 

people (including sawmill) work on this site, which represents a community of 

over 1500 people, including their families. 

Logging Sites 

There are three logging sites (Lelama: 55 workers, Okondja: 74 workers and 

Milolé: 30 workers). There is a living base in each of them where workers and 

their families are accommodated. The staff of each operating site is managed 

by two executives (a foreman and a garage manager). 

The Sawmill 

In 1996, a sawmill with a monthly 1000m 3 sawing capacity per post was 

created. It mainly processes wood left out from the exported long poles, which 

would have been left in the forest without this processing unit. There are driers 

(5 compartments of 150 m 3 and 3 of 200 m 3 ) fed with waste from the sawmill. 

This device can produce approximately 1 200 m 3 of dried square-edged timber 

per month. One hundred and eighteen people work at the sawmill. 

The planing site 

In 2001, a planing site allowing a third transformation of the sawmill products 

was built in the industrial estate of Owendo. This unit produces just over 100 m 3 

planed timbers per month (lipping, window parts and frames). 

c) Name of the forest owner: 

The forests belong to the Gabonese State. 

Address: Ministry of Forest Economy, Waters and Fishing, in charge of 

Environment and the Protection of Nature 

Town: Libreville 

Country: Gabon 











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d) Description of the legal property and uses applicable to forests and 

territories being part of the audit’s area of application: 

Summary of the legal property of the applicant organisation: 

The clump to be managed gathers 9 harvesting licences (6 PTE 1 , 2 IL 2 , and 

most of the ZAC 3 ), located in Eastern Gabon, in the provinces of Ogooué-Lolo 

and Haut-Ogooué. 

List of forest areas: 

License Official Area SIG Area Gap 

ZAC 23 110 000 ha 111 020 ha 1 020 ha 

IL 2/90 150 000 ha 186 700 ha 36 700 ha 

IL 10/99 61 000 ha 57 421 ha -3 579 ha 

PTE 20/91 8 000 ha 6 385 ha -1 615 ha 

PTE 22/91 7 490 ha 6 680 ha -810 ha 

PTE 4/81 lot 1 37 600 ha 37 765 ha 165 ha 

PTE 4/81 lot 2 24 400 ha 25 847 ha 1 447 ha 

PTE 4/81 lot 3 18 000 ha 18 078 ha 78 ha 

PTE 13/80 60 000 ha 60 262 ha 262 ha 

PTE 2/93 35 000 ha 36 099 ha 1 099 ha 

PTE 61/94 70 000 ha 70 348 ha 348 ha 

Total Assigned: 581 490 ha 616 605 ha 35 115 ha 

Ivindo Park - Area 

withdrawn: 

2 461 ha 

Total after withdrawal 

of Ivindo Park: 

Withdrawn 4/81 lot 3 : 

Ogooué 

Extension: 

Total SMFC Area: 

Limits 

579 029 ha 614 144 ha 

373 ha 

2 929 ha 

616 700 ha 

The total area of the clump to be managed differs from the sum of all licenses 

official areas of those lands for the following reasons: 

- the readjustment of the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) increased 

the accuracy of the decrees or areas of license awarding laws; 

- part of IL 10/99 (extreme north-east) was integrated into Ivindo National 

Park; 

- in accordance with Forest Administration, a part of PTE 4/81 lot 3 located on 

the other side of the Ogooué river has been withdrawn from the clump to be 

managed, as the size of the river makes it impossible to reach; the limits of 

1 Permis Temporaire d’Exploitation (Temporary Exploitation License) 

2 Permis Industriel (Industrial License) 

3 Zone d’Attraction du Chemin de Fer (Railway Attraction Area) 











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4/81 lot 3 located on the right bank of the Ogooué have been pushed back 

to the river itself which now acts as a natural limit. 

In accordance with law 16/01 of Gabonese Forestry Act (Article 97), the total 

surface allocated to a single owner should not exceed 600 000 ha. 

Following the modification of boundaries, and considering the overlapping of 

licenses and the readjustment of areas, the total area of clump to be managed 

is 616 700 ha, as calculated on SIG. The forestry administration is aware of the 

slight gap between SMFC area and the regulatory threshold of 600 000 ha and 

considers it acceptable, given the forest and company’s history. 

CEB Company is the landowner of its Bambidie site. Its ownership 

characteristics are as follows: 

Licensee: 

CEB - Precious Woods 

Property name «Terrain rural sis à Bambidie, PK 48, route Lastoursville – Okondja » 

Surface: 

License number: 12451 

303 ha 56 a 01 ca 

Summary of legal property and uses (both legal and customary) of all 

parties other than the application organisation: 

The SMFC of CEB Precious Woods Company is a registered productive state 

forest which is part of the natural productive forest of the permanent forest 

estate of the Gabonese State. 

According to the forest code in application, customary users’ rights are defined 

as follow: 

Article 252.- Resident communities exercise their customary forest rights to 

meet their personal and collective needs. Those needs imply: 

- the use of trees as lumber, the use of deadwood and branches as firewood; 

- the harvesting of secondary forest products such as bark, latex, mushrooms, 

medicinal or edible plants, stones, lianas; 

- small-scale hunting and fishing; 

- savannas and clearings’ pasture, and the use of branches and leaves as 

fodder; 

- subsistance agriculture; 

- grazing right and water use 

Article 253.- The exercise of customary forest right is not restricted and free in 

rural forest estate for the members of village communities who traditionally live 

in the surrounding area as long as they comply with management or protection 

regulatory constraints. 

Article 256.- Subject to specific authorization mentioned in classification texts, 

the exercise of their customary forest rights is regulated in classified state 

forests and in registered productive forests, except for deadwood harvesting. 

Article 257.- Texts classifying a productive forest or its management plan must 

define a sufficient surface area within which resident communities can exercise 

their customary users’ rights. 

Article 258.- As regards wild hunting and harvesting, the exercise of customary 

users’ right is strictly limited to the use of weapons and devices listed by the 

Ministry of Forest Economy, Waters and Forest. 

Hunting here only refers to non-protected animals. 











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Summary of all the non-forest-related activities carried out in the 

assessed forest, be it by the certified organisation or by other parties: 

The main non forest-related activities carried out in the assessed forest are 

agriculture, hunting, fishing, non-timber forest product harvesting, and so on. 

The village communities carry out agriculture, hunting, fishing and non-timber 

forest product harvesting as a part of their forest right to meet their subsistence 

needs. 

The company set up a monitored hunting activity for the workers about five 

years ago. This is a structured initiative around the three forest living bases of 

Bambidie, Okondja, and Lelama which involves a close monitoring of the 

catches. 

The natural appeal of some great mammals for particular areas of the SMFC 

and specifically the attraction of elephants for salt marshes and backwaters 

turned them into sightseeing spots for visitors. 

Following an agreement signed between CEB Company and Lutexfo-Soforga 

Company, the latter built a rotary cutting factory in the lot 23 of the ZAC, on the 

shore of the Ogooué (opposite Doumé village). Lutexfo-Soforga has now wound 

up, and the factory was shut. 

2.1.2 - Description of the forest stand 

a) Forest’s description: 

Forest type: tropical 

Characteristics of the various forest types: 

There are four forest types in the SMFC. 

Type 1: Old forest of varied timbers with Okumes (OFOK) 

There is a noticeable abundance of Sorro (Scyphocephalium ochocoa - 14 to 

40% of the forest stand with a diameter superior to 60 cm) and large diameter 

Okumes (10 to 20 % of the forest stand). There is a high specific diversity, 

including numerous exploitable timber varieties. The structure of Okumes 

appears to be normal, with a peak between 50 and 70cm, and numerous trees 

that can reach large diameters. There is a shortage of young Okumes (20 to 

40cm diameters). This forest is qualified as old because of the presence of 

trees of large diameters among the red-timber species which have a relatively 

slow growth. 

There are some variants, and the most specific are the forest of Belis 

(Paraberlinia bifoliolata – up to 15 % of the forest stand in the North-West of the 

lot 23) or the forests of Azobes (Lophira alata) in the eastern part of license 

2/93. 

Type 2: Old forest of varied timbers, without Okumes (OFwoOK) 

This forest mainly differs from the previous type by the lack of Okumes. The 

basal area represented by trees of over 60 cm diameters is lesser than for the 

type I (5,5 m 2 /ha vs approximately 8 m 2 /ha for the type I). There are trees of 

very large diameters. There are two variants of this type: 

- One in which the Okume is still present but very rare, and where there are no 

young stalks. The Sorro no longer represents over 17% of the forest stand, 

but only 7% in the IL 10/99. Each of the species such as Belis, Omvongs 











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(Dialium pachyphyllum, D. lopense) or Mbanegues (Gilbertiodendron 

pierreanum) represents 5 to 6 % of the forest stand. 

- The other in which the Okume is completely absent: There is no trace of the 

presence of Okume in this area. Sorros represent 35 to 40% of the forest 

stand, while Illombas (Pycnanthus angolensis) and Engonas (Pentaclethra 

eetveldeana) represent 6 to 8 % of the forest stand. 

Type 3: Young forest with Okumes (YFOK) 

The abundance of Sorros and Okume is typical of this forest. They represent 

respectively 29 and 30% of the stalk of over 60 cm diameters in the forest 

stand. Trees of a large diameter are already present, but the Okume stand 

structure testifies of the relative youth of this forest type: Okumes are still 

abundant and with numerous stalks of small diameters (Okume is a typically 

heliophiliac species). The regeneration of the Okume is still present, and some 

savannas are still open (fires must have maintained them). However, there is a 

slight evolution in the Okume structure from an exponential structure towards a 

bell-shaped structure, with a peak around the 50-60 cm diameters classes. 

This forest type probably arose from the progressive reforestation of savannas, 

and thus shows a high heterogeneity caused by the spreading in time of this 

reforestation: old forest galleries, recently reforested savannas… 

Type 4: Very young forest with Okumes (VYFOK) 

This stand type is a mosaic of forest and savannas, displaying very young and 

dense Okumes’ stand. Okumes represent 38 to 43% of the trees of diameters 

superior to 60cm. Engonas and Sorros represent between 6 and 15% of the 

forest stand. 

There are few trees of large diameter in this forest. Species like Moabis, 

Kevazingo or meliacees… are almost absent in those forests which are poor in 

varied timbers, mostly represented by Padouks (Pterocarpus soyauxii) and 

Movinguis (Distemonanthus benthamianus). 

The Okumes’ stands show a typical exponential structure. There is a high 

potential of regeneration of Okumes in this forest. This stand type is maintained 

as such by savanna fires, which prevent reforestation of savannas by Okumes, 

and an evolution towards types 1 and 3. 

Areas represented by each forest type described above are split as follows: 

Forest type 

Area in ha 

Type 1: Old forest of varied timbers with Okumes (OFOK) 295 905 

Type 2: Old forest of varied timbers, without Okumes 

92 340 

(OFwoOK) 

Type 3: Young forest with Okumes (YFOK) 139 262 

Type 4: Very young forest with Okumes (VYFOK) 89 203 

List of main marketed timbers species and other species integrated into 

the certificate scope: 

Objective species: 

The total possibility of the forest is calculated from 4 distinct timber groups, 

according to their effective or potential marketability at present or in the near 

future, according to whether they can be processed locally (sawing, rotary 

cutting, slicing) and lastly according to their abundance for the species which 

are to be promoted. 











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Group 1 

Group 2 

Okume I* 

Ozigo 

Okume II** 

Varied Timbers currently marketed 

Acajou 

Kosipo 

Agba 

Kotibe 

Black Anzem 

Moabi 

Bahia 

Movingui 

Light Bosse 

Ossabel 

Dibetou 

Padouk 

Douka 

Pau-rosa 

White Doussie 

Sapelli 

Ebiara minkoul 

Sipo 

Igaganga 

Tali 

Iroko 

Black Tiama 

Izombe 

Wenge 

Kevazingo 

Group 3 

Varied timbers to be developped through local processing 

(rotary cutting) 

Aïele 

Gombe 

Andoung 66 

Ilomba 

Ekop 

Olon 

Ekoune 

Onzabili 

Faro 

Tchitola 

Group 4 

Varied timbers best used for long poles exportation or 

local processing (sawing) 

Azobe 

Beli 

Bilinga 

Niove 

* First class Okume, for exportation or processing in Libreville factories (high transportation costs) 

** Second class Okume, which are to be processed locally (sawing, rotary cutting) 

Dominant composition of the forest stand: evergreen dense and humid 

forest. 

Forest Location: the clump is located inside the triangle formed by the cities of 

Lastoursville, Okondja and Franceville. 

− Latitude E/W: 12 degrees 30 minutes / 14 degrees 05 minutes 

− Longitude N/S: 0 degrees 1 minutes / 1 degrees 15 minutes 

Total forest area audited: 616 700 ha, among which: 

− under private management: 616 700 ha 

− under public management: 0 ha 

− community: 0 ha 

− 

productive forest: 616 700 ha 

− listed as "plantation" : 0 ha 

− mainly regenerated by plantation or by a combination of 

plantation and coppice of planted trees: 0 ha 











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− 

mainly regenerated by natural regeneration or by a combination 

of natural regeneration and coppice of trees naturally 

regenerated: 616 700 ha 

− 

Forest or unprotected area of a timber commercial exploitation and 

mainly managed for: 

− A conservation objective: 15 737 ha 

− The production of non-timber forest products and other 

services: 18 588 ha 

− 

Forest classified as « High Conservation Value Forest »: depending 

on the value considered (Biodiversity, Landscapes, particular 

Ecosystems, essential ecological services, Communities vital needs, 

Cultural or Traditional Identity), the surface areas vary and can often 

cover all the SMFC. The survey on High Conservation Value Forests 

(TEREA 2008) defines the characteristics of high conservation 

values, and locates the main sites concerned without quantifying 

them in detail. 

b) List of High Conservation Values: 

The SMFC conservation values presented here after were identified and 

assessed according to the ProForest "Tool Kit" and discussions held during the 

National Workshop of HCVF for Gabon, which took place in Libreville from 31 

March to 3 April 2008. 

HVC1: Biodiversity 

- HVC 4 .1 A: SMFC can shelter wildlife moving freely between SMFC and 

Ivindo National Park. SMFC possesses a transitory area between the park 

and the SMFC. 

- HVC 4 .1 B: CEB SMFC shelters numerous animal species and more 

importantly some rare, threatened and endangered species. Those are High 

Conservation Values, against which poaching is the main threat in CEB 

SMFC. 

- HVC 4 .1 C: CEB SMFC shelters numerous vegetal species and more 

importantly some vulnerable, threatened and endangered species. Those are 

High Conservation Values, against which forestry is the main threat in CEB 

SMFC. 

- HVC 4 .1 D: There are some areas showing a high endemism rate in the 

SMFC, such as swampy forests, representing a specific diversity particularly 

high for endemic species. 

HVC2: Landscape 

The CEB SMFC is adjacent to the "Tri-National Dja-Minkebe-Odzala" 

(TRIDOM) landscape; it therefore has similar conservation values as those 

identified for Ivindo National Park (integrated into this landscape). It should 

however be emphasized that according to discussions held during the National 

Workshop on HCVF interpretation for Gabon (Libreville, March 2008), this value 

doesn’t seem to match the Gabonese context as the Forest clump of Central 

Africa isn’t very fragmented and it isn’t threatened by the selective forestry 

activity that is carried out. 

HVC3: Particular ecosystems 

- HVC 4.3-A: Waterways are a High Conservation Value, as they maintain the 

fish population and supply drinkable water 











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- HVC 4.3-B: Because those ecosystems are ecologically precious and require 

particular protection, swampy forests are High Conservation Values 

- HVC 4.3-C: Baïs, salt marshes which are visited by the great of ecosystems 

represent ecosystems which deserve particular interest and require 

maintenance. 

- HVC 4.3-D: Okondja cliffs integrate High Values for Conversation as they are 

likely to shelter endemic or rare species. 

HVC4: Essential ecological services 

- HVC 4.4-A: As it protects waterways, the forest preserves the supply of 

drinkable water and proteins (via fishing produce) to populations. 

HVC5: Communities essential needs 

- HVC 4.5-A: Forests where resident communities can significantly and 

regularly harvest the main non-timber products constitute High Conservation 

Values. 

HVC6: Traditional cultural identity 

- HVC 4.6-A: Resident communities’ cultural activities sites constitute High 

Conservation Values, whether or not they are integrated into agricultural 

sets. 

c) List of the chemical pesticides used on the forest area and reason for 

their use: 

A list of the chemical products used is available on all sites. 

The infirmaries (in Bambidie, Lelama, Milole and Okondja) have a list of the 

products classified as dangerous and a response procedure in case of accident. 

In timber yards (railway station, harbour and so on), the following products are 

used for wood treatment (they do not contain any molecules forbidden by FSC): 

Products Use Observations 

KOAT long pole Aqua 

PROTEGRUM (used by 

TWD) 

Insecticide/fungicide 

Insecticide/fungicide 

BIFENTHRINE active principle: Authorised 

by the FSC. 

Active principle of the organophoshorates 

family, authorised by the FSC. 

d) List of the categories of products included in the FM/COC certificate 

application field and which are therefore available for marketing as FSC 

certified products: 

Products involved in the FSC certification are the following: 

- Long poles of various timber and Okume 

- Okume forked wood meant for slicing 

2.1.3 - Harvesting and yield 

In 2007, long poles yield was the following (in m 3 ): 

Species type Species Export Volume Sawmill Volume Total Volume 

OKO Okoume 130 503 51 519 182 022 

Ozigo 186 186 

Total OKO 130 503 51 705 182 208 

BD Acajou 388 317 705 

Accuminata 200 39 239 

Agba 3 104 1 027 4 132 

Aiele 2 52 55 











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Species type Species Export Volume Sawmill Volume Total Volume 

Andem 8 23 31 

Andoung 64 64 

Angueuk 24 24 

Anzem 45 45 

Bahia 1 691 890 2 581 

Beli 861 837 1 698 

Bilinga 79 12 91 

Bodioa 13 13 

Bosse 255 102 358 

Dabema 68 68 

Dibetou 593 523 1 116 

Douka 283 468 750 

Doussie 72 28 100 

Ebiara 102 64 166 

Eveuss 14 14 

Faro 120 120 

Igaganga 280 118 398 

Iroko 274 129 402 

Izombe 452 161 613 

Kevazingo 875 145 1 020 

Kotibe 92 65 157 

Moabi 1 031 746 1 776 

Movingui 1 333 1 469 2 802 

Niove 55 99 153 

Nkagha 10 10 

Oboto 8 8 

Okan 805 336 1 141 

Ollen 8 8 

Omvong 30 30 

Ossabel 39 64 103 

Padouk 2 547 1 436 3 982 

Pao Rosa 19 4 23 

Paorosa 11 11 

Sapelli 584 679 1 262 

Sipo 463 503 966 

Sorro 48 48 

Tali 582 151 733 

Tchitola 36 36 

Tiama 220 100 320 

Wenge 5 2 7 

Total BD 17 304 11 075 28 379 

Total 147 807 62 780 210 587 

The spreadsheets here after show the possibility of the SMFC and the two 

FMUs as well as the annual yield per species group 











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SMFC theoretical possibility 

Total Gross 

Volume 

Annual Gross 

Volume 

Total Marketable 

Volume 

Annual 

Marketable 

Volume 

Okume 8 236 510 329 460 4 900 723 196 029 

Okume -export 5 294 899 211 796 3 150 465 126 019 

Okume – sawmill 2 941 611 117 664 1 750 258 70 010 

Ozigo 1 264 644 50 586 404 686 16 187 

Diverse timber group 2 ( long 

poles) 2 104 580 84 183 977 481 39 099 

Diverse timber group 3 (rotary 

cutting) 4 739 632 189 585 2 466 083 98 643 

Bois divers Group 4 (sawing) 1 778 302 71 132 794 822 31 793 

Total 18 123 668 724 947 9 543 795 381 752 

Theoretical possibility per UGF and species groups - FMU 1 

UFA 1 UFG 1 UFG 2 UFG 3 - lot 1 UFG 3 - lot 2 UFG 4 - lot 1 UFG 4 - lot 2 UFG 5 

Okdj. 2000-2004 2005-2009 2010-2014 2015-2019 2020-2024 Total 

51 330 ha 42 920 ha 65 150 ha 34 820 ha 22 480 ha 25 120 ha 45 860 ha 287 680 ha 

Essences/ 

groupes Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut 

1 107 861 m3 1 168 012 m3 74 245 m3 358 566 m3 591 903 m3 298 117 m3 626 443 m3 4 225 146 m3 

Okoumé 21,6 / ha 27,2 / ha 1,1 / ha 10,3 / ha 26,3 / ha 11,9 / ha 13,7 / ha 15 m3 / ha 

57 515 m3 28 907 m3 110 481 m3 103 562 m3 18 712 m3 87 960 m3 201 679 m3 608 816 m3 

Ozigo 1,1 / ha 0,7 / ha 1,7 / ha 3,0 / ha 0,8 / ha 3,5 / ha 4,4 / ha 2 m3 / ha 

267 455 m3 124 013 m3 168 602 m3 124 516 m3 59 176 m3 75 357 m3 255 261 m3 1 074 381 m3 

Groupe 2 5,2 / ha 2,9 / ha 2,6 / ha 3,6 / ha 2,6 / ha 3,0 / ha 5,6 / ha 4 m3 / ha 

608 876 m3 375 344 m3 468 018 m3 230 404 m3 138 974 m3 180 648 m3 331 050 m3 2 333 314 m3 


73 458 m3 25 773 m3 37 136 m3 55 879 m3 4 267 m3 84 875 m3 322 983 m3 604 371 m3 


2 115 166 m3 1 722 049 m3 858 482 m3 872 927 m3 813 032 m3 726 958 m3 1 737 415 m3 8 846 028 m3 

Total 41 m3 / ha 40 m3 / ha 13 m3 / ha 25 m3 / ha 36 m3 / ha 29 m3 / ha 38 m3 / ha 31 m3 / ha 

Theoretical possibility per UGF and species groups - FMU 2 

UFA 2 UFG 1 - lot 1 UFG 1 - lot UFG 2 - lot UFG 2 - lot UFG 3 UFG 4 UFG 5 

Lélama. 2000-2004 2 1 2005-2009 2 2010-2014 2015-2019 2020-2024 Total 

Bambidie 45 250 ha 8 825 ha 35 490 ha 44 540 ha 63 020 ha 51 470 ha 46 220 ha 294 815 ha 

Essences / 

groupes Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut Vol. Brut 

1 301 553 m3 14 975 m3 731 456 m3 283 519 m3 526 223 m3 436 954 m3 716 683 m3 4 011 364 m3 

Okoumé 28,8 / ha 1,7 / ha 20,6 / ha 6,4 / ha 8,4 / ha 8,5 / ha 15,5 / ha 14 m3 / ha 

43 757 m3 16 206 m3 8 301 m3 75 166 m3 218 925 m3 104 808 m3 188 665 m3 655 828 m3 

Ozigo 1,0 / ha 1,8 / ha 0,2 / ha 1,7 / ha 3,5 / ha 2,0 / ha 4,1 / ha 2 m3 / ha 

124 895 m3 54 232 m3 37 538 m3 280 611 m3 226 191 m3 169 407 m3 137 324 m3 1 030 198 m3 


345 570 m3 118 394 m3 200 086 m3 425 923 m3 573 885 m3 522 819 m3 219 642 m3 2 406 319 m3 


42 865 m3 55 161 m3 27 565 m3 431 811 m3 218 654 m3 359 493 m3 38 381 m3 1 173 930 m3 


1 858 639 m3 258 969 m3 1 004 945 1 497 029 1 763 879 1 593 482 1 300 696 9 277 639 m3 

Total 41 m3 / ha 29 m3 / ha 28 m3 / ha 34 m3 / ha 28 m3 / ha 31 m3 / ha 28 m3 / ha 31 m3 / ha 

Annual possibility according to exploitation choices - entire SMFC 

Tte CFAD 2000-2004 2005-2009 2010-2014 2015-2019 2020-2024 

Okoumé I 927 329 m3 834 993 m3 366 831 m3 507 568 m3 513 746 m3 

Okoumé II 515 183 m3 463 885 m3 203 795 m3 281 982 m3 285 414 m3 

Ozigo - - 138 550 m3 67 674 m3 124 910 m3 

BD 2 210 828 m3 215 024 m3 233 132 m3 135 496 m3 183 001 m3 

BD 3 - - 664 173 m3 442 353 m3 291 207 m3 

BD 4 - - 139 956 m3 201 930 m3 157 971 m3 

Total 1 653 339 m31 513 902 m31 746 436 m31 637 002 m31 556 248 m3 

Moyenne : 

1 621 385 m3 

Ecart 2% -7% 8% 1% -4% 











Version : 1.0 

Annual yield per species group – entire SMFC 

2 000 2 001 2 002 2 003 2 004 2 005 2 006 2 007 2 008 2 009 2 010 2011-2024 

Okoumé I 185 000 185 000 185 000 185 000 179 000 173 000 167 000 167 000 167 000 136 000 105 000 94 000 

Okoumé II 103 000 103 000 103 000 103 000 100 000 96 000 93 000 93 000 93 000 75 000 58 000 52 143 

Ozigo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 000 18 000 21 786 

Groupe 2 42 000 42 000 42 000 42 000 42 000 43 000 43 000 43 000 43 000 44 000 45 000 36 214 

Groupe 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 000 89 000 90 143 

Groupe 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 000 19 000 33 714 

Total 330 000 330 000 330 000 330 000 321 000 312 000 303 000 303 000 303 000 317 000 334 000 328 000 

2.1.4 - Type of application for certification 

Certificate Type: Several FMUs 

Normal 

Total number of FMUs included into the field of application of the certificate: 10 

Total number of FMUs and forest areas included into the field of application 

which measure: 

Less than 100 ha: 0 FMU 

From 100 to 1000 ha: 0 FMU 

From 1000 to 10 000 ha: 0 FMU 

Over 10 000 ha: 10 FMUs i.e. 616 700 ha. 

