Guest guest Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Monday July 17, 2006-The Star Gerik loggers to meet FSC standards *IPOH:* The company which holds a 30-year concession to log 9,725ha of the Temenggor forest reserve in Gerik is taking steps to get its sustainable logging certification reinstated by next month. Perak Integrated Timber Complex Sdn Bhd (PITC) chief executive officer Dr Borhan Mohamad said it should take all corrective action requests issued by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) before the next internal audit in November. The FSC certification allows PITC to export its products to Europe. It also proves that the company is conducting sustainable and not environmentally-destructive logging. " We have already contacted the FSC and informed it on the measures we are taking. I hope to have the problems rectified before the end of August, " Dr Borhan told *The Star* yesterday. Dr Borhan, who took over as CEO in January, said one of the main problems identified by the FSC was that PITC did not have any professionals managing the forest. " In previous years, PITC did not even have a forest manager. It came to a point that unauthorised people were allowed to enter the concession area, " he said. Among the corrective actions to be undertaken by PITC are to educate contractors on FSC guidelines and focus more on Orang Asli affairs by building facilities and providing job opportunities. To prevent damage to the forest's ecological system, Dr Borhan assured that they would implement agro-forestry and improve the roads to avoid soil degradation. He said that PITC would also work together with the Department of Environment (DOE) to maintain the forest's ecosystem. PITC, the only logging concessionaire in Peninsular Malaysia to have the FSC certification, had its licence suspended on Jan 27 this year when checks by the FSC revealed that the company was not conducting sustainable logging. The FSC public summary report is availableat * www.scscertified.com/PDFS/forest_perakitc.pdf* PITC is a joint venture company with the Perak State Economic Development Corporation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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