Complying with SLIMF’s criteria: 0 FMU i.e. 000 ha. 

2.2 - Description of the system and the forest management scheme: 

2.2.1 - Forest management setting up and objectives: 

Main objective: ensure a sustained supply of quality timber. 

Associated objectives: 

- Industrial objective: development of modern primary and secondary 

processing factories, corresponding to the forest possibility 

- Social objective: respect all parties’ rights and duties, share forest benefits, 

contribute to the improvement of public health and education 

- Environmental objective: 2,5 % of the total area of the clump to be managed 

is to be reserved. 

- Research and development objective: a device of permanent sample plots 

where measurements are regularly made to follow-up stands evolution 

(growth, mortality, regenaration) 

2.2.2 - Management principle: 

Management method 

The management plan contains: 

- A management method per volume, at UGF level 

- A management method per capacity, at ALA level. 

UGF demarcation 

The SMFC is split into two FMUs (Forest Management Unit): 

- FMU n°1, with its 301 400 ha area is exploited fr om the Okondja yard; 

- FMU n°2, with its 315 300 ha area is exploited fr om the Lelama and 

Bambidie yards. 











Version : 1.0 

Each FMU is divided into 5 Forest Management Units – UGF, which are all 

divided into 5 ALA and a management method per capacity at ALA level. 

Rotation period: 25 years 

Choice of the objective species: 

Four groups were defined: 

- Group 1 : 2 species: Okume, Ozigo 

- Group 2 : 25 species: Acajou, Agba, Anzem noir, Bahia, Light Bosse, 

Dibetou, Douka, Doussie, Ebiara, Igaganga, Iroko, Izombe, Kevazingo, 

Kosipo, Kotibe, Moabi, Movingui, Ossabel, Padouk, Pau-rosa, Sapelli, Sipo, 

Tali, Tiama noir, Wenge 

- Group 3 : 10 species: Aïele, Andoung, Ekop, Ekoune, Faro, Gombe, 

Ilomba, Olon, Onzabili, Tchitola 

- Group 4 : 4 species: Azobe, Beli, Bilinga, Niove 

Renewal rates calculation: 

In the spreadsheet here after are presented the renewal rates per species 

group for the defined rotation period: 

Species 

Okume (group 1) 85 

Group 2 86 

Group 3 75 

Group 4 77 

According to the Management Plan, only the renewal rates of Andoug, Azobe, 

Douka, Faro, Gombe, are Moabi are below the threshold of 40% and can prove 

problematic. Measures are suggested for those species. 

MLD Setting 

Reminder 

Minimum Logging Diameters (MLD) set the minimum diameter below which 

logging is forbidden. They were defined by the Decree n°1285/PR/MEFPE of 

September 27, 1993. The minimum logging diameter is measured on the bark, 

at the swelling point of origin. 

Long poles marketing is based on their average diameter, calculated from the 

diameter at the extremities of the sawlog measured either under the bark or 

under the sapwood, according to species. Market conditions generally require a 

minimum diameter below which sawlog can’t be marketed, which is called 

Minimum Marketable Diameter (MMD). 

Since MLD and MMD are measured in very different ways, it is impossible to 

compare them directly. Each MMD has in average and per species a 

corresponding a base diameter measured on the bark (MMDb), estimated from 

the bole average length, the metric decrease (measurement of how conical the 

sawlog is) and the thickness of the bark and/or of the sapwood. 

The spreadsheet here after shows the applied Minimum Logging Diameters 

(MLD) and Minimum Marketable Diameters (MMD). 











Version : 1.0 

Species MLD MMD Species MLD MMD 

Acajou 80 70 Gombe 70 

AFO 60 Igaganga 60 60 

Agba 80 60* Ilomba 70 

Aiele 80 Iroko 80 50* 

Alen 70 Izombe 80 60 

Alep 70 Kevazingo 90 60* 

Alone 70 Kosipo 90 80 

Andoung 70 Kotibe 70 50 

Angueuk 70 Longhi 70 

Black anzem 70 60 Moabi 90 80 

Azobe 80 Movingui 70 60 

Bahia 60 50 Niove 60 

Beli 70 70* Okume 70 70 

Bilinga 80 70 Olon 60 

Light bosse 60 60 Onzabili 60 

Dabema 70 Ossabel 60 60 

Dibetou 70 60 Ozigo 70 70 

Douka 90 80 Padouk 80 60* 

White doussie 70 50* Pau-rosa 60 50 

Doussie 70 50* Sapelli 90 70 

pachy. 

Ebiara 60 70* Sipo 90 70 

minkoul 

Ekop 70 Sorro 60 

Ekoune 60 Tali 70 60 

Eyoum 70 Tchitola 70 

Faro 70 Tiama 80 70 

Gheombi 70 Wenge 60 50* 

* MMD measured under 

sapwood 

2.3 - Summary of management plan: 

2.3.1 - Development and approval of forest management plan 

The SMFC management plan was developed out in accordance with 

sustainable management policy and national standards defined in article 17 of 

law 16/01 (Organisation for Forestry Concession under Sustainable 

Management, Minimum Logging Diameters, Rotation and renewal rate, 

Exploitation Inventory). It was developed by CEB forest management 

department. 

The forest management plan was submitted to the Ministry of Forest Economy 

in 2000 and was approved. 

The forest management plan was then reviewed and approved by the 

administration on May 21 st , 2004. 

Management method – division of the SMFC in FMU 

Considering its area and the CEB logging site yield capacity, the SMFC was 

split into two FMUs. FMU n°1, with its 301 400 ha s urface is exploited from the 

Okondja yard and FMU n°2, with its 315 300 ha surfa ce was first exploited from 

the Lelama and then from the Bambidie yards. 

Each FMU is divided into 5 UGF (FMU subdivision). Each of the UGF is divided 

into 5 ALA (Annual Logging Areas). 











Version : 1.0 

Management method per volume at UGF level. 

Each UGF’s demarcation is based on its yield objectives during the 7 years 

exploitation period, within the limits of the FMU possibility. First class Okume, 

which production is progressively reduced, has been a limiting factor of 

management feasibility during the 1 st ten years. The approach consists in 

calculating the overall Okume possibility for the first two UGFs. Their area is 

then determined, according to this possibility. The other UGFs are demarcated 

such that they can have a constant volume, while integrating the development 

of groups 3 & 4 species and Ozigo as the processing industries grow. 

Management method per capacity at ALA level. 

It is thanks to Management Plans that each UGF is divided into 5 ALA of similar 

area (respecting natural boundaries). The management inventory does not 

allow an exact estimate of the ALA volumes. 

Rotation setting 

The calculation of renewal rate per forest type sets a minimum that is 

compatible with sustainable management requirements. This and the forest 

possibility estimated in the management inventory are taken into account while 

setting the rotation. According to the law, rotation period has to be superior or 

equal to 20 years. 

Rotation calculations are carried out on a marketable species or « objective 

species » group selected among all the species available for exploitation 

according to their abundance in the FMU, the projected market demand and the 

processing units’ needs. This “objective species” group includes at least 25 

marketable species and represents at least 75% of the management possibility. 

According to the draft of the presidential decree affecting the application of law 

689/PR/MEFEPEPN of August 12, 2004, the renewal rate of trees between first 

and second harvesting has to be superior to 75% for Okume, 70% for all other 

objective species, while reaching a minimum of 40% for each diverse timber 

taken individually. 

The management plan will be implemented for a period of 25 years that is from 

2000 until 2024. It was launched on September 4, 2000 and has been reviewed 

for economic reasons. Thus, the reviewed Management Plan took effect as 

from 01/2004. 

Hypotheses 

The hypotheses selected to model trends of the forest stands evolution between 

inventory and exploitation are based on data from the research carried out in 

dense African forest. Those hypothesis are low, in order to avoid an overestimation 

of volumes available for exploitation. 

The management and harvest objectives in the management plan are based on 

a reflection over the following parameters: the selection of objective species, the 

setting of rotation period, the setting of DME, the calculation of volume 

possibility, the compartment demarcation and harvest forecasts. 

However, the company plans to review the management plan after the closing 

of the second UGF at the end of 2009, due to the fact that long-term social, 

political and economic evolutions are difficult to anticipate and bearing in mind 

the numerous necessary approximations entering in the management plan 

development as well as the possible knowledge evolution. 











Version : 1.0 

Effectiveness with regard to the forest history: 

Production en m3 

200 000 

180 000 

160 000 

140 000 

120 000 

100 000 

80 000 

60 000 

40 000 

20 000 

0 

Before the implementation of the management plan, forest management was 

synonymous with classic logging in tropical environments, which meant the 

harvest the best trees of a very limited number of species, without any 

preliminary planning, with companies moving as they found new logging sites. 

Over the last 10 years, the average harvest was of 1 foot per hectare for a 

marketed volume of 6m 3 /ha (including 80% of Okule). 

In 1995, the sawmill settlement allowed the monthly exploitation of 3000 m3 of 

long poles which used to be dumped in the forest. This represents a yearly 

Evolution de la production de grumes - 1987 - 2002 

1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 

Okoumé export 

Bois divers 

volume of 36 000 m 3 . 

Those diagrams show alternative increases and decreases, resulting in a global 

increasing trend in the evolution of CEB long poles production. The wood crisis 

of 1998 had serious repercussions on this production. As regards varied 

timbers, they fluctuate from 15 to 25% of total long pole yield. Three species 

(Agba, Movingui and Padouk) represent over 50% of exploited diverse timber 

volume. 

2.3.2 - Forest management control / monitoring procedures 

Share of volume represented by diverse timber 

sold as long poles - 1994-1999 

In order to support forestry management, a convention was signed between 

CEB, Gembloux University of Agrononomics Sciences (FUSAFx) and the NGO 

Nature +. The main goals of this convention are to supply CEB with technical 

support for the implementation of a reforestation technique, to ensure the 

scientific monitoring of this technique and improve its methods, and to monitor 

and complete the permanent plots for the study of marketable species ecology. 

Those organisations carry out applied research within the SMFC. In the longterm, 

the company will receive information from the results on exploited species’ 

stand in order to guarantee a sustainable yield. As planned by this convention, 

research devices were set up chiefly to monitor stand’s evolution (growth, 

mortality and so on) and to define more thoroughly forest management 

parameters. The techniques for the reforestation of felling areas are developed 

in order to support the regeneration of some marketable species. 

CEB Precious Woods started to set up permanent seed pots: An evolution 

monitoring of young forests with Okume was installed in the SMFC. An 

evolution monitoring of old secondary forests was set up in a neighbouring 

concession with similar ecological conditions. Phenological and diametric 

growth surveys were initiated for species considered as priority because of their 

exploitation interest and renewal issues. Those will have to be dug further for 

species like moabi and douka which are not sufficiently represented in the 

devices (see minor CAR 2). In felling areas, planting trials of those priority 

24% 

16% 

10% 

2% 2% 3% 3% 

4% 

12% 

5% 

8% 

5% 

6% 

Kotibé 

Sapelli 

Kévazingo 

Dibétou 

Douka 

Izombé 

Bahia 

Iroko 

Moabi 

Agba 

Movingui 

Padouk 

Autres 











Version : 1.0 

species are ongoing as well as a monitoring of natural renewal. A nursery of 

approximately 15 000 stalks was set up in Bambidie. 

The 8 ha device set up in 2006 and 2007 allows monitoring exploitation’s 

impacts. 

Genetics and ecological surveys on Tali and Movingui are planned in 

collaboration with Bruxelles Libre University. 

Project 

Scientific monitoring of sample plots: 

Diametric monitoring, natural regeneration 

evolution (savannas reforestation), 

Reforestation of felling areas (attempt to 

plant priority species) and monitoring 

Partner 

Gembloux University 

(Nature + Association) 

Gembloux University 

(Nature + Association) 

An improved knowledge of the regeneration process, mostly concerning 

savannas’ reforestation, would help improving the implemented forest 

management techniques. Equally, the dendrometric monitoring of sample plots 

contributes to the reinforcement of the knowledge on species renewal pace. 

2.3.3 - Management structures set up by the certified organisation 

There is no forest management department as such in the company. The forest 

management is coordinated by the Exploitation Manager and his deputy, who 

manage the inventory department, exploitation, the support office for villages’ 

environment, the certification department, and the fauna and hunting 

department. 

2.4 - Summary of the control and monitoring procedures of the certified 

organisation 

The standards control squad is responsible for the monitoring/assessment of 

forestry activities. There is a list of regular controls that have to be carried out 

during exploitation: road opening, hauling tracks, demarcation, exploitation 

inventory, and so on. If some requirements are not met, a report is issued and 

addressed to the department manager, who has to return it once corrective 

actions have been carried out. Management carries out a monthly qualitative 

monitoring of fellings, which results have a financial impact – positive or 

negative – on cutters’ monthly bonuses. 

Since 2006, annual internal audits are carried out. Their results are shared at 

management’s level. 

The monitoring/assessment approach has to be extended to most of the 

activities that are likely to have an environmental or social impact. 

Possible improvements of forestry operations, which may be identified during 

shot-term monitoring or internal audits, will be integrated in annual operational 

plans and procedures, and in the revisions of management plans. However, the 

way those will be integrated isn’t fully defined yet (see Minor CAR 15). 

2.5 - Forest areas potentially excluded 

CEB Precious Woods company rents a 15 000 ha area from the associated 

license n°3/88 allocated to Mister NGOUONI AYILA Vi ctor. This license is not 

covered by the certificate. 

Although the company applies the procedures defined for the SMFC in the 

associated license, this activity was not included in the field of application of the 











Version : 1.0 

certificate, as it is a short-term license expiring in a few months. Measures were 

taken to ensure this forest products are separated from SMFC products (cf. 

report and chain of custody information). 

3 - Standards(s) 

3.1 - Standard(s) used during the audits 

During the initial audit, check-list SF03 FSC GF Gabon v1.1 (28/08/07) was 

referred to. It is an extract from forest management standards adapted to 

Gabon, RF03 FSC GF Gabon v01 (August 2007). 

During complementary audits, check-list SF03 FSC GF Gabon version 1.2 was 

referred to. It is an extract from forest management standards adapted to 

Gabon, RF03 FSC GF Gabon version 1.2 

This last version was updated in January 2008, and is available on the website 

www.certification.bureauveritas.fr or at Bureau Veritas Certification France, on 

request. 

For the Chain of Custody, the audit team referred to check-list SF03 FSC CoC 

40 004 version 2.0, excerpt from Chain of Custody Standards RF03 FSC CoC 

40 004 version 2.0. 

3.2 - Adaptation of the standards and stakeholders’ comments 

The FSC forest management generic standards developed by Bureau Veritas 

Certification (from FSC main principles and criteria) were adapted to Gabon’s 

2007 context according to the following process: 

- Preparation of a temporary version of the standards adapted to Gabon, 

- Standards posted to the stakeholders (administration, management, R&D 

departments, NGOs, research institutes and so on). 

- Organisation of a public meeting in Libreville to gather the comments for the 

standards adaptation. 

- Gathering observations 

- Remarks integration 

- Standards approval. 

The meeting which was organized on 2 nd July 2007 allowed the gathering of 

observations which were used to modify the checklist. 

The revision of the standards was carried out in January 2008. 











Version : 1.0 

4 - Initial assessment bases 

4.1 - Summary of the certification process 

For CEB, FSC certification process lasted over a year and a half, including 3 

audits, and several months for setting to standards: 

- Scoping held from 5 th to 12 th March, 2007 

- Initial audit held from 21 st to 28 th July, 2008 

- Complementary audit held from 11 th to 15 th September, 2008 

The company has been involved in the certification approach for several years. 

It was awarded ISO 14 001 certification in 2004 and 2007, and Keurhout 

certification in 2002. 

4.1.1 - Pre-assement 

The scoping took place in March 2007. 

During the scoping, the auditors emphasized that CEB Precious Woods had 

been the first Gabonese company to get involved in forest management. They 

noted the following: 

- the company sought qualified technical support to define and implement 

solid foundation for sustainable management, 

- a rigorous monitoring and implementation of management principles, 

- a good exploitation of timber resources through the development of 

processing units, 

- a real company effort to take social concerns into consideration (workers, 

local communities and so on). 

- a real company effort to take fauna /hunting concerns into consideration on 

the concession 

Finally, the company’s experience in certification (KEURHOUT and ISO 14000) 

is an undeniable asset in its approach to FSC certification, mostly as regards 

the processes development and the organisation of a documentary system. 

The few lapses reported were generally linked to breaches of the rules related 

to the management of workers who are in charge of instructions’ 

implementation. 

Thanks to the scoping, 36 preliminary setting to standard actions were defined, 

they fell under the six main topics that follow: 

Repartition of Preliminary Setting to 

Standards Actions Requests per topic 

33% 

6% 

19% 

6% 

17% 

19% 

Forest Management Environnement Legal Populations Workers Administrative 











Version : 1.0 

4.1.2 - Initial Audit 

The initial audit took place in July 2008. 

During the scoping, the auditors emphasized that the company successfully 

summoned up its energy to bring satisfactory answers to most of the preliminary 

setting to standards requests expressed during the scoping. A real informationsharing 

effort to increase awareness at all company’s levels allowed good 

appropriation of the approach, and the emergence of a sustained collective 

effort that translate into noticeable results in all domains. Furthermore, the 

company’s experience in the certification domain (ISO 14 000; KEURHOUT) 

constitutes an undeniable asset notably through the existence of routines in all 

key domains such as: procedure formalisation and management, 

documentation, monitoring and so on. 

However, inspite of the existence of procedures which are indeed applied 

and/or of ongoing projects, some weaknesses remain with regard to applicable 

standards requirements. Sanitation of living bases and notably the one in 

Bambidie is ongoing but has to materialize through firm commitment from 

hierarchy, and materialisations as soon as possible. Subcontractors and notably 

TWD must systematically implement company’s procedures. Finally, although 

they were generalised in the SMFC, reduced impact logging methods may still 

be perfected from a technical point of view mostly in what refers to tracks 

opening and skidding. 

The audit team’s conclusions were the following: 

- The management system that CEB Precious Woods had developped allows 

ensuring that all applicable standards requirements are taken into account on 

all forest areas within the field of application of the certificate. 

- However, CEB Precious Woods did not demonstrate that the management 

system described was fully implemented in an efficient manner on all the 

forest areas within the field of application of the certificate. 

The initial audit was an opportunity to assess the answers to Preliminary Setting 

to Standards Action Request expressed during the scoping. 

Actions taken in accordance with the Preliminary Setting to Standard 

Actions Requests: 

DAMNP 

Steps taken by the certified 

organisation 

Demand 

number 

Audit team’s 

conclusions if these 

actions allow full 

conformity 

Audit team’s conclusions if the 

response is unsatisfactory and 

request status (CAR 

expressed or other) 

1 

2 

3 

Develop a company commitment 

policy in accordance with FSC 

approach, make it public, and 

ensure it is widely spread within the 

entity and at its subcontractors 

Develop and implement a procedure 

for conflicts management and 

recording (employees, population, 

stakeholders…) 

Compete and implement procedure 

"legal intelligence v3 of 02/2005" 

1.6 

2.3 

3.1.3 

3.3.3 

4.5 

1.1 / 

1.3 

Commitment policy 

available on all sites and on 

the company’s website 

Procedure available 

Procedure completed and 

implemented 

Satisfactory response 













Version : 1.0 

DAMNP 


organisation 

Demand 

number 




conformity 





4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

Comply with forestry legal 

prescriptions 

Comply with legal social 

prescriptions both legislative and 

regulatory 

Comply with regulation on classified 

facilities 

Duly pay all legal taxes, fees and 

charges applicable 

Have contract 

conditions available 

Complete, finalise and implement 

the training procedure 

Analyse risks for each work post and 

complete the IPE (Individual 

Protective Equipment) and 

necessary material accordingly; 

ensure those are worn and used by 

all employees and external people. 

Train workers for emergency 

situation management (fire, effluents 

dumping, accident linked to long 

pole manipulation...) 

Structure and complete evacuation 

procedure for the wounded on all 

sites for all employees 

Make the drivers more aware of 

road safety and implement adapted 

means of signposting 

Ensure complete safety for 

employees in charge of timber 

treatment 

1.1.6 

1.1.6 / 

4.1.1 / 

4.2.1 / 

4.2.7 / 

4.3.3 

1.1.6 

Stumps and timber 

marked; Updated yard 

records available; Timber 

declared 

Overtime, regularised 

accommodation allocation, 

Health, Hygiene and 

Security Committees set 

up for each site, workers’ 

concerns dealt with, 

formalised contracts with 

subcontractors 

November 2007 

environmental Audit available. 


The practice of overtime at TWD is 

not currently authorised by labour 

administration 


1.2 No breach observed Satisfactory response 

1.1.6 

7.3 

4.2.4 / 

4.2.5 

1.1.6 ; 

4.2 

1.1.6 ; 

4.2.2 

4.2.2 

6.6.2 ; 

8.2.5 

Contract 

conditions available 

Procedure finalised and 

implemented 

Wearing of IPE complying 

with requirements 

Workers made aware, and 

trained 

Employees trained and 

sites equipped with 

necessary material (firstaid 

kit, stretchers, adapted 

evacuation and 

communication means …) 

Road safety improved and 

signposting implemented 

Milolé and Lastourville 

sites complying with 

requirements 

Contract 

conditions should be delivered by 

the State Forest Service 






Installation and material for timber 

treatment in Owendo yard do not 

comply with requirements. The 

subcontractor respects the 

company’s internal procedures. 











Version : 1.0 

DAMNP 


organisation 

Demand 

number 




conformity 





15 

16 

17 

Develop the statistics on industrial 

accidents, analyse causes according 

to their gravity level to reduce their 

seriousness and frequency 

(including for those on industrial 

sites). 

Improve the infirmaries working 

condition 

Plan appropriate and safe means of 

transport for employees 

4.2.3 

4.2 

4.2 

18 Improve living base sanitation 4.2 

19 Ensure drinking water supply 4.2 

20 Ensure food security 4.2 

21 

22 

23 

Structure and formalise consultation 

with resident communities 

Document the absence of aboriginal 

population within the SMFC 

Carry out studies on the 

environmental impact of each site’s 

forestry and processing activity 

2.1.2 

/ 

2.2.2/ 

2.2.3 / 

2.2.4 / 

3.1.2 / 

3.3.2. 

/ 4.1.5 

/ 4.4 

3 

5.5 / 

6.1 / 

6.5.2 / 

6.9 / 

7.1.5 

Industrial accidents 

analysed and monitored 

Infirmaries infrastructures 

equipped and improved 

Dumpers complying with 

requirements available 

Sanitation work is being 

finalised 

All living bases supplied 

with drinking water. The 

company plans to dig 

boreholes 

Cold chain respected, and 

staff stores hygiene 

improved 

Participative management 

device in consultation with 

resident communities; 

implementation of tripartite 

conventions, organisation 

of the Forest festival, 

implementation of a 

conflict resolution 

procedure 

Study on a status of 

"Babongo, Akola, Akoula 

and Balendji" aboriginal 

communities 

Environmental audit 

carried out on all activities 




Living base sanitation isn’t complete 

yet, notably on Bambidie former 

camp. 

Milolé sanitation work is ongoing 

(latrines). There remain showers 

and waste water management 

system to be finalised. 

Boring in Lelama has been 

completed while it hasn’t started yet 

in Okondja 

One of Bambidie freezers showed 

poor working performance and its 

cleanness wasn’t entirely 

satisfactory 


Any initiative/interaction with 

resident communities should be 

documented 

The study shows there is no 

aboriginal population. Satisfactory 

response 












Version : 1.0 

DAMNP 


organisation 

Demand 

number 




conformity 





24 

Review and implement the waste 

management procedure concerning 

waste sorting, destruction and/or 

stocking 

4.2.6 / 

6.7.4 

The procedure still has to 

be improved 

There is a dysfunction in the 

management of cables stocking pits 

in Lélama: the presence of hydraulic 

flexibles and soiled boles was noted. 

In the end, it would be beneficial to 

look for an alternative solution other 

than burying cables and tyres. Non 

biodegradable waste, such as 

plastic, painting pots and so on, 

were spotted around Milolé living 

base. Those should be cleared. 

25 

26 

27 

Monitor management of all chemical 

products used on the sites 

Improve hydrocarbon management 

(dumping, stocking, manipulation…) 

Integrate and implement 

prescriptions as regards reduced 

impact logging 

4.2.6 / 

6.6.1 ; 

6.6.2 ; 

6.6.3 ; 

6.6.4 ; 

6.6.6 ; 

6.6.7 

1.1.6 ; 

4.2.4 ; 

4.2.5 ; 

4.2.6 ; 

6.6.1 ; 

6.6.4 

5.3.4 ; 

6.1.2 ; 

6.5.1 

Products use comply with 

requirements. In the yards, 

only bark zones are 

treated. 

Concrete supply zones, 

watertight retention tanks, 

adapted tanks on logging 

sites 

Some inadequacies were 

noted in the monitoring of 

waterways management 

and preservation, as well 

as in the implementation of 

reduced impact dislodging 

techniques 

There is no exhaustive monitoring of 

chemical products use, and 

therefore no analysis of the volumes 

used, which prevents consumption 

monitoring and in the end, 

consumption reduction. 

Hydrocarbon transfer, stocking and 

delivery installations planned in 

collaboration with the supplier are 

not fully finalised yet. 

A procedure aiming at monitoring 

impacts of erosion and 

sedimentation phenomenon in 

waterways during tracks opening 

operations and civil engineering 

structures building is missing: (i) 

procedures complying with 

international good practices in this 

area, (ii) training of the employees in 

charge of tracks opening and civil 

engineering building, (iii) indicators 

and a procedure of works 

monitoring, (iv) identification of 

points of non conformities with 

reference to the good practice code 

on primary and secondary tracks 

network which remain open and to 

2008 exploitation ascendancy, (v) 

identification of measures for the 

monitoring and treatment of non 

conformities 

28 

Develop and implement a site 

dismantling procedure 

6.1.2 / 

6.3.3 

Ndambi site dismantling 

completed 


29 

Formalise wildlife management 

methods taking into account villages 

hunting practises 

6.2.6 / 

8.2.4 

Wildlife management 

methods take into account 

villages hunting habits 












Version : 1.0 

DAMNP 


organisation 

Demand 

number 




conformity 





30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

Develop and implement an SMFC 

supervising procedure, in order to 

identify, desert or monitor any illegal 

or undesired activity (illegal timber 

logging or farming, poaching,…) 

Write out a public summary of 

management plan and monitoring 

annual data while respecting 

information confidentiality. 

Develop detailed adapted 

exploitation methods for the buffer 

zone surrounding on Ivindo national 

park 

Identify the HCVF and maintain 

them 

Improve non-timber forest product 

integration into inventories, 

complementary studies and global 

activity 

Complete, set up and implement 

control procedures that include the 

production of adapted reports for all 

supervising and monitoring actions 

1.5 

7.4 / 

8.5 / 

9.3.3 

7.1.4 / 

7.1.5 

9 ; 6.2 

; 6.4 ; 

6.5 

5.4.2 / 

5.5 / 

8.2.1 

8.1 ; 

8.2 ; 

7.2 

Procedure allowing 

management of those 

activities available and 

implemented. Permanent 

Milolé fence. 

Summary available on the 

website 

Procedures available and 

implemented 

Study on maintenance of 

High Conservation Value 

Forests dated July 2008, 

available 

Continuation of inventories 

in progress 

A standards control squad 

in charge of the monitoring 

and evaluation of forestry 

activities. 

Management ensures a 

qualitative monitoring of 

felling. 

Annual internal audits 




Additional information should be 

made available to improve 

monitoring 


Monitoring should integrate all 

certification-linked activities. Current 

procedures have to completed with 

(i) the implementation of a reporting 

tool on HCVF, (ii) the monitoring of 

abandoned sites reforestation, (iii) 

the monitoring of reforestation along 

primary and secondary tracks 

opened prior to procedure 

implementation, (iv) the monitoring 

of undismantled civil engineering 

structures, (v) the monitoring of 

waterways erosion and 

sedimentation risks 

36 

Complete the opening of the SMFC 

demarcations 

Openings partly completed 

(within exploitation areas) 

The demarcations between yield 

series and agricultural series should 

be materialised even in areas which 

are not exploited 

During the initial audit, 18 minor CARs and 2 major CARs were expressed: 

Minor Corrective Actions request formulated during the initial audit: 

N° Minor Corrective Actions requested 

1 MA 

Materialise demarcations between production and agricultural series, 

including in non-exploited zones 

Requirement 

number 

Realization 

deadline 

suggested 

(month) 

1.5 / 2.3 12 











Version : 1.0 

N° Minor Corrective Actions requested 

2 MA 

Set up and implement a monitoring procedure for growth and phenology of 

species with renewal problems 

Requirement 

number 

5.5.3 / 7.2.3 / 

8.2.3 / 8.2.4 

8.4.3 

Realization 

deadline 

suggested 

(month) 

3 MA 

Review and complete procedure for Annual Logging Areas’ closing and 

implement it 

6.5.2 / 6.5.4 12 

4 WK Regularise the practice of overtime at TWD at administration level 1.1 1,5 

5 WK Ensure safety of staff working on living bases 4.2.4 12 

6 ENV Complete sanitation work in progess on Milolé site 4.2.9 12 

7 ENV Finalise the project making drinking water available on living bases 4.2.9 12 

8 ENV Review and complete if need be waste management procedures 

4.2.9 / 6.7.2 / 

6.7.3 / 6.7.4 

/6.7.5 /8.2.7 

9 ENV Manage and monitor chemical products consumption 6.6 12 

10 ENV 

Develop procedures to monitor impacts linked to erosion and sedimentation 

phenomenon in waterways 

6.5 1,5 

11 ENV Pursue efforts aiming at generalising reduced impact logging in the SMFC 

12 ENV 

13 ENV 

Systematically integrate into GIS the location of works likely to have an 

environmental impact as well as their ascendancy when relevant 

Ban any hydrocarbon or used oils use during construction and maintenance 

work 

6.1.1 / 6.5.4 

6.1.2 / 6.1.3 

7.1.12 

8.1.1 / 8.1.4 

8.2.2 / 8.2.6 

8.2.9 

12 

12 

12 

12 

4.2.4 / 6.7 1,5 

14 TRC 

Improve physical identification system for ligneous material in order to avoid 

any posterior confusion 

8.3.3 1,5 

15 MON Complete and implement monitoring measures 8.1.4 / 8.2 / 9.4 12 

16 TRC 

Set up a training program covering all traceability operations and standards 

requirements 

12 

17 TRC 

Complete internal procedures detailing which records to archive and for how 

long 

18 TRC Define the product group for long poles in procedures’ manual 1,5 

Comments on minor CAR 

CAR 1: Exploitation may be carried out in agricultural series, but in coordination 

and under supervision of resident communities living in the series. Currently, 

the definition of agricultural series demarctions is exclusively made for 

exploitation areas, in a concerted manner with resident communities after 

spatialization of sites of interest for communities, such as plantations, old 

villages, cultural sites and so on. The aim is now to extend this demarcation to 

non-exploited areas and systematically spread copies of maps of village parcels 

and demarcations among the concerned communities. 

CAR 2: Moabi and Douka currently have renewal problems. A middle-term 

monitoring would allow confirming or denying the growth hypothesis of 

management plan. 

CAR 3: The current procedure doesn’t include the dismantling of civil 

engineering structures (bridges, buses and so on) which may constitute an 

obstacle to water flow once the Logging Area has been closed. Furthermore, 

the simple closing of accessing tracks with logs, barricades or fences hasn’t 

proved fully efficient. 

1,5 











Version : 1.0 

CAR 4: The practice of overtime at TWD isn’t currently authorised by labour 

administration. This situation shall be regularised. 

CAR 5: In Lelama living base, a total lack of safety was noticed concerning 

latrines pits which were opened. All operations implemented on the SMFC must 

systematically include adequate measures to ensure safety of people and 

goods. 

CAR 6: See § 4.2 comments on DMNAP 18 

CAR 7: Projects on drinking water supply are not fully finalised. Lelama 

borehole isn’t finished, and the digging of Okondja borehole hasn’t started. 

Those works shall be finalised. Meanwhile, water is made drinkable thanks to a 

UV and sand filter system. The company chose to abandon those in favour of 

boreholes as their water is of a better quality. 




CAR 11: Reduced impact logging is overall well monitored. However, some 

lapses were observed, notably as regard to reduced impact skidding which may 

still be improved on some logging sites such as Lélama for instance (where 

skidding in sharp slopes areas near waterways has been observed). It was 

equally noticed that reduced impact felling and skidding operations were 

globally better monitored on Milolé logging site. Procedure for felling near 

waterways must be systematically applied and improved if need be. 

CAR 12: This notably refers to borrow pits, civil engineering structures, hauling 

tracks, timber yard and any other sites that may have short-term or middle-term 

environmental impact. 

CAR 13: The company still uses draining oil to treat huts fundation timber, and 

to treat parts of floor in contact with soil. This activity has to be definitively 

banned of all company’s activities. 

CAR 14: It was noticed on stocking yards that chalk and hammer-marked 

information could disappear during long stocking, which is a source of 

confusion. Logs destocked for internal use or as waste must be identified as 

such on the yard as well as on record forms and computer records. 


CAR 16: Information was provided concerning new procedures set up, but the 

audit team noticed that some employees seemed not to be well aware of those 

procedures. There was no long-term training program, and the procedure is 

poorly documented if at all. Elements that may trigger a training have not been 

studied. 

CAR 17: Records archiving internal procedures have not been developped. 











Version : 1.0 

CAR 18: Entering product groups have not been clearly studied and are not 

defined in the procedures. 

Major Corrective Actions request formulated during the initial audit: 

N° Major Corrective Actions requested 

Requirement 

Number 

Realization 

delay suggested 

(month) 

19 ENV Finalise sanitation project for Bambidie living base 4.2.9 1,5 

20 ENV 

Ensure subcontractors are well aware of company’s internal procedures, 

and that they apply them 

4.2.7 / 6.7.5 1,5 

Comments on major CAR 

CAR 19: Sanitation of living bases isn’t completed yet, notably on Bambidie’s 

old camp. The project is ongoing but there is little concrete commitment and the 

technical realisations on site are limited. The minimum this sanitation project 

should include is: (i) technical definition of urbanisation project and its location, 

(ii) an operationnal solution for a reliable sanitation, (iii) a schedule of work 

implementation, (iv) a financial assessment of all works, (v) a financial 

commitment approved by the company. 

CAR 20: It was noticed that installation and equipment used for timber 

treatment on Owendo yard used by TWD subcontractor does not comply with 

company’s procedures. Overall, the subcontractor does not implement all 

company’s procedures. On the one hand, the relationship with the 

subcontractor shall be formalised, and on the other hand, all subcontractors 

shall be aware of company’s internal procedures and apply them. In that 

respect, the company takes adequate measures: specifications, controls, 

verification of logging sites and so on. 

Recommendations formulated during the initial audit: 

N° 

Cod 

e 

Recommendations 

Requirement 

Number 

A 

B 

C 

LGT 

LGT 

WK 

Complete the list of OIT international conventions having an 

impact on forest management practices 

Officialise with central authorities the measures methods applied 

for tax calculation 

Ensure cold chain maintenance in Bambidie staff store and 

pursue cleaning efforts 

D ENV Complete water analysis procedure 4.2.9 

E 

F 

G 

H 

I 

J 

K 

ENV 

ENV 

ENV 

ENV 

POP 

POP 

MO 

N 

Finalise hydrocarbon transfer, stocking and delivery installations 

planned in partnership with the supplier 

Pursue the approach aiming at the signature of the draft 

agreement between CEB and Ivindo National Park 

Analyse wildlife monthly reports, draw conclusions and take 

measures allowing compensation for the resulting observations 

Make committees for hygiene health safety at work operational on 

each site, and use their observations 

Intensify awareness-building missions with resident communities 

concerning hunting issue related to their forest rights 

Identify and systematically document the origins of potential 

conflicts, mostly with resident communities, create forms and 

search concerted solutions with parties involved 

Define relevant monitoring indicators allowing performance 

assessment of implemented operations 

1.3 

1.1 

1.1 

6.7 

6.2.6 

6.2.5 / 6.2.6 

4.2.8 

6.2.6 / 6.2.7 

2.3 / 6.1.6 

8.1.4 / 8.1.5 / 

8.2 











Version : 1.0 

N° 

Cod 

e 

Recommendations 

Requirement 

Number 

DAC 

N° 

19 

L 

MO 

N 

Ensure procedures and actions implemented are sustainable 

notably by ensuring supervising continuity on Bambidie site in the 

years to come 

At this stage, CEB - Precious Woods Company did not competely reach the 

level of compliance required to be certified. The audit team recommended a 

complementary audit within 1,5 month to check in particular the answers 

provided by the company to the major CAR, but also to the minor CAR which 

realization deadline was 1,5 month. 

4.1.3 - Complementary Audit 

Thanks to the audit carried out in September 2008, the answers to minor and 

major CARs expressed during the initial audit could be assessed. 

According to the audit team, the main strengths of the company lie in the 

extreme motivation of the management team and staff, but also in the reactivity 

and seriousness with which they answered to the corrective actions expressed 

during the initial audit. Furthermore, there is a true commitment from the 

hierarchy to fully meet the FSC certification standards’ requirements. This is 

reflected in the level of understanding of expressed corrective actions, the 

procedures that are developed and implemented, and the corresponding means 

(both human and material) made available. 

The company’s procedures are globally well-adapted, clear and consistent. 

Actions taken to answer major Corrective Action Requests: 

Answers to the following CARs were considered as satisfactory by the audit 

team, and reach fully compliance with standards’ requirements. Those CARs 

were therefore withdrawn. 

Actions taken by the certified organisation 

A sanitation project was developed and the 

company’s General Management committed to 

implement it. Works are ongoing on the field. 

Audit Team’s 

Conclusions on whether 

those actions allow full 

compliance 

Yes 

8 

Audit team’s conclusions if 

the answer is unsatisfactory, 

and CAR status (pending or 

major) 

Satisfactory Response 

20 See comments Yes Satisfactory Response 

Comments on actions per CAR: 

CAR 19: BETECH engineering consultancy was consulted to take 

topographical measures of Bambidie life base. Resulting from field works, a 

road system map and a contour map were created. The various campsites were 

renamed (Padouk, Azobé, Kotibé, and so on), and huts’ numbering is ongoing 

on all camps. 

On the camp named Padouk, which is to be rehabilitated, an exhaustive 

inventory of inhabitants was carried out. From now on, each family will have its 

own hut. Some families were relocated in available huts. The dismantling of 72 

huts is planned while only 36 will be rebuilt, so as to ensure new 

accommodations are nicely spaced out. 

Concerning sanitation, after studying the situation, the company chose to set up 

catchpits for each hut as it was done for recently built accommodation, instead 

of carrying out purification works. As for the construction of new huts, the 

company has 25 spare huts available, to ease movings while the new huts are 











Version : 1.0 

being built. The 36 new huts are to be finalised by the end of January 2009, 

which represents an average of 6 huts per month. At the time of the audit, 6 

huts had already been finalised. The other 30 huts were to be built in the 

following 5 months. 

A rehabilitation program has also been planned for Azobé camp. This program 

is mostly based on the improvement of showers and toilets and the digging of 

one catchpit for two huts. The renovation of huts is also considered. 

Construction works for Moabi camp’s huts are to start in February, but 

excavation work is already completed. 

All camps will be relaterited, chiefly around former paving stones which might 

be turned into gardens for a more pleasant accommodation. Catchpits and 

toilets will be set up in the spaces between huts where intermediary paving 

stones are. 

A moving form is filled in and signed by each worker concerned by relocation 

works. 

General management gave its theoretical authorisation (letter of September 8 th , 

2008) to continue the accommodation construction works, which are to be 

finalised by the end of May 2009. The estimated cost of rehabilitation is of 225 

millions for it to be completed by the end of May. A financial effort of 117 

millions is expected and is already planned in accounting. 

Conclusion: This CAR is considered as withdrawn, considering the surveys 

carried out, the ongoing works on the field and the commitment from General 

Management to finalise the works by the end of May 2009. However, a new 

minor CAR is expressed concerning General Management’s commitment, so as 

to ensure the scheduled concretisation is respected (CAR 21). 

CAR 20: The collaboration between TWD and CEB Precious Woods was 

formalised in a “service contract for the formalities related to long poles 

marketing” issued and signed on July 31 st , 2008. This contract details the kind 

of services to be supplied, notably in its article 4. The sub-contractor and TWD 

commit to respect the contractual commitment charter (see commitment charter 

signed, and article 7 of the contract). 

Concerning the medical monitoring of workers, a reminder was sent to TWD 

and to the Shared Medical Centre as regards workers’ monitoring and mostly 

the transfer of results of the latest medical examinations. 

The company’s procedures were transferred to TWD who now appears on the 

mailing list for procedures. A systematic transfer of procedures’ updates is 

planned. Those procedures are adopted internally at TWD. They concern wood 

treatment, waste management in the wood harbour, chemical products stocking 

and stocks management, health and safety of TWD workers. CEB controlled 

and approved the implementation of those procedures (see letter from CEB 

Precious Woods to TWD posted on August 11 th , 2008). TWD committed to 

respect the recommendations from procedures thus approved. 

Wood treatment requests are systematically expressed by Precious Wood to 

TWD. 

The generated waste (disposable overalls, chemical products’ empty 

containers, rags soiled with products and so on) from wood treatment station of 

SEPBG harbour are gathered into bin liners and transferred to the planing 

factory where they are treated. 











Version : 1.0 

A binder containing all the procedures was made available to TWD workers in 

the wood treatment station. This binder also contains forms with safety 

information on the various chemical products used to treat wood. 

Two back-sprayers were bought and made available for wood treaters. Small 

stocking tanks for chemical products were created and set up in the premises 

for chemical products’ stocking. From now on, products are mixed in those 

tanks in order to avoid any accidental dumping. 

Appropriate individual protection equipments were made available to wood 

treaters. 

Products for wood treatment were changed. The products that are currently 

used are Koatgrume Aqua and Protegrume IH2. Koatgrumes Aqua and 

Protegrume IH2 are mixed with water. 

Concerning aspects of workers’ health and safety, a first aid kit was made 

available to workers. They were also sensitised to emergency procedures. 

Conclusion: The corrective actions taken fully meet the concerned 

requirements. This CAR is withdrawn. 

Actions taken to answer minor Corrective Action Requests: 

Answers to the following CARs were considered as satisfactory by the audit 

team and reach full compliance with standards’ requirements. Those CAR were 

therefore withdrawn. 

CAR 

N° 

4 

10 

13 

14 

17 

18 

Actions taken by the certified organisation 

TWD received authorisation from the Gabonese Work 

Administration for its workers to practise overtime 

A diagnosis of the situation was carried out, and 

procedures were developed 

The use of waste oils and hydrocarbon is now banned 

in maintenance works. 

The colour system was clarified in the Chain of 

Custody procedures for forest and sawmills in order to 

clearly distinguish certified woods from non-certified 

wood (Certified wood is from CEB SMFC and painted 

blue). 

The company introduced a system for data recording 

and archiving in the Chain of Custody procedures for 

forest (see version 2 § 12 p. 67) and sawmill (see 

Version 2 dated 8/8/08 p. 41). 

Product groups were defined in the manuals of the 

traceability procedure. 

Comments on actions per CAR: 

Audit Team’s 

Conclusions on whether 

those actions allow full 

compliance 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Audit team’s conclusions, if 

the answer is unsatisfactory, 

and CAR status (pending or 

major) 

Satisfactory response, the CAR 

is withdrawn 


is withdrawn 


is withdrawn 


is withdrawn 


is withdrawn 


is withdrawn 

CAR 10: A diagnosis of civil engineering structures was carried out on the main 

road network of the SMFC by the company’s exploitation management. As part 

of this diagnosis, monitoring forms for water passages were developed. Those 

forms present the initial situation (at the time of the diagnosis) and the 

considered corrective actions. This diagnosis is documented with pictures and 

the geographical location of water passages (bridges and pipes). 

Corrective actions also resulted in the development of forms for interventions’ 

approval and for the dismantling of civil engineering structures. 











Version : 1.0 

On the field investigation and communication with the exploitation manager and 

the road maintenance team’s foreman, proved that the diagnosis was suitably 

carried out by the teams summoned up for that purpose. However, the 

interventions considered as part of the corrective actions sometimes appear to 

be excessive. In other words, from the comparison between diagnosis results 

and corrective measures to be carried out, it seems that the main improvement 

concerns water draining (which used to be orientated towards waterways’ beds) 

as it caused significant sedimentations. 

The manual entitled “forest road opening” (see CEB standards and ways of 

working) was reviewed. New recommended measures were integrated to avoid 

sedimendation phenomenon in waterways’ bed. The manual revision includes 

rules on the crossing of waterways, gutters and outlets, pipes, bridges, 

sedimentation risks management as well as an additional chapter on monitoring 

and dismantling. The latter chapter notably refers to dismantling of civil 

engineering structures during ACA closure operations. 

An internal note (August 30 th , 2008) modifying the procedure for forest road 

opening was spread out to the managing team by the exploitation manager. 

This document deals with measures to be taken during forest road management 

operations in order to avoid sedimentation phenomenon in waterways’ beds. 

Moreover, some indicators were defined in order to monitor in time the impact of 

the corrective actions carried out (water draining development, rehabilitation of 

blocked pipes and so on). 

Besides, a contract was signed with AFPA (National Association for Adult 

Profesionnal Training) and they were addressed a proforma request. The 

request concerns the mastery of forest tracks opening, the incline degree and 

water draining, the driving of public works machines. 

Conclusion: CAR withdrawn. 

The approaches developed by the company to implement corrective actions for 

the observations reported are satisfactory. However, an efficient training must 

be carried out for the teams in charge of road opening and maintenance to bring 

them to take new measures into account in their operations (recommendation 

M). 

CAR 13: The use of hydrocarbon and waste oils is now banned in maintenance 

works. For this purpose, an internal note was spread out by the exploitation 

manager to potential users and sub-contracted services suppliers (building and 

maintenance). Observations made on building sites of new huts attested 

hydrocarbons are no longer used for the maintenance of huts’ basements. 

From now on, Koatgrumes Aqua is the product used for wood preservation, and 

there is a plan to use slaked lime for wooden walls. A continuous treatment with 

Koatgrumes aqua will be carried out on exposed parts of stilts. 

Conclusion: The answers brought by the company seem satisfactory. This 

CAR is withdrawn. 

CAR 14: The colour system was clarified in the chain of custody procedures for 

forest (see p.32: identification of CEB SMFC long poles and long poles from 

license 3/88 NAV) and sawmills, in order to clearly distinguish certified wood 

(from CEB SMFC: CEB hammer marking and blue painted point). As revealed 

by the interviews with the staff in charge of wood marking in the forest, they 

have a good knowledge of the new marking procedures and their meaning. 

The colour marking (blue or red) is carried out in the forest. Only the customer 

marking takes place in the railway station (i.e. at destination). Technical forms 











Version : 1.0 

for operational updates were spread out to the parties concerned (all logging 

sites’ managers, export and sawmill yards’ managers, railway stations’ 

managers). The various technical forms concern: 

- CEB long poles’ hammer-marking in the forest 

- NAV long poles’ hammer-marking in the forest 

- Paint marking of Okume non-certified long poles in the railway station 

- Paint marking of CEB Okume certified long poles in the railway station 

- Paint marking of CEB diverse timber certified long poles in the railway 

station 

At sawmill level, an inventory of long poles physical stocks was carried out in 

Bambidie timber yard. The long poles refused in the sawmill (see § 2.6.4 of the 

procedure manual for Sawmill CoC), which are used as wedges, or will be used 

as lumber for bridges, were identified and classified as such on the yard. Those 

long poles (wedges and bridges) are marked with a white cross on faces and 

the prepared lots are identified on the field with signs before being destocked 

(position changes in the software MICROBOIS). Researches based on data 

collected on sawlogs in the yard proved that they are indeed registered as such 

in the MICROBOIS software at sawmill level (REFUSEES = long poles used as 

wedges, PONTS = long poles used as lumber for bridge building, PSCIERIE = 

long poles to be processed in the sawmill, FSCIERIE = long poles used in the 

sawmill). 

The procedure states that the field of application of the certificate is the SMFC, 

and that wood proceeding from other areas is not certified. 

Conclusion: The corrective actions carried out are satisfactory enough to 

withdraw this CAR. However, some observations made on the yard reported 

saw logs that were prepared but not stamped with the distinctive colours for 

certified or not-certified wood. This CAR is withdrawn. Still, we express a 

recommendation concerning the staff involved in saw logs preparation to the 

copy of original markings (see recommendation N). 

CAR 17: CoC procedures were reviewed to integrate the section on recording 

and archiving. A person was appointed as responsible for documents archiving. 

Records are systematic. 

Concerning the forest part, recordings concern yard forms, forwarding slips for 

export and export sawing, sawlog status changes (when need be), evacuation 

transfer note, records of stalks’ outings and inventories. 

At sawmill level, recordings (see § 3.4 of sawmill CoC procedure) are planned 

to be made via logging forms, DEK entry forms, scaling forms for ongoing 

package and finished ones. Recordings are entered in MICROBOIS sawmill 

software. 

As for transmissions management, a recording of the monitoring of traceability 

documents was set up. The documents concerned are yard sheets, yard forms, 

forwarding slips for export and export sawing, sawlog lists of railway stations 

yard or EX/SC yard, train note, and so on. All documents are transferred with 

acknowledgment of receipt, which confirms the effective reception of transferred 

documents. This way of proceeding helps to monitor the consumption of such 

documents by the various departments (dispatch date, stub return date, users 

and observations – in stock, upon signature, approved, delivered on site, 

archives), and ensures records are systematically kept. 











Version : 1.0 

Archiving is planned for a period of 5 years and concerns all the documents 

related to traceability monitoring under the supervision of Mr Sébastien 

BABISSA, responsible for MICROBOIS computer data processing. 

Conclusion: The Company’s answers appear to be satisfactory. This CAR is 

withdrawn. 

CAR 18: Each CoC procedure presents the product groups defined by the 

company (long poles, sawn logs and planed wood per species). 

Two operational procedures for product groups (sawmill and forest) were 

developed, and the company plans to have it updated each time the list of 

marketed species changes. It is a commercial document that the company 

publishes or spreads out. For instance: Should there be an opportunity to sell 

Baya from the NAV, the operational procedure will be reviewed and published 

on the website. 

Conclusion: CAR withdrawn. 

New Corrective Action Requests expressed during the complementary 

audit: 

N° Minor corrective action requests Demand nb 

21 

Finalise sanitation works in accordance with Management’s commitment 

and the set schedule 

4.2.9 

Suggested 

realisation leadtime 

Next supervision 

audit 

New recommendations expressed during the complementary audit: 

N° Code Recommendations Demand nb 

M 

N 

AME 

TRC 

Train the teams in charge of road opening and maintenance in order 

to sensitise them to take new measures into account in their 

operations 

Sensitise all workers of all yards who are involved in the preparation 

of long poles to the copy of original markings (during the refreshing of 

faces or cull operations, and so on). 

5.3 

8.3 

4.2 - Composition of audit teams 

Scoping of March 2007: 

Lead auditor: 

Auditeur A1 : Erith Ngatchou, Forestry auditor specialised in environmental 

management and social matters, Bureau Veritas Douala employee (certification 

Technical Assistant - chargé d’affaires), FSC Forest Management qualified 

auditor for Bureau Veritas Certification / Eurocertifor, 10 years experience in 

consulting related to environmental and social matters and 4 years experience 

in Forest Management auditing in the Congo Basin. 

Auditors: 

Auditor A2: Forestry auditor specialised in forest and natural resources 

management, independent consultant, qualified FSC Forest Management 

auditor on behalf of Bureau Veritas Certification / Eurocertifor, forest engineer 

specialised in forest management in tropical environments, 20 years experience 











Version : 1.0 

in forest management in a tropical environment, especially in the Congo Basin, 

4 years experience in Forest Management auditing. 

Auditor A3: Chain of Custody auditor specialised in forest exploitation and 

wood processing, independent consultant, FSC Chain of Custody qualified 

auditor on behalf of Bureau Veritas Certification / Eurocertifor, wood techniques 

engineer, 10 years professional experience in forestry (sawmill manager, quality 

manager) 4 years experience in consulting and training in forestry companies, 4 

years experience in chain of custody auditing (Europe and Africa). 

Auditeur A4: Caroline Duhesme, forestry auditor, specialised in forest 

management, employee of Bureau Veritas Douala (Forestry-Wood Manager - 

Zone Africa), Forest Management and Chain of Custody qualified FSC auditor 

on behalf of Bureau Veritas Certification / Eurocertifor, Wood Engineer, 2 years 

professional experience in forest management and exploitation in Africa, 6 

years experience in forest management and chain of custody auditing (Africa). 

Initial Audit of July 2008: 

Lead auditor: 

Auditor A5: Forestry auditor specialised in forest and natural resources 

management, independent consultant, Forest Management and Chain of 

Custody FSC qualified auditor on behalf of Bureau Veritas Certification / 

Eurocertifor, University graduate in biology, forest and wood sciences, Forest 

expert, general international consultant in development and environment, 

technical director of a consultancy specialised in natural resources 

management, 20 years international experience in ecology and forest 

management, environmental impact surveys, development projects, 3 years 

experience in forest management auditing (Europe and Africa). 

Auditors: 

Auditor A1: Erith Ngatchou, Forestry auditor specialised in environmental 






Auditeur A2: Forestry auditor specialised in forest and natural resources 

management, independent consultant, Forest Management qualified FSC 

auditor on behalf of Bureau Veritas Certification / Eurocertifor, forest engineer 

specialised in forest management in tropical environments, 20 years experience 

in forest management in tropical environments, especially in the Congo Basin, 4 

years experience in Forest Management auditing. 

Auditor A6: Chain of Custody auditor, specialised in forest exploitation and 

wood processing, independent consultant, FSC Chain of Custody qualified 

auditor on behalf of Bureau Veritas Certification / Eurocertifor, 16 years 

professional experience in forestry (forest exploitation and sawmills), including 

13 years experience in Cameroon, 1 year’s experience in Chain of Custody 

auditing (Europe and Africa). 

Consultant C1: qualified ISO 14 001 auditor, sub-contracted by Bureau Veritas, 

FSC consultant on environmental, health/safety aspects, 12 years experience in 

quality/environmental auditing 











Version : 1.0 

Complementary Audit of September 2008: 

Lead auditor: 

Auditor A1: Erith Ngatchou, Forestry auditor specialised in environmental 






4.3 - Data collection’s approach 

4.3.1 - Audit scheme’s description 

Monday, 5 th March 2007 

Note: abbreviations A1, A2 and so on in the following audits’ programs refer to auditors presented 

in paragraph 4.2. 

Program of the scoping carried out between 5 th and 12 th March, 2007: 

Libreville 

Tuesday, 6 th March 2007 

Bambidie 

9.00 am Auditors’ preparation meeting 

3.00 pm Audit opening meeting in the presence of: 

From the company 

- Xavier JAFFRET, Deputy General Manager 

- Philippe JEANMART, Exploitation Manager, In charge of Certification 

- Christine BABOULIN, Logistics and Sales Administration Manager 

10.00 am Flight to Bambidie 

11.15 am Arrival in Bambidie 

11.50 am Auditors’ meeting 

Briefing meeting in Bambidie in the presence of: 

From the company 

- Mr Jean Marie PASQUIER, Exploitation Manager 

- Mr Philippe JEANMART, Deputy Exploitation Manager and EMS Manager 

- Mr José PINTO, Technical Director 

- Mr Honoré MAHIMA, Workshop Environment Manager 

- Mr Jean Roger MBOUMBA, Personnel Manager 

- Mr Paulin NSO NKA, Support Office for Village Environment (SOVE) 

Manager 

- Mr Thierry MONDJO, Sawmill Yield Manager 

- Mr Sébastien BABISSA, Traceability Manager, responsible for Wood 

Computer Management 

2.30 pm Visit of mechanics workshop in Bambidie in the presence of: 

- Mr José Pinto, Technical Director 


- Mr Malet MOUTSINGA, General Electricity, Cold and Plumbing Manager, 

- Mr Honoré MAHIMA, welder, ISO workshop manager. 

3.30 pm Visit of the batteries neutralisation station in the presence of: 

- Mr Philippe JEANMART, Deputy Exploitation Manager and EMS Manager, 

- Mr Honoré MAHIMA, Welder, ISO workshop manager. 

- Mr MOUMBA DJEMBI, Batteries’ treatment agent 

4.10 pm Visit of the weldering unit in the presence of Mr MIGUELI Gaspard, Weldering 

Manager 

4.35 pm Visit of the store of Bambidie mechanics workshop in the presence of Mr. 

NGAMBANGONDE Jean, Store Manager 

5.00 pm Visit of Bambidie dump site in the company of: 


- Mr Jean Roger MBOUMBA, Personnel Manager 

5.15 pm Visit of Bambidie life base 











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Wednesday, 7 th March 2007 

Bambidie 

Lélama 

Bambidie 

Thursday, 8 th March 2007 

Team 1 (A1) 

Bambidie 

Okondja 

6.10 pm Visit of Bambidie staff store in the presence of: 

- Mr Alain MBOUMBA, Staff store manager 

- Mr ODEMBA André, Staff store manager’s assistant 

6.50pm Visit of Bambidie infirmary with Mrs Marie Pauline BITOUGHI, Nurse 

7.20 pm Preparation of the visits’ program for all the scoping with Mr Philippe 

JEANMART, Deputy Exploitation Manager and SME Manager 

7.45 pm 

Interview with Mr YAN POLS, Reduced Impact Logging Manager 

10.40 pm Auditors’ Summary meeting 

7.30 am Reception of complementary documents 

7.50 am Interview with Mr Jacques LALOT, In charge of Hunting and anti-poaching 

fighting in the SMFC, and the Planing Factory Deputy Manager 

8.40 am Departure for Ndambi 

9.00am Visit of the dismantled site of Ndambi in the company of Mr Philippe 

JEANMART, Deputy Exploitation Manager and EMS Manager 

9.40am Departure for Lélama 

12.05 pm Arrival in Lélama 

Visit of the mechanics workshop with Mr Charles BIRIRI MANFOUBI, Lélama 

ISO Workshop Manager 

12.30 pm Visit of Lélama infirmary with Mr MATOUMABA Eugène, Nurse 

12.45 pm Visit of Lélama site with Mr MOUSSAVOU Hyacinthe, BULL driver, Lélama 

camp headman 

1.20 pm Visit of the water treatment plant 

1.30pm Staff store visit 

2.00 pm Interview with a worker, Mr MAKONDO Justin, Representative of the Hunting 

committee of Lélama workers 

2.10 pm Departure for Lélama forest site 

3.30 pm Arrival on the forest site and interview with: 

- Mr Jean François BESINGRAND, Lélama site Manager 

- Mr Léon FULHABER, RIL Manager N°2 

Interview with Mr MANDZOUGOU Justin, Yard Manager 

6.30 pm Departure from Lélama logging site to Bambidie 

9.00 pm Arrival in Bambidie 

11.00 pm Auditors’ meeting 

7.00 am Interview with: 

- Mrs Christine BABOULIN, Logistics and Sales Administration Manager 

- Mr ABAGHA Ernest, Yield computer monitoring Manager 

- Mr LUMBI Lilian, Logging site records Monitoring 

7.50 am Visit of Bambidie Log yard, interview with: 

- Mr MAHODI Avena, Wood Treater 

- Mr KOUMBA Ollende, sawmill supply yard Manager 

8.15 am Interview with Mr Jean Marie Pasquier, Exploitation Manager 

9.15 am Departure for Okondja 

Interview with Mr Paulin NSO NKA, SOVE Manager 

11.25 am Arrival in Okondja 

Visit of the infirmary and the staff store in the company of: 

- Mr LIBOUIDI Aurelien, Nurse (from Franceville medical centre) 

- Mrs OKALABOGHA Nicole, Okondja staff store Manager 

12.10 pm Visit of Okondja mechanics workshop in the company of Mr LEMBOUMABA 

Pierre, Okondja workshop manager and Mr ONKOURI ABINGA Régisse, 

Welder 

2.10 pm Visit of the riparian villages and interview with resident communities 

- Mr NDOUMBOUNGIUA Boniface, Notable OTOUDOU and member of 

MBOMO NKOMO Association 

- Mr LOUMBI Sidoine, MBARIRI village headman 

3.50 pm Departure for Lastoursville 











Version : 1.0 

Team 2 (A2 + A3) 

Lastoursville 6.30 pm Arrival in Lastoursville and Interviews with Forest Economy Administrators, 

including: 

- Mr Mathurin MAGOUNDOU, Technical Deputy for Forest Economy 

- Mr Juldas LENDJOUGHOU, Technical Agent for Forest Economy 

- Mr Roger MOUITY, Technical Agent for Forest Economy 

8.00 pm Departure for Bambidie 

9.30 pm Auditors’ meeting 

Milolé 9.30 am Departure for Milolé in the company of: 

- Mr Philippe JEANMART 

- Mrs Christine BABOULIN 

12.30 pm Visit of Milolé railway station 

Interview with: 

- Mr BITEGHE Ferdinand, Forklift Driver 

- KWELI, Forklift Help 

1.30 pm Inspection of Milolé felling site and interview with: 

- Mr BOULENDE Laurent, Yard Scaler 

- Mr FOUYA Pascal, Chokerman 

- Mr MOUGHANZA Olivier, Logging Site Manager 

- Mr NGUIBOUNGUIA, Topper 

8.00 pm Visit of mechanics workshop and Milolé village 

9.00pm Return to Bambidie 

Friday, 9 th March 2007 

A 1 + A2 

A3 

E 

n 

t 

Bambidie 

Bambidie 

6.50 am Interview with Mr IBANAGOYE Frank, Temporary worker, Gardener 

7.40 am Documentary meeting with Mr Philippe JEANMART 

8.40 am Interview with the members of the Milolé community office: 

- Mr ETAKA Bonaventure, Milolé grouping headman, responsible for the wise 

men committee 

- Mr Arthur HENDJENGAZI, General secretary for Milolé social affairs 

- Mrs ELANDA Thérèse, Ex- president of Milolé community Association 

9.20 am Visit of Bambidie carpentry workshop, and interview with: 

- Mr Yves BOUNDAMA, Deputy Workshop Manager 

- Mr MAVOUNGOU MAKONDA Eric, Carpenter 

9.50 am Interview with: 

- Mr MBOUBA Alain, Workers Representative, Staff Store Manager 

- Mr BOUROUBOU François, Former Representative 

11.10 am Interview with Mr Jean Roger MBOUMBA, Personnel Manager 

8.00 am 

to 1.00 pm 

Bambidie 2.00 pm Auditors’ meeting 

Visit of Bambidie sawmill 

Interviews with: 

- Mrs Christine Baboulin, Logistics and Sales Administration Manager 

- Mr LALOT, Sawmill Deputy Manager 

- Mr TRIDON, Sawmill Manager 

- Mr MONDJO Thierry, Sawmill Yield Manager 

- Mrs MBINA Arlette, Logistics Method and Computer Department Agent 

- Mr MAWANGA Narcisse, Logistics Method and Computer Department Agent 

- Mr MOUKOKO Pierre, Scaler 

- Mr LEKOUE Anicet, Fire-fighting team 

- Mr MOUSSAOU Damas, Dispatch Manager 

- Mr NGOKO Francis, Sharpening Manager 

- Mr OYONO Jean-Paul, Forklift Headman 

- Mr KIENDE Romuald, Sawlog Sawyer 

- Mr BELEMBI Alphonse, Forked Wood Sawyer 











Version : 1.0 

3.00 pm Debriefing meeting in Bambidie 

CEB participants 

- Xavier Jaffret, CEB DGM 

- Jean Marie PASQUIER, Exploitation Manager 

- Philippe JEANMART, Deputy Exploitation Manager and EMS Manager 

- Stéphane TRIDON, Libreville Planing Factory Manager 

- Jacques LALOT, Bamdibie Sawmill Deputy Manager, and Responsible for 

Hunting Monitoring and Anti-Poaching Fighting 

- Gérard AUDIBERT, Construction Manager 

- José PINTO, Technical Manager 

- Honoré MAHIMA, Workshop Environment Manager 

- Jean Roger MBOUMBA, Personnel Manager 

- Paulin NSO NKA, Support Office for Village Environment (SOVE) Manager 

- Thierry MONDJO, Sawmill Yield Manager 

- Sébastien BABISSA, Support Office for Village Environment (SOVE) 

Manager 

Precious Wood participants 

- Dr. Andres GUT, Precious Wood Chairman 

- 2 administrators 

Bureau Veritas Certification participants 

- Erith NGATCHOU TOWO, Lead auditor 

- Laurent TEILLIER, Auditor 

- Damien SCHMUTZ, Auditor 

4.30 pm End of the meeting 

4.45 pm Flight to Libreville. 

Libreville 6.00 pm Arrival in Libreville, night spent there 

Saturday, 10 th March 2007 

Entire Team 

Libreville 

Sunday, 11 th March 2007 

Libreville 

Monday, 12 th March 2007 

E 

nt 

ir 

Libreville 

8.30 am Visit of the planing factory in the company of: 

- Mr Stéphane TRIDON, Planing Factory Manager 

- Mrs Annie MESSINA, Planing Factory-Sawmill Management Assistant 

- Mr MAPANGA Fabrice, Planing factory Headman 

- Mr BIVOULI Alexis, Carpenter Cabinetmaker 

- Mr BIVOULI Alexis, Carpenter Cabinetmaker 

SNAT Visit 

- Mr KOUDOUROU Ferdinand, SNAT packer 

- Mr JONAS, ditto 

SEPBG Visit 

12.15 pm End of the visit 

3.00 pm Visit of the department of veneering, TGI and maintenance – interview with: 

- Florian LAFONT, TGI Manager 

- Olivier BONNEAU, TERREA Consultant 

- AUBIN, Computer Scientist 

- Jean Louis ROYER, Yield and safety Manager 

- NBOZA, in charge of TGI surveys 

- OBIANG Eric, Responsible for centring logs 

5.00 pm End of the visit 

9.00 am 

7.30 pm 

8.30 am 

2.45 pm 

Auditors’ Work Session 

Auditors’ summary meeting 











Version : 1.0 

Monday, 21 st July 2008 

3.25 pm FSC Scoping Debriefing meeting 

CEB participants 

- Xavier Jaffret, Deputy General Manager 

- Jean Marie Pasquier, Exploitation Manager 

- Florian LAFONT, TGI Manager 

- Gérard MOUSSU, In Charge of External Relations 

- Stéphane TRIDON, Planing Factory Manager 

- Mrs C. BABOULIN, Logistics and Sales Administration Manager + Wood 

Traceability in Libreville 

Precious Wood participants 

- Dr Andres GUT 

- 2 administrators 

Bureau Veritas Certification participants 

- Erith NGATCHOU TOWO, Lead auditor 

- Laurent TEILLIER, Auditor 

- Damien SCHMUTZ, Auditor 

- Caroline DUHESME, Bureau Veritas Africa Zone Manager. 

7.00 pm End of the scoping 

Main audit program: from the 21st to the 28th of July 2008: 

A6 

Libreville 

Afternoon 

Port Owendo 

7.30 Preparation meeting for the audit team 

8.30 Initial audit opening meeting in the presence of: 

- Xavier JAFFRET, Managing Director 

- Charles ERARD, Precious Woods Representative 

- Gérôme TOKPA, Certification Manager 

- Christine BABOULIN, Logistics and Sales Administration Manager 

- Hans ZINIZEN, Administrative and Financial Manager 

9.30 Documentary review (regulatory and legal intelligence) in the company of Mrs 

Christine BABOULIN 

2.00 Work session with Mr. Bruno MIKISSA, President of FSC national initiative 

3.15 Work session with Mrs. Nathalie NYARE, Forest Scheme Manager for WWF 

Gabon. 

4.30 Work session with Mr. Romain CALAQUE, Assistant Director of External 

Relations and Mr. TOMO NISHIHARA, WCS Technical Advisor 

6.00 Work session with Mr. Norbert GAMI, TFT Africa Program Manager 

1.00 Visit of the exportation log yard and the square-edged timber yard in Mrs. 

Christine BABOULIN’s company 

5.00 Planing site visit with Mr. Stéphane TRIDON 

Tuesday, 22 nd July 2008 

Libreville 

Bambidie 

8.00 Work session between auditors 

10.20 Departure for Bambidie site 

12.30 Arrival in Bambidie and lunch break 

2.00 Briefing meeting on Bambidie site (See participant list in appendix) 

3.50 Site visit in the company of Mrs. Christine BABOULIN, Sales Administration 

Manager and Mr. Jean Roger MBOUMBA, Personnel Manager 

5.10 Interview with Mr. MALLET MOUTSINGA, Water Treatment Plant and Electricity 

Manager 

5.25 Interview with Mr. BALAKA, Bambidie site Baker 

5.50 Bambidie staff store visit and interview with Mr.MADINGA MAGONGA Alexis, 

Manager and Mr.ONDEMBA André, Manager’s Assistant 

6.20 Infirmary visit in the company of Mrs. Christine BABOULIN and Mr. Jean Roger 

MBOUMBA 

3.50 – 

8.00 

Interview with Mrs. Marie Pauline BITONGHI, Mrs. Jeanne MALLOU and Mrs. 

Monique, NIOMBA Health centre nurses 

Visit of garage, sawmill, drier, exportation log yard, square-edged timber yard, 

waste stocking areas in the company of Mr. Gérard AUMONT 











Version : 1.0 

Wednesday, 23 rd July 2008 

9.45 Exchange session among auditors 

Bambidie 

7.00 - Departure for Lélama in the company of Jean Marie PASQUIER and Philippe 

JEANMART 

- Departure for Lastourville and Koulamoutou 

Koulamoutou 

10.20 Work session with Mr. NZIENGUI NZIENGUI, Ogooué Lolo province Workforce 

Director 

1.00 Interview with Mr. François d’Assise IBOUANGA, Planning Director for Ogooué 

Lolo province 

Ndambi 

9.00 Visit of the abandoned site of Ndambi in the company of Jean Marie 

PASQUIER and Philippe JEANMART 

Lélama 

10.00 Visit of Lélama living base in the company of Jean Marie PASQUIER and 

Philippe JEANMART 

Lastourville 

3.50 Work session with Mr. Victor LEWANDI, Lastourville Forest and Water 

Cantonment Headman 

5.10 Interview with Mr. BINDZA Léonide, Manager of Lastourville CEB Yard 

Bambidie Village 6.00 Work session with: 

- Mr. KASSA Guy Roger, Kokomounguelé – Bambidie Grouping Manager, 

- BOKANI Paul, Bambidie Village Headman 

- Jacques ABEKOME, Bambidie Notable, 

- BENGA Pascal, Bambidie Notable 

Bambidie living base 6.55 Work session with : 

- Alain MAGONGA, Bambidie Staff Stores Supply Manager and Staff 

Representative 

- DOMBOGUE Guy, Sawmill Sawyer and Staff Representative 

- NGOBADI Sosthène, Sawyer and Staff Representative 

- BOUTSUNGOU Alain, Mechanic Driver, Staff Representative 

- ODOUNGA MOULEKA Wilfried, Long Pole Conveyor and Alternate Staff 

Representative. 

Lélama 

1.30 Visit of Lélama logging sites in the company of Jean François BESINGRAND, 

Jan POL, Jean Marie PASQUIER and Philippe JEANMART 

5.00 Visit of NAV logging site in the company of Jean Marie PASQUIER, Philippe 

JEANMART, and Bernard SANCHEZ 

Bambidie 


Thursday, 24 th July 2008 

All the team 

A1 

Bambidie 7.00 - Departure for Okondja in the company of Mr. Paulin NSO NKA, SOVE 

Manager, Gérôme TOKPA, Certification Manager and Jerry IBALA 

MAYOMBO, Wildlife and Hunting Manager 

- Departure for Milolé in the company of Jean Marie PASQUIER, Philippe 

JEANMART, Jan POL, Jean Michel LAGE 

Mihandza 

8.35 Stop at the MIHANDZA fence and interview with Mr. OKONGO Joseph, 

Security Guard 

Okondja 

9.10 Arrival at Okindja living base and site visit in the company of Mr. LIBALA Alain, 

Nurse and camp Headman 

9.40 Staff store visit and interview with Mrs. OKALABOGHA Nicole, Okondja Staff 

Store Manager 

10.00 Interview of Mr. PENENE François, Mamidi-Mihandza Grouping Headman, 

based in Okondja 

10.50 Visit of Okondja workshop and shop, Interview with Mr. Charles FERRUTI, 

Mechanics Workshop Manager and Mr. SANCHEZ, Okondja site manager. 

Milolé 

9.00 Visit of the Milolé yard, and railway station timber treatment 

11.00 Interview with Milolé fence Security Guard 

Okondja Ville 

12.30 Work session with Mr. KABOUBI WANIYELE, Okondja Forest and Water 

Cantonment Headman and ENGOHANG Prosper, Forest and Water Technical 

Officer 











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A5+A+A6 

Opoungou Abolo 

Lekori 

Milolé 

Bambidie 

4.15 Interview with Mr. OTOUNGA OPAGA Lazare, President of the Association of 

OPOUNGOU ABOLO 2 Grouping 

5.20 Interview with Mr. BIWET Donald, Driver for Okondja logging site employees 

5.40 Work session with members of the association of Lekori and AKOUMIGUI: Mr. 

OKORY Yves, President, NTSEGUE Frédéric, Vice president LOUSSO Landry, 

Treasurer and General Secretary of Lekori and AKOUMIGUI Association 

1.00 Visit of Milolé logging sites in the company of Jan POL, Jean Marie PASQUIER 

and Philippe JEANMART, Jan POL, Jean Michel LAGE, Olivier MOUGHANZA 

4.00 Visit of road forward 

6.00 Visit of Milolé living base 


Friday, 25 th July 2008 

Bambidie 

Libreville 

7.15 Visit of Bambidie sawmill in the company of Mr. MONDJO Thierry, Sawmill 

Manager 

Interview with: 

- EBEBE Séraphin, Stacker Operator 

- MBOKOTA Nicaise, Stacker Operator 

- BIBAYI Glen, Temp and Sawmill Sweeper 

- Mrs. MOUAMOUELI Chimène, Office Housewife 

8.00 Complementary documentary review - work session between auditors 

11.30 Work session with Mr. Jerry IBALA MAYOMBO, Wildlife and Hunting Manager 

and Mr. Paulin NSO NKA, SOVE Manager 

2.30 Interview with Miss BORDES Camille, ISTOM student and CEB trainee working 

on PFABO 

3.00 Debriefing meeting (See participants list in appendix) 

6.00 Return to Libreville 


Saturday, 26 th July 2008 

Libreville 

8.00 Documentary Review 

10.40 Work session with Mr. Jean MOUNGUENGUI, CEB Chief Accountant 

10.00 Work session with Marc ONA, Brain forest 

11.00 Work session with Alphonsine KOUMBA MFOUBOU, Ivindo National Park 

Curator 

11.00 Work session on site with Louisette AIMO, TWD 

11.20 Work session with Mrs. Louisette AIMO, Tropical Wood Development Director 

1.00 Documentary review / First draft of CAR 

5.00 Work session with Philippe JAFFRET and Jean PASQUIET 


Sunday, 27 th July 2008 

Libreville 

Monday, 28 th July 2008 

8.00 

12.00 

Formalisation of CAR / Exchange session among auditors 

Rest 

Libreville 

8.00 Preparation of debriefing 

2.00 Debriefing meeting (See participants list in appendix) 

Declaration of total number of worked days spent assessing the forestry 

organisation: 

The audit was carried out in 7 days by a team of 4 auditors who were supported 

by a consultant specialised in safety and environmental management aspects 

during 4 days, which is a total of 32 worked days. 











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4.3.2 - Documentary review 

Throughout the audits, the following documents were consulted in order to 

understand the company’s organisation and to assess the answers to legal and 

FSC requirements: 

- Company’s procedures, 

- records (forms, minutes, reports, notes, and so on), 

- reports and surveys, 

- legal and fiscal documents, 

- documents on the company’s organisation (documents from human 

resources, management and so on) 

- conventions and partnerships 

- official documents (mails, certificates, specifications and so on, delivered by 

the administration) 

- traceability documents 

- legal texts 

4.3.3 - Interviews with the participants met 

The following people were interviewed during the 3 audits (all of them were not 

interviewed for each audit). 

Mr Philippe JEANMART, initial company correspondent for FSC certification 

approach, was present during all the scoping and attended all the meetings 

(except the final debriefing meeting in Libreville). 

Mrs. Christine BALOULIN and Mr. Gérôme TOKPA, company correspondents 

for FSC certification approach, guided us throughout audits and attended all the 

meetings. 

Owners: Representatives of the Gabonese forestry administration: 

- Mr. Victor LEWANDI, Lastourville Forest and Water Cantonment Headman 

- Mr. KABOUBI WANIYELE, Okondja Forest and Water Cantonment 

Headman 

- Mr. ENGOHANG Prosper, Forest and Water Technical Agent for Okondja 

Forest and Water Cantonment 

Manager: 

- Mr. Charles EVRART, Corporate Sourcing, Supply Chain and Trading Officer 

for Precious Wood 

Employees: 

- Libreville Site 

- Mr. Xavier JAFFRET, Managing Director 

- Mrs. Christine BABOULIN, Logistics and Sales Administration Manager 

- Mr. Jean MOUNGUENGUI, CEB Chief Accountant 

- Bambidie Site 

- Mr. Jean Marie PASQIUER, Consultant 

- Mr. Philippe JEANMART, Exploitation Director 

- Mr. Roger AUMONT, Sawmill Director 

- Mr Jacques LALOT, Responsible for Hunting Monitoring and Anti- 

Poaching Fighting in the SMFC and Deputy Factory Manager (he has left 

the company) 

- Mr. Gérôme TOKPA, Certification Manager 











Version : 1.0 

- Mr José PINTO, Technical Manager (he has left the company) 

- Mr. Jean Roger MBOUMBA, Personnel Manager 

- Mr Sébastien BABISSA, Computer Department Manager 

- Mr Idriss ONKANI, MICROBOIS Sawmill Data Processor 

- Mr. Paulin NSO NKA, SOVE Manager 

- Honoré MAHIMA, Responsible for Workshop Environment 

- Mr. MALLET MOUTSINGA, Electricity and Water Treatment factory 

Manager 

- Mr. MONDJO Thierry, Sawmill Manager 

- Mr. Jerry IBALA MAYOMBO, Wildlife and Hunting Manager 

- Mr. MADINGA MAGONGA Alexis, Bambidie Staff Store Manager 

- Mr. ONDEMBA André, Bambidie Staff Store Manager’s Assistant 

- Mr Alain MBOUMBA, Former Bambidie Staff Store Manager and Workers’ 

Representative, 

- Mr. MAGONGA, Bambidie Staff Stores Supply Manager and Staff 


- Mr. DOMBOGUE Guy, Sawmill Sawyer and Staff Representative 

- Mr. NGOBADI Sosthène, Sawyer and Staff Representative 

- Mr. BOUTSUNGOU Alain, Mechanic Driver, Staff Representative 

- Mr. ODOUNGA MOULEKA Wilfried, Long poles conveyer, Substitute Staff 

Representative. 

- Mr ZOE, Road Maintenance Headman 

- Mr. EBEBE Séraphin, Stacker Operator 

- Mr. MBOKOTA Nicaise, Stacker Operator 

- Mr. BIBAYI Glen, Temp and Sawmill Sweeper 

- Mr MOUMBA DJEMBI, Former Baterries Treatment Agent in Bambidie 

- Mr Malet MOUTSINGA, General Electricity, Cold and Plumbing Manager 

- Mr Yves BOUNDAMA, Carpentry Workshop Deputy Manager 

- Mr Eric MAVOUNGOU MAKONDA, Carpenter 

- Monsieur Frank IBANAGOYE, Journalier, Entretien jardin camp des 

cadres 

- Mrs. MOUAMOUELI Chimène, Office Housewife 

- Mrs. Marie Pauline BITONGHI, Nurse 

- Mrs. Jeanne MALLOU, Nurse 

- Mrs. Monique NIOMBA, Nurse 

- Miss BORDES Camille, ISTOM student and CEB trainee working on 

NTFP 

- Lelama Site 

- Mr. Jean François BESINGRAND Lélama Exploitation Director, 

- Mr. BIRIRI MANFOUMBI, Petrol pump attendant 

- Mrs. Eugénie MATOUMBA, Nurse 

- Mr Hyacinthe MOUSSAVOU, BULL Driver, Lélama Camp Headman 

- Mr MAKONDO Justin, Lélama Workers’ Hunting Committee 


- Mr Pierre LEMBOUMABA, Okondja Workshop Manager, 











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- Mr. Romany KOUYI, Water Treatment Factory Agent 

- M Guy Albert MOUBAMA NGOYE, Staff Store Manager 

- Mr. Charles FERRUTI, Mechanics Workshop Manager 

- Mr. Guystery BOUSSAMBA, Yard Sawyer 

- Mr. Jean François BESINGRAND, Exploitation Manager 

- Mr. Gildas TONDA, Cutter 

- Mr. Jérome BESSAI, Bull Driver 

- Mr. Roger LENDOYI, Cutter, 

- Mr. Giscard d’Estain MANDZOUNGOU, Yard Manager 

- On NAV logging site 

- Mr. Jérome TENGUE, Prospector 

- Mr. Marcel MOUSSALI, Logging Site Manager 

- Mr. Johnson BANGUEREM, Exploitation Standards Controller 

- Milolé Site 

- Mr. Olivier MOUGHANZA, Milolé Site Manager 

- Mr. Jan POL, Reduced Impact Logging Manager 

- Mr. Jean Michel LAGE, Exploitation Assistant Director 

- Mr. Jonathan KOUELI, Marker, 

- Mr. Ferdinand BITEGUE, Forklift Driver 

- Mr. Gérard IKEGWU, Driver 

- Mr. Alain KOULA, Sawyer 

- Mr. Bonifas ENGAMBA, Road Cutter 

- Mr. Paturel LOYE, Bull Driver 

- Mrs. Rose BIBAYI, Nurse and Staff Store Manager 

- Mr. Jean Firmin NGUIBOUNGA, Pollarder 

- Lastourville Railway Station 

- Mr. Jean Claude MGOUDA, Marker, 

- Mr. Léonide BINDZA, Yard Manager 

- Okondja Site 

- Mr. SANCHEZ, Okondja Site Manager 

- Mr. Charles FERRUTI, Mechanics Workshop Manager 

- Mr Régis ONKOURI ABINGA, Okondja Worshop Welder 

- Mr INENGUE Etienne, Okondja Forest Log Yard Manager 

- Mr. LIBALA Alain, Nurse and Camp Manager 

- Mrs. OKALABOGHA Nicole, Staff Store Manager 

- Owendo Harbour 

- Mr. David BOURBOU, Scaler 

- Mr. Guy Blaise MBOU, Scaler 

- Mr. Wilfrid KANGOU, Computer Department Manager 

- Libreville Planing Site 

- Mr. Stéphane TRIDON, Planing Site Manager 

- Mr. Fabrice MAPANGA, Foreman 

- Mr BIVOULI Alexis, Carpenter, Cabinetmaker 

- Mrs Annie MESSINA , Sawmill & Planing Factory Managers’ Assistant 











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- Subcontractor(s): 

- Mr. BALAKA, Bambidie Site Baker 

- Mr. OKONGO Joseph, MIHANDZA Fence Security Guard 

- Mr. Martial MABIWE, Milolé Fence Security Guard 

- Mrs. AIMO Louisette, TWD Administrator 

- Mr BOUROBOU David, Wood Treater and TWD Employee 

- Mr MBOUME Guy Blaise, Wood Treater and TWD Employee 

4.4 - Site Visit(s) 

Scoping: 

Site 

Assessed element 

Bambidie 

Effluents management at the level of mechanics workshop, 

batteries neutralisation operation, soldering unit, stocking area 

(including chemical products), dumps, life bases, staff store, 

infirmary 

Lélama 

Effluents management at the level of mechanics workshop, life 

base, infirmary, water treatment factory, staff store 

Visit of the forest logging site – stumps-marking and woodhammering 

– Hauling 

OTOUDOU, 

MBARIRI 

Interview with local communities – Assessment of the consultation 

with the company 

Milolé 

Milolé railway station, inspection of Milolé felling area, Effluents 

management at mechanics workshop level and visit of Milolé 

village 

Lastoursville Communication with the managers of Lastourville Forest 

Economy Department 

Bambidie 

Bambidie Log yard: treatment and wood hammering 

Okondja 

Effluents management at mechanics workshop level, life base, 

infirmary, water treatment factory, staff store 

Bambidie 

Visit of carpentry workshop and Bambidie sawmill – analysis of 

working conditions 

Libreville Visit of the planing factory – analysis of working conditions – 

SNAT visit – SEPBG Visit 

Main sites visited in each selected UFG (FMU sub-division): 

UFG 

FMU 1 – UFG 2 (2005- 2009) – 

License 2/90 

FMU 2 – UFG 2 lot 2- (2005- 2009) 

Initial audit: 

Visited Site 

Exploitation site, stumps-marking, felled woodhammering, 

hauling and so on 

Exploitation site, felling, permanent plots and so 

on 

All the SMFC sites in activity were visited by the audit team. The visits were 

orientated to the following points: 

In Libreville, 

- Management Offices 

- Owendo Harbour 

- TWD Offices 

- Planing Site 











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In Bambidie 

- Forest management department (organisation, documentation) 

- Workshops 

- Sawmill and yard 

- Hydrocarbon stocking sites 

- Waste stocking sites 

- Workers’ living base (quality of the huts, equipments, drinking water supply, 

staff store, safety, infirmary, school, communal hut, and so on) 

In Lélama 

- Workshops 




safety, and so on) 

- Observation of the different stages of the logging sites in progress: felling, 

hauling, sawing and organization of the timber yards, timber transport, safety 

level on the yards, timber traceability (stumps and long poles marking). UGF 

221- 07 

- NAV (PTE 3-88): Analysis of the points that can prove controversial 

In Milolé 

- Railway station 

- Workshops 




safety, so on) 

- Observation of the different stages of the yards in progress: forward road, 

felling, hauling, sawing and organization of the timber yards, timber transport, 

safety level on the yards, timber traceability (stumps and long poles 

marking). UGF 222- 06 

In Okondja 

- Garage and Offices 

- Fuel stocking and vehicles fuel supply stations 

- Infirmary 

- Staff store 

- Living base 

- Generator installation site 

- New hydrocarbon management site being set up by TOTAL 

Complementary Audit: 

For the complementary audit, sites’ visits were carried out in order to assess 

answers to expiring major and minor corrective actions requests (1,5 months). 

Visits were orientated towards: 











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- Wood treatment in SEPBG yard with reference to the compliance with subcontractors 

procedures; 

- Sawmill and forest concerning traceability 

- Permanent and secondary road network of the SMFC (close to 400 km 

travelled tracks) while assessing the waterway status from the company 

(bridges and pipes); 

- Bambidie life base and precisely the sanitation project and the start-up of 

corresponding works. 

4.5 - Stakeholders’ identification and consultation 

Consultation related to scoping of March 2007: 

Stakeholders were first identified during the scoping of March 2007 and the 

some people were interviewed: 

• Local communities directly impacted or involved 

− 

Milolé Community 

- Mr ETAKA Bonaventure, Grouping headman, responsible for the wise men 

committee 

- Mr Arthur HENDJENGAZI, General secretary for Social Affairs 

- Mrs ELANDA Thérèse, Ex- president of the Community Association 

OTOUDOU Community 

Mr NDOUMBOUNGIUA Boniface, OTOUDOU Notable and nember of 

MBOMO NKOMO Association 

MBABIRI Community 

- Mr LOUMBI Sidoine, MBABIRI Village Headman 

• Public Authority / Forest Administration / National Agency 

- Mathurin MAGOUNDOU, Technical Deputy for Forest Economy 

- Juldas LENDJOUGHOU, Technical Agent for Forest Economy 

- Roger MOUITY, Technical Agent for Forest Economy 

Consultation relative à l'audit initial de juillet 2008 : 

The stakeholders were formally informed about the initial audit realization by 

letter on 21th April 2008. Afterwards, those stakeholders were formally 

consulted during the initial audit held in Laïco Hotel in Libreville on the 16 th May 

2008. 

The minutes of this meeting, as well as the presence list, were transferred to 

participants. Those documents are available. 

Prior to the initial audit, some comments were received from the following 

stakeholders: 

- Conservation NGO specialised in biodiversity and wildlife 

- Private company 

- Environmental protection NGO 

- Local nature protection NGO 

During this audit, the following stakeholders were interviewed: 

- Mr. Bruno MIKISSA, FSC national initiative President 

- Mrs. Nathalie NYARE, Forest Scheme Manager for WWF Gabon 











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- Mr. Marc ONA, Brain Forest Director 

- Mrs. Alphonsine KOUMBA MFOUBOU, Ivindo National Park Curator 

- Mr. Romain CALAQUE, Assistant Director of External Relations for WCS 

Gabon 

- Mr. TOMO NISHIHARA, WCS Gabon Technical Advisor 

- Mr. Norbert GAMI, TFT Africa Program Manager 

- Mr. NZIENGUI NZIENGUI, Ogooué Lolo province Workforce Director 

- Mr. François d’Assise IBOUANGA, Province Planning Director for Ogooué 

Lolo 

- Mr. KASSA Guy Roger, Kokomounguelé- Bambidie Grouping Headman 

- Mr. BOKANI Paul, Bambidie Village Headman 

- Mr. Jacques ABEKOME, Bambidie Notable 

- Mr. BENGA Pascal, Bambidie Notable 

- Mr. PENENE François, Mamidi Mihandza Grouping Headman, based in 

Okondja 

- Mr. OTOUNGA OPAGA Lazare, President of the Board of the Association of 

OPOUNGOU ABOLO 2 Grouping 

- Messieurs OKORY Yves, President of Lekori and AKOUMIGUI Association 

- Mr. NTSEGUE Frédéric, Vice president of Lekori and AKOUMIGUI 

Association 

- Mr. LOUSSO Landry, Treasurer and General Secretary of Lekori and 

AKOUMIGUI Association 

5 - Observations during the audit 

5.1 - Main strengths and weaknesses 

Main strengths of the organisation applying for certification 

- A real commitment from the hierarchy to provide optimal answers to the 

requirements of the FSC certification standards as testifies the level of 

understanding of all workers. 

- An information and sensitisation effort at all company’s levels allowed a 

good appropriation of the approach and the emergence of a sustained 

collective effort with perceivable results in all areas. 

- The company’s experience in certification (ISO 14 000, KEURHOUT) 

constitutes an undeniable asset chiefly as there are existing routines in key 

areas such as: procedure formalisation and management, documentation, 

monitoring and so on. 

Main weaknesses of the organisation applying for certification 

- The strict implementation of procedures to reach the required level of 

conformity: recommendations were expressed to draw the company’s 

attention to the risks linked to the non-compliance with some requirements 

in time. 











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5.2 - Results of the assessment based on FSC standards’ requirements 

5.2.1 - Principle 1 – Fulfilment of the FSC regulations and principles 

Monitoring and application of regulatory texts: 

Mrs. Christine BABOULIN ensures newspapers review (“Hebdo Informations” 

and “Unions”) and identifies articles (title of the texts) which have a link with 

company activities. A weekly index card of newspaper review, information and 

legal announcements (serves as official journal) is issued. It lists all the 

identified information and laws. After the General Manager’s approval, those 

elements are spread among managers of the area concerned. 

DELOITTE consultancy provides assistance on general administration 

questions, and juridical and fiscal issues in particular. 

New legal and regulatory texts applying to the sites are indexed in a legal texts 

list. 

No proof of breach has been reported as regards rights, taxes or license fees. 

No conflict between national laws and FSC principles has been identified by the 

company. 

A list of treaties and international conventions should be completed notably with 

OIT conventions, which have an impact on forestry practices (see. 

recommendation A). 

Supervision of illicit activities: 

An illicit activities control squad has been set up within the company. The main 

illicit activity is poaching. 

Missions aimed at increasing awareness of resident communities were carried 

out on SMFC scale, mostly following the identification of hints of commercial 

hunting activities (camps, and so on). 

Hunting police repressive missions were set up in collaboration with the Water 

and Forest administration of Lastourville and Koulamoutou cantonments. 

Beyond issued reports on illicit activities, the company must collaborate more 

closely with the administrations involved, so as to improve the strategies 

implemented to limit such activities. 

An inventory of the weapons owned by workers has been carried out and an 

inventory records has been drawn out. In total, 62 weapons have been stock 

taken, and corresponding taxes due by the holders have been paid by CEB. 

Workers' hunting activities are strongly reprimanded by the company when 

carried out during working hours and out of organised hunting season. 

Sanctions planned by the internal rules apply. 

Commitment Policy: 

Company’s commitment declaration is posted up in Libreville and Bambidie 

sites, and is also available on Precious Woods’ website. 

Subcontractors: 

Some practices of the sub-contractor TWD were the subject of CARs (n° 4 and 

20) which were withdrawn during the complementary audit. 











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5.2.2 - Principle 2 - Land right, forest right and responsibilities 

CEB company licenses are grouped in « Forest Concessions under Sustainable 

Management » (SMFC). There are three types of licenses: lot of the ZAC, PTE 

and PI. 

CEB Company has a tenure right over Bambidie site. 

On other sites, (Okondja, Lélama, etc.) including in Bambidie village, the 

interviewed communities testify that they gave their agreement for the 

settlement of living bases in or near the concerned villages. 

Exploitation can be carried out in the agricultural series, but after consultation 

and under supervision of resident communities living in this series. The 

demarcation of those series would improve villager’s awareness of those areas 

(see minor CAR 1). Resident communities can request and obtain special 

licenses from the administration to meet their personal needs. Agricultural 

series limits are exclusively demarced within exploitation zones, in agreement 

with resident communities, after the spatialization of sites of interest for the 

communities (plantation, old villages, cultural sites, and so on). 

Reports of socioeconomic studies and definition of villages’ parcels clearly 

report all human settlements and communities entitled to land or forest rights, 

legal or customary. 

For its concession, CEB adopted a participative and concerted management 

approach with resident communities. The setting up of tripartite conventions and 

the organisation of the forest festival, prior to the beginning of any exploitation, 

are in this perspective. 

Local communities with land rights or forest right, be they legal or customary, 

are informed about forest management activities and the impacts which can 

affect their land or forest rights, legal or customary, via awareness-building 

meetings that are part of management activities and information meetings prior 

to the beginning of the annual exploitation activities. 

Results of social impact study are not systematically integrated into 

management plans, but they are taken into account when conflicting points are 

identified. Cases of notable impacts affecting the land and forest rights known 

by the company were indemnified. 

A conflict management procedure has been set up by the company. Reported 

conflicts of the last 18 months were systematically recorded, as well as the 

consultation and conflict resolution proceedings. 

The approaches implemented to bring solutions to resident communities 

problems favour consultation between parties. Cases of identified damages are 

dealt with in consultation with involved parties, and compensation is paid. The 

company can’t get involved in transparent compensation management because 

of the individualistic behaviour of resident communities. However, reports and 

consultation proceedings will have to be systematically spread out among the 

communities concerned. 

Some cases of oral complaints from resident communities about the impacts of 

exploitation operations are not systematically reported to the company directly. 

The company should develop a proactive conflict management policy, 

especially for those expressed orally by resident communities (see. 

recommendation J). 











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5.2.3 - Principle 3 – Native’s rights 

A survey on native communities of "Babongo, Akola, Akoula, Balendji" in CEB 

concessions of Ogooué Lolo and Haut Ogooué provinces was carried out by 

Mr. Norbert GAMI, Program Manager for TFT Africa. This survey (TFT - CEB 

Precious Woods Partnership mission report) completes the mission of 

socioeconomic survey carried out by Mrs. Rose ONDO. The conclusion of those 

investigations is that there are no native communities in or around the 

concessions allocated to / managed by CEB Precious Woods Company. 

5.2.4 - Principle 4 - Community relationships and workers’ rights 

Workers’ rights and employment: 

There are staff representatives within the company. A calendar of ordinary 

meetings is established with management, and extraordinary meetings can be 

convened when necessary. Managers in charge of settling industrial conflicts 

with employees are the personnel manager, exploitations directors, and logging 

sites managers. They can get assistance from General Management notably in 

what refers to the main orientations. 

The company recruits workers from neighbouring villages and provides them 

on-the-job training. It was verified at Bambidie HR department level that those 

workers progressively access the specialised positions within the company 

according to their abilities. 

As regards employment and subcontracting, priority is given to Gabonese and 

more specifically, to people from the resident communities. 

Health, Safety: 

With regard to documentation relating to workers’ health and safety, the 

company has BIT agreements and guidelines. It has subscribed to “HEBDO 

informations” newspaper, is linked to DELOITTE consultancy by a partnership 

contract and systematically receives the legal texts updates and new texts. The 

company has developed and implemented a set of procedures covering all 

health and safety aspects at work. 

An analysis of industrial accidents is carried out per sector of activity and 

reports clearly presenting statistics are produced on a monthly basis. Beyond 

statistics, the results are discussed with the workers and, in some cases, they 

may lead to concerted and appropriate proposals. The minutes of workers’ 

consultation meetings are equally sent to hierarchy to keep them informed. 

Individual protection equipments are sufficient and there are auxiliary stocks 

allowing for emergency supply to relocated sites (Okondja and Lélama). 

Appropriate equipment is made available to wood treaters who are submitted to 

a specific monitoring. 

There is a CHSST (Committee for Hygiene, Health and Safety at Work) but 

after interviewing its members, they seem not to be well aware their role and the 

CHSST operating system. It is necessary that information be reinforced for the 

CHSST to appear to be a consultation tool (i) between workers and their 

families (concerning camps ownership for instance), (ii) between workers, their 

families and CEB (cf. recommendation H). 

Concerning HIV fighting, several awareness-building campaigns are organised 

on the site by the infirmary employees with the support of the certification unit. 

Condoms are handed out for free at all sites’ infirmaries. There also is an AIDS 

club in Bambidie that organises sensitisation meetings for the workers. It also 

dispatches condoms. 











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The audit team observed that the company made means available to take 

charge of workers and their family. There is an evacuation procedure for the 

injured. There are 2 ambulances in the infirmaries of Bambidie and Okondja for 

the evacuation of serious cases to health centres. 

There are an operational infirmary in the main site of Bambidie, and 

representations in Okondja and Lélama. A schedule of medical visits is drawn 

up according to Dr DAOUD’s consultation calendar. Dr DAOUD and Dr 

MBOUMBA attend to people as a support on all CEB forestry sites. Nurses of 

the site benefit from the technical assistance of AGIR Association's doctors who 

come to the site four time a year and fully collaborate with local employees. 

As for safety, some workers were selected in each site/sector, were trained and 

then retrained to first aid and fire safety. Some new employee’s transportation 

vehicles were bought and equipped with safety hoops and protection from bad 

weather device. 

Living bases: 

A program for the building of new huts for workers is underway in Bambidie. 

The new huts meet sustainability and comfort criteria. 

Sanitation of Bambidie (former camp) and Milolé living bases is still to be 

finalised. A complete rehabilitation program was approved during the 

complementary audit and is currently implemented (see minor CARs 6 and 21 

and answers to major CAR 19 which was withdrawn). 

Wells water supply in Okondja and Lélama life bases is starting and will have to 

be made fully operational. Water drinkability is currently ensured by a UV rays 

and sand filter on those sites. The life bases of Bambidie and Lélama were 

already equipped with bore-holes (see minor CAR 7). 

Garbage is gathered in an appropriate manner on all sites (burial pits are distant 

enough from accommodation and surrounded by wire netting and a padlocked 

gate), but awareness-building actions have to be intensified with workers’ 

families, especially concerning hygiene and healthiness. Further efforts are 

necessary in Milolé, where non biodegradable waste was found around the 

living base (see minor CAR 8). 

Relationships with resident communities: 

CEB has adopted a participative and concerted management approach with 

resident communities of its forest concession. The implementation of tripartite 

conventions and the organisation of the forest festival prior to any exploitation 

are part of this policy. An office to support village environment was created 

within the company, which makes permanent consultation with resident 

communities possible. 

Inspection and control missions are organised to look into complaints voiced by 

communities, especially those concerning the impact of forest management 

operations. 

In the absence of the decree affecting the application of article 251 of the law 

16/01, of the 31 st December 2001, CEB Precious Woods company has defined 

an amount of 1 000 FCFA / m 3 of exportation-quality timber to be granted to the 

resident communities organised in association. 

At the IL2/90 level, the communities’ categorical refusal to implement a 

management committee of all income coming from this license exploitation led 

to the implementation of an income management per village parcel for the 

exploitation of 2/90. The demarcations correspond to a forest stretch limited to a 

village or villages grouping which include areas of hunting, harvesting, picking, 











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fishing, agriculture, plantations, old villages and inhabited zones. The society’s 

exploitation operations within this area require prior authorisation. 

Villages’ demarcations are defined in a concerted manner between the two 

villages in presence of the Support Office for Village Environment (SOVE) under 

the supervision of Water and Forest agents. The villages defined demarcations 

are then materialised and cartographied and the corresponding woods are 

identified with the capital letters of the exploited village parcel. 

Article 7 of the specifications (Appendix of Decree MEFPR CEPN/DGEF/ 

DDICB/SIB allocating the 150 000 ha industrial license (IL) n°2/90 to CEB) 

stipulates tax payment with a fixed rate of 1 000 FCFA/m 3 . The aim of this tax is 

to finance the development actions in favour of villages’ communities living in 

the IL 2/90. This tax will be paid into a special account opened by the holder in 

favour of the management committee of the common initiatives villages 

grouping defined in the tripartite convention signed between DGEF, CEB and 

villages’ communities of IL 2/90. 

The agreement between CEB, population and the Water and Forest provincial 

inspection of Ogooué Lolo, relative to the exploitation of FMU 2 lot UGF 1 and 

UGF 2 corresponding to IL 10/99, stipulates in its 1 st article the payment of an 

amount of 1 000 FCFA/m 3 of export quality long poles (quality forwarded by 

railway to Libreville and noticeable by the transport specifications signed by the 

Water and Forest department in charge). The 3 rd article of this agreement states 

that the amounts thus collected shall be spent on collective projects and shall 

not be distributed to families or inhabitants under any circumstances. 

It is specified in article 4 that the money raised will be used to finance projects 

initiated by the villages’ communities and approved by the administration and 

CEB. 

It is stated in article 10 that all projects have to be examined and approved by 

all of the villages’ grouping community and that the project shall be a prioritary 

need, allowing an improvement of living conditions of the population and that it 

can be financed by the village development fund. 

To achieve this, CEB developed and materialised village parcels in accordance 

with SMFC scale in consultation with the village community. There is a neutral 

zone called the MIL zone which has been defined. Funds generated by timber 

exploitation in this zone are collected in a kitty and are used to meet extra cost 

of projects (that villagers financed but did not complete because of insufficient 

funds) expressed by the communities which could not be finalised due to a lack 

of funds in the village’s kitty. 

To ensure efficient monitoring that will enable the scrupulous enforcement of 

agreements and specifications, a partnership was established between CEB 

and IPEFOL for the management of income generated from the exploitation of 

FMU 2 lot 2 UGF 1 and UGF 2, corresponding to IL 10/99. This partnership 

follows the enforcement of article 251 of the Forestry Act. The partnership 

stipulates that IPEFOL supervises the application of this legal provision within 

the framework of the forest management monitoring and particularly the 

exploitation of FMU 2 lot 2 UGF 1 and UGF 2 corresponding to IL 10/99. The 

exploitation’s monthly financial statement is submitted to IPEFOL’s approval 

and social projects proposed by the communities are submitted to the joint 

approval of CEB and IPEFOL (art. 8 of the partnership agreement between 

CEB and IPEFOL). 

Monthly activities reports are drawn up and clearly present the monitoring of 

sources and payee of the fund generated by the exploitation of IL 2/90 and 

10/99. The synthesized monitoring report on the projects carried out (from 











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March 2001 until June 2008 for IL 2/90 and from June 2004 until June 2008 for 

IL 10/99) presents in an exhaustive manner the amount of forest loyalty per 

village, the various purchases made for selected social realizations and the 

instalments. 

5.2.5 - Principle 5 - Forest benefits 

The forest management carried out appears to be economically viable and 

takes into account long-term economic, social, and environmental stakes. 

Forest management and sales operations encourage the optimal use and local 

processing of timber. Okumes of a sawing quality is developed, and a maximum 

of material is recovered during exploitation (systematic lying up and minimised 

purge). Efforts to promote secondary species are made. 

Directives for the development of ligneous material, minimisation, management, 

and best use of wood waste were written out. Forest exploitation operations 

minimise the amount of ligneous waste generated by felling: purges are 

reduced to a minimum, and in the forest, yard managers have a list of the 

preferential logging length so as to make the best use of resources. Promising 

trees and trees producing non-timber products are spotted when hauling tracks 

are mapped out, and they are spared from skidding operations. 

Damage caused by forest exploitation to other forest natural resources is 

limited. 

FMUs management plans list out non-timber forest products available. A 

complementary study initiated by CEB Precious Wood Company is being 

carried out. 

The variety of services and resources offered by the forest was identified in the 

management plan and in the study on maintenance of High Conservation Value 

Forests (2008). The potential impact of forest management activities on 

services and resources were also identified assessed and documented in the 

environmental audit of 2008, which proposed prevention and attenuation 

measures. The major forest ecological service is currently limiting its role to 

waterways protection and fight against erosion. The systematic use of reduced 

impact exploitation methods, the avoidance of waterways and swamps while 

opening road network, the non-exploitation of a 50m-wide strip on each side of 

waterways or the protection of the high altitudinal gradient are measures that 

minimise the impact on catchment areas and erosion. Reduced impact felling 

monitoring measures were implemented and connected to a cutters’ profitsharing 

device. Some technical points of the reduced impact exploitation are 

still perfectible, mainly in areas of tracks opening and skidding (see minor CAR 

11). CEB grew aware of the problem and appointed two RIL managers 

responsible for the implementation of instructions for the limitation of 

exploitation’s environmental damages. Felling results are encouraging thanks to 

the intervention of an expert woodman now hired full-time. 

Forest products harvesting rates do not exceed the standards allowing a 

sustainable harvesting. For all species exploited, SMFC renewal rate was 

calculated, and the Minimum Logging Diameter (MLD) was set according to the 

results of the management inventory while taking into account the growth and 

mortality hypothesis set by administration. Two species (moabi and douka) 

have low renewal rates, even after increasing the MLD. They are proprietary in 

the felling areas reforestation program, and their growth and phenology should 

be monitored via phenologic circuits (see minor CAR 2). 











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5.2.6 - Principle 6 – Environmental impact 

Hunting management (Also see § 6.1.1: demarcations supervision) 

A person in charge of wildlife and hunting activites was recruited by the 

company. He replaced Mr. LALOT who left the company during the 2 nd term of 

2007. Monthly reports are produced following infringements monitoring and 

control missions (fences not shut or destroyed, external vehicles movement, 

game transportation, hunters’ transportation, weapons transportation, felling of 

protected species). Thanks to those reports’ analysis, the fauna protection 

practices and measures will be improved (see recommendation G). 

The most important infringements are passagers’ transportation on the long 

pole trucks, the non shutting of fences, and game transportation. 

An organised hunting procedure was drawn up by the wildlife and huting unit. 

This procedure stipulates that workers can hunt only if their weapons comply 

with rules. Hunting frequency is defined (once a month, with no more than five 

hunters per shooting party). 

Hunting is carried out on workers’ demand. The shooting party counts a 

maximum of five weapon-holders. Each holder has the right to have one person 

helping him (the holder also has to be an employee). Hunting zones are defined 

and cartographied. Hunting is planned outside pay week-ends (and fortnight). 

There is no excessive game hunting or non-timber forest products harvesting 

by resident communities throughout the SMFC, but there are intrusions into the 

concession from external people who go hunting to sell games in the main cities 

of the area (Okondja, Franceville, Koulamoutou) - (see recommendation I). 

Hunting police raids are organised twice a week on average in collaboration 

with Forest and Water cantonments of Okondja & Lastourville which cover the 

SMFC territorial scope and the NAV license. 

Chemical products 

The infirmaries of Bambidie, Lélama, Milolé and Okondja have a list of products 

classified as dangerous, and a response prodecure in case of accident. There is 

also an updated list of chemical products used in Bambidie. However, there is 

no exhaustive list of chemical products used by the company. Products used in 

the timber yards (railway station, harbour and so on) for long pole treatment 

comply with requirements and do not contain any active principle forbidden by 

the FSC. 

However, there is no procedure for the exhaustive monitoring of chemical 

products use, and therefore no analysis of the volumes used, which prevents 

consumption monitoring and in the end, consumption reduction (see minor CAR 

9). 

Environmental impact assessement 

The environmental audit realised by TEREA (2008) identifies and assesses the 

main potential impacts of activities developped by the company, and suggests 

some prevention and attenuation measures for each identified negative impact. 

Among others, the following activity sectors are studied: forestry, mechanics 

activity and maintenance (workshops), industrial processing, living bases, 

administratives activities. The study is being examined for approval by the 

Environment Ministry. 

Some insufficiencies were observed concerning the monitoring of water 

passages’ management and preservation, and the implementation of low impact 











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skidding techniques (see comment on PSSAR 27, minor CAR 11 and answer to 

CAR 10). 

Furthermore, a CAR was expressed to improve the monitoring of particular 

works’ impact (see minor CAR 12). 

Protection Zone 

The Management Plan includes a protection series that covers 15 737 ha, 

representing 2,6 % of FMU’s area. This area is entirely protected from forestry 

exploitation. Reserves demarcations are precisely cartographied in the 

Management Plan (1/50 000 th or 1/200.000 th ). They cover most of the stands 

variety existing in the SMFC such as: Okume old forest, Okume young forest, 

secondary forest with Okume and Beli present on sharp slopes and plateaux, 

mosaics of savannas and forests, sharp slopes areas, cliffs, river banks, 

swampy forests and so on. 

Furthermore, following the study on maintenance of High Conservation Value 

Forests, TEREA July 2008, the company integrated identified conservation 

values into its procedures. It protects the inhabitant and/or applies adequate 

procedures in the most sentitive geographical zones (riverbanks, area bordering 

on Ivindo National Park, NTFP harvesting areas and so on). 

Waste management 

Waste is recycled, stocked in controlled dumps or sent to existing treatment 

units. 

The batteries are evacuated by BOCOM (Cameroon), used oils by Total, 

hospital waste is sent for treatment to Libreville. In the absence of any treatment 

units, used tyres and old iron are stocked; old cables and torn tyres are burried. 

However, there remain some lapses, especially concerning procedures 

implementation (presence of oil-soaked waste in the pits designed for cables). 

Finally, the cables and old torn tyres burial as a waste treatment device would 

deserve further thinking (see comment on PSSAR 24 and minor CAR 8). The 

use of waste oils is banned in construction works (see answer to withdrawn 

CAR 13). 

5.2.7 - Principle 7 – Management plan 

CEB-Precious Woods SMFC management plan has been drawn up for the 

2000-2025 period; it was amended and approved by Forestry administration in 

2004. 

Management plans are drawn up in accordance with national rules and contain 

a description of forest resources to be managed, environmental constraints, 

ownership conditions, soil use conditions, and socioeconomic conditions. 

Management objectives are described. Planning includes long-term levels (25 

years), mid-term levels (5 years) and short-term levels (annual). Calculation of 

harvested species logging rate is justified. Maps show resources distribution, 

protection and conservation series and logging order in processing series. The 

study of high conservation values was carried out and maintenance or 

improvement measures of those values are suggested and implemented. 

Monitoring of the stands evolution and growth is planned and implemented 

through permanent sample plots. For species which have a low renewal rate 

inspite of MLD increase, phenologic circuits and growth monitoring ought to be 











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implemented, laying emphasis on diameter classes of the following harvest (see 

minor CAR 2). 

Forestry operations include all activities carried out in the forest, such as 

exploitation inventories, felling and hauling, transport, road mapping and 

maintenance, and chemical products use. 

All operations concerning exploitation inventory, felling and hauling carried out 

by CEB Precious Woods Company comply with national rules in an adequate 

manner. Procedures have been written out for those operations. Prior to each 

logging site opening, a meeting is organised with the workers to introduce tasks, 

species which exploitation is forbidden and minimum logging diameters. Thanks 

to exploitation inventories, exploitable trees are precisely located. Stalks’ 

growing allows the drawing of hauling tracks. Felling is carried out in a safe way 

and ensures an optimal use of the long pole. Prior to hauling, promosing trees 

to be protected are identified. Hauling is carried out so as to reduce to a 

minimum the damage caused to the remaining stand. The trees are 

systematically marked with a unique number after felling. A work quality control 

is regularly carried out by the standards control squad. 

Roads contruction follows projects mapped according to inventory results while 

minimising the canopy opening. Procedures and instructions relating to the 

planning of road works, specifications to minimise impact and improve safety, 

directives for construction, use and maintenance as well as closing conditions 

after exploitation are set forth. There is room for improvement in the streaming 

water draining, the evacuation at waterways level (see minor CAR 10, 

withdrawn), and the closure of cutting areas (see minor CAR 3). 

The use of chemical products, and especially long pole treatement products are 

submitted to procedures and instructions. CEB Precious Woods currently 

forbids any long pole treatment in forest, and has organised a quick evacuation 

of logged timber from the forest. 

CEB Forestry exploitation standards have been written and spread out. On 

some points, they will be completed with prescriptions of FAO regional code on 

reduced impact logging. 

Management plans are to be reviewed every 5 years under the responsibility of 

the management unit. Scientific data resulting from the research device set up 

are to be assessed and integrated into the plan revision. 

A summary of management plans was communicated to village communities 

and the local forest Administration (provincial and departmental) as well as the 

plans. A summary of management plans is also available on Precious Woods 

website. 

5.2.8 - Principle 8 – Supervision and assessment 

Two types of monitoring can be distiguinshed: short-term forest operations 

monitoring and long-term monitoring which permanent research devices and 

wildlife monitoring are part of (see paragraph 2.3.2 and 2.4). 

Some improvements are still to be carried out (see comments PSSAR 35, minor 

CAR 15 and recommendation K). 

A summary of monitoring results will have to be issued and made public 

regularly. 











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Criteria 8.3 : Chain of Custody 

Scope: 

Concerned FSC products are "FSC pur" long poles classified by species, from 

certified forests of the applicant monitored via transfert method. 

The entity does not employ any sub-contrators to exploit part of the area, and it 

does not buy long poles from third-party suppliers. 

Location of the initial site of exploitation: 

The company exploits two forestry titles that partially belong to it: 

- CEB SMFC (Forest Concession under Sustainable Management): This 

SMFC is the main CEB title and is under sustainable management. It is 

within the application of the FSC forest management certificate this audit 

aims at. 

After felling, products from this concession are marked with CEB marking 

hammer so they can be identified as FSC certified products. 

- PFA NAV 3/88 (Associated Forestry License): NAV’s area, of approximately 

15 000 ha, is located near CEB SMFC. Its exploitation should come to an 

end in 2009. Long poles exploited there are solely for local processing. A 

draft agreement signed with the Water and Forest Ministry bans exportation 

of forest products produced in this title’s area. 

The NAV is not under sustainable management and will not be integrated 

into the field of application of this certificate. This production ca not be mixed 

with FSC products or marketed as such. During the audit, a field visit and a 

documentary review allowed controlling this title’s legality. It was also noticed 

that work methods used for its exploitation are similar to the ones used in the 

SMFC that is being certified. This title is not controversial. 

After felling, products from this concession are marked with NAV marking 

hammer so they can be identified as non-FSC certified products. 

Long poles from those logging sites are physically under the responsibility of the 

company as from their cutting, and a traceability system allows differentiating 

each of them. Prior to felling, the company carries out the necessary dividing 

and counting to implement a chain of custody able to trace a long pole from it 

processing site back to its stump. 

Products flow after exploitation: 

Depending on the final destination of row materials, several itineraries and 

transport methods are used: 

- Export sale: 

Trucks of forest yard in Lastourville and Milolé railway stations. (CEB long 

pole conveyers) 

Rail transport to Owendo harbour by SETRAG (Transgabonese Railway 

Company) 

Unloading in export yard, and loading on ships by SEPBG (Gabonese 

Harbour Company) 

Long poles for exportation may be loaded on ships in bulk or in containers. 

- Local sale: 

Trucks of forest yard in railway station (CEB long pole conveyers) 

Rail transport to Owendo by SETRAG 

or floating transport to Port Gentil by SOR (Ogooué Floating Company) 

- Internal use: 











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Trucks of forest yard to Bambidie CEB sawmill (CEB long pole 

conveyers). The sawmill is at the heart of CEB SMFC. 

Some long poles may be cut down to sawlogs on export yard, next to the 

factory, and returned to the destinations described for local and export sales. 

Once goods have been delivered to their destination, the company’s Chain of 

Custody responsibility is transferred to its customers or to other internal activity 

sectors. 

Internal use: 

Long poles are made available to Bambidie factory on the sawmill yard. They 

remain CEB property, but are transferred under the responsibility of the 

factory’s chain of custody that is whithin the field of application of FSC CdC 

certification the company applies for. 

Sales: 

- Export sales: the customer takes responsibility of goods once they are 

delivered FOB (free on board). 

- Local sales: long poles are under the customer’s responsibility after 

reception note has been signed by both parties in Ndjolé railway station. 

Long poles marking and recording during exploitation: 

A traceability method based on the transfer system was developped by the 

company to check the origin of each long pole produced. This method implies 

recording and marking at each stage of exploitation to allow tracing the long 

poles route back to their source. 

The spreadsheet hereafter summarizes markings made on products and 

collected information for each step of exploitation in the SMFC prior to 

evacuation: 

Stage Marking Recording 

Counting 

(exploitation 

inventory) 

- a small plaque with the 

inventory number on the 

stalk 

Counting sheet and 

keyboarding on SIG: 

- Inventory nb 

- Exploitation title nb 

- FMU nb 

- UGFnb 

- Annual Logging Area nb 

- Strip nb 

- Species 

- Diameter and bole length 

Sorting 

(stalk 

growth) 

Felling 

Skidding, 

- 2 small plaques bearing 

prospection nb and 

exploitation nb on stalk 

- Return of a small plaque on 

yard 

Hammering/marking of stumps 

- position. 

Sorting sheet, stalk growth 

sheet, keyboarding on GIS : 

- prospection nb 

- exploitation nb 

- quality 

- crest nb 

Felling record, keyboarding: 

- cutter name 

- felling date 











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hammering 

Logging 

and boles faces by the 

skidders (Ministry special 

authorization) 

- initial forest 

- unique forestry nb 

(administrative) 

- ALA references 

- FMU,UGF and LOT nb 

- ALA year 

- skidder and haulier nb 

small plaque returned to the 

yard with exploitation and 

forestry nb 

Logs’ face hammered again 

after logging with the previous 

information as well as: 

- marking hammer 

- log nb 

- chalk marking of destination 

(export –sawingexport/sawing 

for long poles 

to be reworked in Bambidie) 

Chain of Custody Responsibility: 

Yard record per ALA, yard 

sheet and Microbois 

keyboarding: 

- unique forestry nb 

- log nb 

- dimension 

- characteristic 

- planned destinations 

- skidder and haulier nb 

Mrs. Baboulin is the Chain of Custody Manager for the company. More 

precisely, she ensures there are no discrepancies between records of the 

various transfers and the invoicing in Libreville. 

Mr.Jeanmart and Mr. Pasquier, Forestry Exploitation Managers, are responsible 

for forest traceability. 

Mr. Aumont takes responsibility for long poles delivered to Bambidie factory, as 

part of the processor CdC certificate. 

Invoicing: 

When FSC products are sold (for export or locally), the company issues an 

invoice providing customers with the delivered products’ type and origin. 

Invoices come with a specification or delivery notes describing the main 

features of each long pole: 

- origin 

- dimension 

- species 

- quality, if need be 

- type of certified product (PUR FSC) 

Sale documents also include more general information required by the 

standards: 

- Date 

- CEB name and contact details (saler) 

- Customer name and address 

- Description, quantities, summary of FSC product type of the delivered 

products 

- FSC FM/CoC certificate number 

Invoices are issued according to the following processes: 











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- Export sales: invoicing is carried out by a sub-contractor, TWD, based on 

information provided by shipping specifications. TWD issues invoices, and 

CEB accountancy records them. TWD also acts as sub-contractor for timber 

treatment in the timber yard. 

- Local Sales: invoices are issued according to transport notes in Libreville 

CEB offices. 

Description of documentary system 

The company received ISO 14001 and Keurhout certifications in 2001. The 

existing documentary database has therefore been developped according to 

standards of FSC CdC STD 40-004 v2 and RF 03 FSC GABON Forest 

Management. 

A manual entitled « Forestry Exploitation Chain of Custody » describes long 

poles route from their counting in the forest to the transfer to Bambidie 

processing factory or the destination of sale to customers. The manual explains 

products marking and identification at each stage. 

To be more accurate, the document tackles the following topics: 

- Timber monitoring system: prospection, sorting, felling, skidding, hammering, 

logging, transport, transfer. 

- Computer tools: Geographic information system, inventory and sorting data, 

transfers and stocks management 

- Long poles recording and sorting: codification, marking, indentification and 

FSC marking 

- Marketing: Export and local sale 

- Invoicing: Invoice and FSC brand use on documents 

- Monitoring and control: critical points, preventive measure, corrective action 

- Internal audit 

- Responsibilities 

Job descriptions and work instructions are equally available for the posts 

operating in decisive tasks of the chain of custody. 

Remark: there is a chapter in the procedure manual about controlled wood 

verification. Note that FSC controlled wood verification program has not been 

assessed as requested by the company prior to the audit. 

Records archiving: 

Archives of the hard copies of record documents are kept in administrative 

offices of Bambidie site, where they are filed for a minimum of 5 years. 

Documents concerning sales, marketing, management and accounting are 

managed and archived at Libreville headquarters. 

Activities records gathered and archived in Bambidie are not submitted to an 

appropriate monitoring during transfers between production sites. Some 

important documents for products traceability may not reach their destination to 

be processed, analysed and archived (see CAR n°17 c losed). 

Brand use : 

The company will organise the use of FSC brand on documents and products 

as soon as it can use internet references of FSC graphic chart. 

- Invoice: some samples of invoices were produced during the audit. 

Documents will bear FSC logo and certificate number. Those documents will 

be submitted to Bureau Veritas Certification’s approval. 











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- Products: sale’s long poles will be marked with FSC brand and certificate 

number on their faces with a stencil system. FSC long poles for internal use 

will be identified with CEB marking hammer, as they remain CEB property. 

Training: 

For all activities described in the chain of custody manual, the company 

provided internal training so as to familiarize employees with new procedures. 

This training system has not been formalised in procedures, and is not 

documented. No system has been defined to trigger new training sessions 

when controls reveal lapses in the certification approach (see CAR n°16). 

Mixing risk assessment 

On exploitation sites, there is no risk of mixing PFA long poles with SMFC 

products that are being certified. Logging sites are a few kilometers away from 

one another, teams and material are separated. 

As trucks are fully loaded on each site, there is no risk during evacuations. 

Long poles unloading zones for the two product types were set up (in the 

factory and at the railway station), but those are not systematically respected. 

This is sometimes due to the significant and fluctuating volume of stock. In such 

cases, NAV and CEB hammers allow differentiation of long pole types per unit 

before they receive sale’s specific markings. 

However, during stock inventory or logs search among piles, hammer marking 

may results hardly legible, either because the log faces have grown old, or 

because logs are not accessible (when at the top of a pile, for instance). In such 

cases, the small and colourless marking hammer results are hard to read, or 

indeed illegible. This phenomenon was noticed during the audit and shall be 

taken into account in procedures (see CAR n°14 clos ed). 

Exclusion zones have been materialised on each stocking area. Logs that do 

not meet Chain of Custody criteria or logs which traceability has been 

temporarily lost (erased marking, for instance) can be isolated in those 

exclusion zones. Thanks to records archived in Bambidie offices, those long 

poles can be retraced to be reintegrated into the CoC. When sites express the 

dysfunction to office agents on the radio, the request is not treated as a priority. 

A long period of time may elapse until investigation results are returned to the 

site. As it was noticed during the audit, in some cases, research may be 

abandonned. Radio transmissions do not allow documenting the dysfunctions 

and improving the system. 











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5.2.9 - Principle 9 – Maintenance of High Conservation Value Forests 

SMFC high conservation values have been identified and assessed according 

to ProForest "Tool Kit" and discussions held during the National Workshop on 

HCVF interpretation for Gabon that took place in Libreville between the 31 st of 

March and the 3 rd of April 2008. 

In total, 12 conservation values split into 5 domains were identified on the 

SMFC. They are split as follows: 

Domain 

Biodiversity Maintenance 

Landscape 

Presence of particular 

ecosystems 

Forest ecological 

department 

Essential needs of 

communities 

Traditionnal cultural 

identity 

SMFC Conservation Value 

4 values: (i) presence of a transitory area with Ivindo 

Park, (ii) shelter for vulnerable, threatened or 

endangered animal species, (iii) shelter for vulnerable, 

threatened or endangered vegetal species, (iv) presence 

of endemic species 

Not adapted. As the forest clump of Central Africa isn’t 

very fragmented, it isn’t threatened by the selective 

forestry activity that is carried out 

4 values: (i) waterways, (ii) swampy areas, (iii) bais, salt 

marshes, (iv) Okondja cliffs 

1 value: conservation area allowing supply of drinking 

water and proteins to the population 

1 value: presence of NTFP harvested by resident 

communities 

1 value: all sites of cultural activities for resident 

communities 

For each domain and each identified value, the company has defined and 

implemented conservation measures. Monitoring measures and indicators have 

equally been defined. 

As the study was carried out after the development of the Management Plan, 

HCVF conservation values have not been integrated into it. However, those are 

planned to be integrated into the next revision. 

The implemented device should be completed with an operational monitoring 

device setting for each value: chosen monitoring indicators, reference values, 

possibly minimum values, measure results and so on (see minor CAR 15 and 

recommendation K). 

An information note of the HCVF file (TEREA, July 2008) has also been widely 

spread and allowed a broad consultation with stakeholders. Relatively few 

answers were received from stakeholders, and the company takes their 

remarks into account when possible. Comments expressed do not raise any 

major deficiency that would question the credibility of suggested conservation 

measures. However, they emphasize methodological or technical points that 

could be improved and suggest solutions for HCVF monitoring. 

5.2.10 - Principle 10 - Plantations 

There are no plantations in the SMFC 











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5.3 - Elements that may lead to controversy 

Although they do not lead to controversy, the following points must be evoked: 

CEB Precious Woods rents the associated forestry license n°3/88 of a surface 

area of 15 000 ha (NAV license). According to the company, the same 

principles are applied in the SMFC and in the NAV license. NAV wood isn’t part 

of the certification scope and is exclusively supplied to local rotary-cutting 

factories. NAV non-marketable long poles are supplied to Bambidie sawmill. 

Thus, this wood may represent a risk of pollution of the FSC certified wood. The 

company took clear measures to ensure the wood originating from this license 

is not used for the processing of FSC wood (see comment in paragraph 5.2.8 

concerning criteria 8.3). 

Equally, PRECIOUS WOODS group owns a rotary cutting company: THANRY 

GABON INDUSTRIE (TGI) that is exclusively supplied with Okume long poles 

of a rotary-cutting quality by CEB. This company is not in the certificate field of 

application and was not visited during the audit. 

Although the two entities are out of the application field of the certificate, 

auditors draw company’s attention on the fact that their activities shall not be 

controversial. 

5.4 - Major Corrective Action Requests previously expressed 

All the major corrective action requests were withdrawn during the 

complementary audit (see paragraph 4.1.3). 

5.5 - Pending Recommendations and Minor Corrective Action Requests 

The pending minor corrective action requests are the following CARs: 1, 2, 3, 5, 

6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15 and 16. 

Recommendations from A to N are pending. 

6 - Scope set for the certificate 

Forest management and exploitation of 616 700 ha of tropical forests in Gabon, on CEB 

Precious Woods SMFC, located in Ogooué Lolo and Haut Ogooé provinces, for 

production and marketing of Okume and diverse timber long poles. 

6.1 - Geographical demarcation at entity level 

The geographical field of application includes: 

- Libreville offices, 

- CEB Precious Woods SMFC located in Ogooué Lolo and Haut 

Ogooué provinces, 

- All sites (Milolé and Lastoursville railway stations, Owendo park, and 

so on) related to SMFC activity. 

6.2 - Limitation at forest products level 

All the forest products stemming from SMFC forests exploitation are concerned 

by the audit, and will be concerned by the certificate. 











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7 - Certification Decision 

7.1 - Proposal concerning the certification decision 

Considering the setting to standard effort from the company, the analysis of 

answers to the expressed corrective action requests, and the investigations 

carried out as part of the complementary audit, the audit team believes the 

company has reached the required conformity level. 

7.2 - Certification Decision 

Following the initial audit carried out from 21 st to 28th, July 2008, and the 

complementary audit carried out from 11 th to 15 th September 2008, the Forest- 

Wood Certification Committee met on the 9 th October 2008 and deliberated as 

follows: 

Deliberation: Following the examination of the audit reports references 

AR080801A v1.1 and AR080903 v1.0, the Forest-Wood 

Certification Committee unanimously decided to award an FSC 

forest management certificate to the applying organisation. 

Furthermore, the Forest-Wood Certification Committee decided: 

- To rephrase the following minor corrective action request 

n°21: 

“Set up a monitoring procedure for the growth and phenology of 

species with renewal problems. Implement it and justify the 

exploitation of sensitive species which renewal rate seems low” 

This certificate is awarded under the suspensive condition of 

satisfying the 12 minor corrective action requests expressed in 

the initial audit report and the corrective action expressed in the 

complementary audit report within the required lead-time. 

Draft on November 8 th , 2008 and reviewed on December 17 th , 2008 

FSC Accreditation Manager 

Lead auditor 

Héloïse d'HUART 

Jean Paul GRANDJEAN 











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8 - Appendixes 

Review Pair 1 

8.1 - Revision of pairs following the initial audit 

Doctor (PhD) in development and management of forest resources, international consultant in forest 

resources management (Forest management, forest economy, forestry certification), 25 years 

experience in consultancy, technical expertise and teaching in the forestry domain in the Congo Basin 

(specially in Cameroon and Gabon). 

Nationality: Cameroonian 

Revision Date 

September 17 th , 2008 

General remark(s) from the review pair 

CEB has been known for years for its interests for sustainable forest management in Gabon. It has 

made significant efforts as regards forestry techniques and social aspects, and I had the opportunity 

to visit its premises and logging sites in 2004. However, CEB always seemed hesitant over FSC 

certification system. The switch from Thanry Group to PRECIOUS Group probably played a decisive 

part in its commitment as regards FSC principles, as PRECIOUS WOOD is internationally known for 

its commitment to FSC principles. From a silviculture perspective, CEB’s choice of a 25 years rotation 

period must be satisfactory for lumen species like Okume, but a longer rotation period would have 

probably been beneficial to other species internationally well-known, such as Azobé (Red Ironwood). 

In any case, legal rotation requirements are respected with a margin. 

The lapse of time between the initial and the complementary audits seems particularly short (less than 

two months). 

Review pair’s comments on the report 

o Is the on-site audit work relevant and does it enable decision making on certification? 

During the initial audit, there were four auditors in the audit team, each of them with a different 

sensitivity. Such a team seems able to carry out a reliable assessment for sustainable 

management forest certification. Equally, the audit program shows that the team carried out 

documentary reviews, interviews with various forest management stakeholders (forest 

administration, management of the organisation applying of certification, local populations’ 

representatives, civil society and workers’ representatives). Auditors also visited a number of 

operations sites including wood processing sites, timber yards, waste stocking areas, exploitation 

sites in activity and abandoned ones. However, the visits tended to favour the social aspects 

rather than the forest activities. This may be explained by the fact that exploitation concentrates 

each year on a limited part of the SMFC. 

Apparently, the complementary audit was carried out by a single auditor with an interest in social 

aspects. The withdrawn major CARs concerned social aspects (base life sanitation and subcontractors’ 

training). Considering the detailed wording of CARs and recommendations, a single 

auditor could work, but having an additional one could have been beneficial. 

Answer BVCert: the chosen auditor for the complementary audit has all required skills concerning 

social aspects (workers and population), environment, CoC and exploitation. Moreover, his 

experience and the number of audits he has carried out ensure the complementary audit was 

carried out in good conditions and with required skills. 

In our opinion, the combined results from the two audit missions indeed allow to make a 











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certification decision. 

o Is the information clearly presented and does it enable decision making on certification? 

Information presentation allows understanding the organisation of the audit works on the field, and 

following the evolution of CARs until their withdrawal. It seems clear enough to enable decision 

making on certification. However, the use of the terms “actions taken by the certified organisation” 

in section 4.2 (Actions taken to answer PSSAR) of the initial audit report can be confusing, given 

that the organisation is not yet certified. 

Answer BVCert: Very relevant remark, this error is due to an oversight, and the terms will be 

replaced with “actions taken by the applying organisation” in the final version of the report. 

o Is the proposed certification decision justified by the remarks presented in the report? 

The complementary audit report illustrates how the six minor CARs with a short lead-time were 

withdrawn as well as the two major CARs. The conclusion in favour of certification is therefore 

logical and justified. 











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Review Pair 2 

Forest engineer, approved forest expert and international consultant in natural resources 

management, 19 years experience in forest management and silviculture in France in the 

Mediterranean Basin and the Congo Basin (Cameroon, Gabon), 4 years experience in Forest 

Management and Chain of Custody auditing. 

Nationality: French 

Revision Date 

September 21 st , 2008 

General remark(s) from the review pair 

The report is detailed and well-built, testifying to the high-quality and well-coordinated field work. 

Some technical points remain less accessible for non-specialised people and would deserve further 

explanation, and a general editing would ensure global consistency. 

In some cases, the classification of points is hard to understand (recommendation, major CAR, minor 

CAR). Comments such as “considering that the company did this or did not do that”, or “this lapse 

doesn’t question the compliance with the requirements because...” would sometimes be beneficial. 

Review pair’s comments on the report 

o Is the on-site audit work relevant and does it enable decision making on certification? 

Yes, obviously, the field work was relevant. A large number of stakeholders were interviewed and 

consulted. All the points from the standards were considered: the work and energy of all the actors 

of this audit show. 

Decision is made in full knowledge of the facts, and on a controlled basis. 

o Is the information clearly presented and does it enable decision making on certification? 

The information is clearly presented. The report is complete. 

However, some information has to be accepted by the reader, based on the expert’s assessment. 

When the author states in the initial audit report (p. 40) “the damages caused by the exploitation 

(…) are limited”, or (p.38) “IPE equipments are sufficient”, we would appreciate to know what this 

assessment is based on: the evoked damages might have been studied in another chapter that 

we could refer to; IPE are sufficient with reference to such national or international rules, or such 

personal communication and so on. 

Answer BVCert : 

- Exploitation damages: The damages caused by the exploitation were assessed based on the 

results from (i) reports from the standards control squad, (ii) management controls on reduced 

impact logging, (iii) on the field observations made during sites’ visits. Overall, all the 

information sources showed that the impacts are limited in time and space and on a small 

scale. 

- IPE: IPE are systematically controlled for each audited activity segments. Their assessment 

was carried out on the following basis: compliance with national law, compliance with IWO 

conventions accepted by FSC, availability (stock inventory and sites repartition), adaptation of 

work post to technical and safety constraints, general state, outdated state, and so on. 

This comment applies to the spreadsheet for PSSARs’ withdrawal in which motivations are often 

hard to grasp and ought to be developed further. 

Initial Audit p.36: Illicit activities are evoked, but never listed. It would be useful to mention the 

controlled illicit activities while giving an idea of their importance in the area (is there a risk of 











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illegal felling, how important is poaching in the region, and so on). 

Answer BVCert: The main illicit activities here referred to are commercial hunting activities carried 

out by poachers. There might be some illegal felling carried out by resident communities as part of 

the cutting amicably authorised by the forest administration. But those activities can be avoided 

thanks to an efficient materialisation of boundaries - notably at the level of agricultural series 

(subject of a minor CAR) - and a good sensitisation of the communities involved. 

Some points could be clarified by confronting the comment and the resulting CAR/remark. There 

could be a reference from one to the other. 

For instance, p.41 of the initial audit report, it reads “some technical points of the reduced impact 

exploitation are still perfectible, mainly in areas of tracks opening and skidding”. Which proposal 

do auditors express to solve this non-conformity? Is it CAR 10, 16 or both? Or another one that is 

missing? 

Answer BVCert: The CAR concerning this lapse is CAR 11: “Pursue efforts to generalise reduced 

impact exploitation on the SMFC”. Significant efforts were made by the company. Overall, there is 

a good implementation of reduced impact logging. However, a discrepancy was observed 

between exploitation sites and mostly between Milolé where RIL is fully implemented and Lélama 

where occasional lapses from standards’ requirements were reported. The CAR aims at pushing 

forward the weakest teams so they reach the level of the best performing sites. The main goal is 

to harmonise RIL practices across all sites. 

p. 51 it reads “Radio transmissions do not allow documenting the dysfunctions and improving the 

system.” 

What do auditors suggest to answer this non-conformity? Recommendation K? CAR 16? CAR 

17? 

Answer BVCert: The minor non-conformity n°17 also deals with thi s issue. The recording system 

now set up by the company (controlled during the complementary audit) allows reliable 

transmission of information and traceability documents. 

Without questioning the certification justification (and not playing the pair role), there should be 

more elements for one to build an opinion on the following points: 

- Will the monitoring work – that is essential to sustain the level of certification - be sufficient? 

A minor CAR was expressed but it seems that the only actions related to Chapter 8 are surveys 

and illicit activities’ monitoring. But principle 8 is much larger in the FSC standards, and is even 

the milestone allowing the certification system to move forward (maintain the level, spot 

weaknesses, trigger corrective actions and so on). In my opinioin, the reference to PSSARs’ 

justifications (p.57) isn’t sufficient, as those are not explicit enough. 

Answer BVCert: Monitoring and documentation actions are already very developed in the 

company, chiefly thanks to the company’s experience in certification (ISO 14 001, KEURHOUT) 

which allowed the implementation of routines. The environment-quality manual gathers most of 

the implemented monitoring procedures across all the company’s activities concerned by 

certification. The procedures’ implementation is ensured by: (i) employees (self control), (ii) the 

standards control squad, (iii) the certification Manager, (iv) management. CAR 15 aims at 

completing existing operational activities. According to auditors, it should allow full compliance 

with the standards’ requirements. 

In addition, the company developed and implemented a monitoring device for all its activities. A 

monthly update and an annual synthesis allow monitoring the evolution of corrective actions in 

comparison with the observed lapses. 

- why are the non-conformities of the sub-contractor the subject of a minor CAR ? (the nonconformity 

with principle 1 concerning overtime appears to be a strong point, likely to cause the 

expression of a major CAR) 

Answer BVCert: Concerning the company’s compliance with work requirements, only TWD’s 

overtime practice was observed. CAR 4 « The practice of overtime at TWD isn’t currently 











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authorised by labour administration. This situation shall be regularised. » corresponds to an 

administrative formality, and was hence considered as minor by the auditors. 

- why wasn’t the burial of various waste types in the forest specifically mentioned in a CAR or the 

comment, when it is explicitly prescribed by point 6.6.5 of the standards ? 

Answer BVCert: This lapse was dealt with in CAR 8 « review and complete if need be the waste 

management procedures ». The observation of soiled waste burial in Lélama concerns an 

extremely small volume. To the auditors, it didn’t appear to be « an incident related to the use of 

chemical products », but rather a procedure insufficiently adapted to local working conditions or 

a procedure not fully implemented. This is why the CAR was expressed that way. 

- learn more about personnel transportation vehicles (are there seats, are the vehicles insured for 

the number of people transported, are the vehicles numerous enough to handle an emergency 

situation – taking into account the frequent break-downs in such harsh conditions). 

Answer BVCert: personnel transportation trucks are brand-new, and fully equipped (seats, safety 

hoops, plastic sheets, safety kit, and so on) and dedicated to workers’ transportation. All the 

people interviewed shared their fully satisfaction with the means implemented by the company 

for personnel transportation: safety, quality, comfort, availability and so on. All the vehicles are 

insured. 

- learn more about workers that are not on the sites (living and safety conditions during tracking or 

inventorying operations). 

Answer BVCert: Owing to time constraints, inventory teams were not met during the audit. From 

auditors’ investigations, it seems that inventory teams benefit from the same working conditions 

as other employees. Interviews with (i) inventory Manager (met in Bambidie), (ii) workers’ 

representative, (iii) other employees gave no evidence of lapses from the standards. All the 

teams share the same treatment throughout all sites and activities. 

- give information on the AIDS policy 

Answer BVCert: the company applies the national policy against HIV AIDS (visits of a 

specialised doctor on Bambidie site) and a prevention policy is operational in all the infirmaries. 

Prevention actions are all the more relevant since they are carried out with the support of doctors 

from AGIR association who come on sites twice a year. HIV positive patients are taken charge of 

in specialised centres (Libreville and Franceville) with which the company signed collaboration 

conventions. 

Concerning all those points, the brief comments are not fully satisfactory and there is some lack of 

consistence in the report. Obviously, considering the surface area that was audited and the large 

number of stakes to be taken into account, those defects remain minor. 

Furthermore, in the complementary audit report, concentrating on the withdrawal of a limited 

number of CARs, this defect cannot be observed: the justification of withdrawal is clear, detailed 

and satisfactory. 

o Is the proposed certification decision justified by the remarks presented in the report? 

When reading the scoping and initial audit reports, one grows aware of the progress made by the 

company. 

The initial audit report includes all the operations carried out by the audit team, the stakeholders 

met, and the practices presented to the auditors. 

The complementary audit report is well argued and easier to read than the initial audit report (it 

tackles a smaller number of points). 

In spite of the few remarks listed above, the professionalism developed by the audit team allows 

understanding the certification decision. It also proves the decision is based on serious and 

justified facts. 











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8.2 - Answers to stakeholders 

Comment Ref Stakholder 

Comment received Answer 

Subject 

N° Equival. Type Date Title 

Client 

1 International 

Fauna 

Organisation 

16/05/2008 What measures were 

taken by CEB 

concerning the 

presence of Ivindo 

National Park near 

their SMFC, chiefly 

concerning fauna 

management? 

We exchanged mails with the manager of Ivindo 

Park and the WCS. She visited our SMFC in June 

and could observe for herself the low impact 

exploitation that we practice as well as the 

particular measures we took with respect to the 

buffer zone bordering Ivindo National Park 

(procedure development and implementation, 

compliance with the agreement protocol signed 

between CEB and WCS). Her report is available 

and can be consulted if need be. 

Other significant measures implemented: guarded 

fence across the Loubi, WCS research project 

(monitoring elephants’ communication in two salt 

marshes) 

Auditor 

The audit team assessed the 

compliance of CEB practices with 

legal requirements 











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Subject 


Client 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 Why is the proportion 

of workers-related 

PSSARs so high? 

Workers We don’t think the proportion is as high as one 

might think if we globally consider workers’ living 

conditions. However, it is long since the various 

observations expressed during the scoping were 

withdrawn and the company now does its best to 

accommodate all workers in our life bases in better 

conditions. The building of 200 new huts is ongoing 

and workers started to move in the first finished 

ones. The initial audit team could observe it. 

Moreover, a number of PSSARs bore on the 

respect of WIO conventions, including several that 

were not signed by Gabon yet. 

Auditor 

The proportion of PSSARs isn’t 

explicitly representative of the 

importance of non-conformities 

reported by the audit team on this 

aspect. 

As part of the initial audit, all the 

lapses observed were reviewed and 

we could note that answers were 

brought to the expressed requests. 

In addition, huts’ renewal program is 

being implemented. 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 What concrete actions 

were taken by CEB so 

that the proportion of 

population-related 

PSSARs would be so 

low? 

Populati 

on 

CEB leads a precise participative management 

policy that inspired the Gabonese state for the 

preparation of the decree of the Forest Act 16/01 

article 251 (refer to the speech given by the 

Ministry of Forest Economy when he visited our 

concession on August 7th). An office to support 

villages’ environment was set up as from 2000. Its 

manager is regularly in contact the various villages 

of the concession and the neighbouring area. A 

pilot tripartite convention for exploitation profit 

sharing is operational since 2001. Any conflict with 

villagers, of any kind, is managed with villagers 

according to a procedure implemented in mutual 

agreement. 

As part of community relations, an 

office to support Villages’ 

environment was set up with skilful 

staff that is close to resident 

communities. This office essentially 

works on participative management. 

Related procedures were developed 

and implemented. Complaints from 

local communities are taken into 

account and suitably dealt with. 











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Subject 


Client 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 Are workers involved in 

sustainable forest 

management? If they 

are, in what way? 

Workers Workers are the first concerned by sustainable 

forest management, as they handle the machines, 

open the roads, hauling and skidding tracks, mark 

the promising trees, respect sensitive areas, avoid 

hydrocarbon dumpings in the forest during loading 

and unloading operations and so on. In that 

respect, they are therefore involved in sustainable 

management and implement the written 

procedures under the management’s supervision. 

Each worker has an illustrated technical form 

summarising the main work instructions, including 

the ones related to sustainable management. 

Auditor 

Workers are involved in sustainable 

management through the trainings 

carried out for the implementation of 

new procedures including the ones 

related to low impact exploitation. 

With their experience, those workers 

participate in the development of 

procedure, orientated towards the 

goal to achieve. 

5 Company 16/05/2008 In PSSARs related to 

forest management 

(19%), which aspects 

are questioned 

(implementation, 

monitoring, or overall 

forest management)? 

Forest 

manage 

ment 

The aspects that are being 

questioned are mainly (i) the 

monitoring of illegal activities, (ii) the 

better consideration of NLFP 

(complementary survey), (iii) HCVF 

treatment, (iv) the exploitation 

procedure for the buffer zone, (v) 

the public summary of forest 

management and so on. 











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Subject 


Client 


Fauna 

Organisation 

16/05/2008 Take fauna and 

poaching issues into 

account in some areas 

of the SMFC 

Fauna and poaching issues are not only taken into 

account in some areas of the SMFC, but in the 

entire SMFC and even in the Forest License 3/88 

as well. Guarded and non-guarded fences are set 

up. Roads are closed when exploitation ends in a 

given area of the SMFC. A person in charge of 

fauna and hunting sees to the implementation of 

procedures concerning fauna and hunting twice a 

month. Agents of Forest Economy regularly inspect 

the SMFC and apply repressive measures when 

need be. The standards control squad sees to the 

regularisation of all the observed lapses related to 

fauna and poaching. 

Auditor 

The audit team observed a good 

collaboration between CEB and the 

Cantonments of Forest Economy of 

the SMFC and the NAV. A person in 

charge of fauna, administratively 

linked to the forest management 

department, works in collaboration 

with the standards control squad, 

the Forest Economy services and 

the local communities in order to 

fight against commercial hunting 

and to preserve wild fauna. 

Reports on this topic and interviews 

of the Forest Economy services 

confirm the efforts made by the 

company, and the results achieved. 











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Subject 


Client 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 Management of 

waterways and waste 

waters 

Forest 

Manage 

ment 

and 

Environ 

ment 

In exploitation procedures, the river banks are not 

concerned by exploitation. The exploitation of 

Bahias and swampy areas is left to the 

appreciation of the site Manager. If there is a risk 

that the stalk damages the swamp ecosystem, it is 

left standing. Crowns must be withdrawn from 

rivers. Pits were dug to filter waste waters before 

they flow back to ground water or neighbouring 

waterways. There are specific procedures. 

Auditor 

Concerning waterways, the only 

weakness reported by the audit 

team was the sedimentation issue in 

waterways, resulting from the lack of 

a good erosion monitoring after 

forest tracks opening, including 

water passages. A corrective action 

request was expressed in that 

respect. Procedures for the 

management of forest tracks and 

water passages were reviewed. The 

teams involved were sensitised / 

trained to take those aspects into 

account. As for waste waters, works 

are carried out on the wells that are 

no longer used on all life bases to 

allow water infiltration into the 

ground and avoid the contamination 

of the surface water. 











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Subject 


Client 


Organisation 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 What 

monitoring/assessment 

system was set up at 

concession level to 

manage social and 

fauna aspects? 

16/05/2008 Measures taken for the 

management of the 

mosaic of Savannasforests 

as part of 

sustainable 

management 

Populati 

on and 

fauna 

Forest 

Manage 

ment 

CEB carries out a monthly control of the 

environmental impact thanks to implemented forms 

that list various sensitive points. Those controls 

concern the mechanics workshop, the sawmill, the 

health centres, the staff stores. Marks are given 

according to the lapses observed and the 

managers must see to their withdrawal during the 

following control. If it is not the case, Libreville 

management is informed and takes the necessary 

measures. We recently implemented the 

monitoring of performance indicators such as our 

roads’ width, the density of exploited stalks in a ha, 

the evolution of some diseases (diarrhoea, 

respiratory infections and so on). Other indicators 

will be added shortly. 

Concerning fauna, the fauna and hunting Manager 

issues monthly reports on the observed lapses and 

the resulting measures taken. Mails are regularly 

sent out to Forest Economy to inform them of the 

lapses falling within their competence. 

Furthermore, the internal and ISO 14001 audits 

carried out each year help the company to 

continuously progress. 

The mosaic of savannas-forests is not submitted to 

any particular management in the SMFC. The 

mosaic area by the Marshall bridge was turned into 

a protection series considering its specificity – it is 

a transition area - and mostly its fauna richness. 

Auditor 











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Subject 


Client 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 What measures are 

implemented 

concerning fauna 

management 

considering the 

proximity to Ivindo 

National Park? 

Forest 

Manage 

ment 

Exploitation limited to dry season. 

No exploitation in slope areas of over 50%. 

Guarded fences at the license’s entrance. 

Agreement protocol between park managers and 

CEB. The park manager visited the buffer zone in 

June 2008. 

Control of lapses by the standards’ control squad 

see line 1 

Auditor 


Organisation 


Organisation 

16/05/2008 What measures are 

implemented to 

maintain environmental 

services? 

16/05/2008 What will be the validity 

of the forest 

management plan after 

8 years? 

Forest 

Manage 

ment 

see Point 8 

The forest management plan is reviewed after 5 

years. The OAS (operational annual scheme) is 

issued each year and approved by Forest 

Economy before any exploitation can start. After 8 

years, the forecasts seem accurate, and we fully 

respect the ACA progress. 

At the level of CEB exploited 

concessions, the maintenance of 

environmental services is ensured 

by the training given to workers, the 

efficiency assessment of the 

procedures developed and 

implemented, the implementation of 

corrective actions to compensate for 

the lapses observed during 

monitoring/assessment activities 

carried out by the forest 

management department and the 

standards’ control squad. 

Nothing to report 











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Subject 


Client 

13 International 16/05/2008 Management of 

Organisation 

abandoned trees 

Forest 

Manage 

ment 

When dealing with trees abandoned standing in the 

forest, no particular management is applied. 

However, those should not be damaged as they 

represent an habitat for numerous living species. 

As for waste parts, a major part is sent to Bambidie 

sawmill to be processed. This represents 6 000 

m3/month. 

+/- 200 000 m3 in 3ACA/year. 

Auditor 


14 NGO 16/05/2008 Which is the SMFC 

concerned by the 

exploitation and what is 

the volume of annual 

cutting areas? 

15 NGO 16/05/2008 How are non-timber 

forest products 

managed? 

Forest 

Manage 

ment 

The entire SMFC is concerned by the exploitation, 

expect for protection, conservation and agricultural 

series 

CEB only exploits wood, and no NLPF. A survey 

was carried out in Haut-Ogooué to assess the 

importance of those in the eating habits of SMFC 

populations and in trade networks. Another survey 

of a similar scope is being carried out in Ogooué- 

Lolo as we plan to exploit it as from 2010. Although 

NLFP do not seem to play a significant role for 

villagers, unlike in neighbouring countries such as 

Cameroon or Congo (low population density in our 

SMFC, low impact on NLFP), CEB takes measures 

to ensure villagers can easily access those 

products. Agricultural series defined in consultation 

with villagers are not impacted by exploitation. 


No exploitation of non-timber forest 

products is carried out by CEB. 

However, the audit team checked 

that the procedures developed and 

implemented allow their 

preservation and sustainability. 











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Subject 


Client 

16 NGO 16/05/2008 How are oils managed Environ All used oils are recycled by Total 

in Bambidie life base? ment 

17 NGO 16/05/2008 Were the FSC 

standards adapted to 

Gabon submitted to the 

Gabonese FSC 

national initiative? 

18 NGO 16/05/2008 Six months ago, some 

resident communities 

were requesting a 

chain saw. How did 

CEB deal with this 

request? 

Populati 

on 

BV 

Populations suggest projects that have to be 

approved by Forest Economy. As soon as a project 

is approved, and provided the concerned village 

still has fees-money available, CEB makes the 

necessary amount available. CEB therefore 

doesn’t buy chain saws to populations. This is dealt 

with by villages’ association, based on available 

funds. 

Auditor 


The forest management standards 

adapted to Gabon by Bureau 

Veritas are being used until the 

national initiative produces a 

national standard applicable to 

certification organisations. 

The audit team checked that the 

communities’ concerns are dealt 

with objectively as part of the 

protocols that links them to the 

company.

PR081103A FSC FM public report CEB v11 [03 06 ... - Bureau Veritas

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