Assessing the Status of Logged-Over Production Forests the Development of a Rapid Appraisal Technique
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The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The word “countries” appearing in the text refers to countries, territories and areas without distinction. The designations “developed” and “developing” countries are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. The opinions expressed in the articles by contributing authors are not necessarily those of FAO. The EC-FAO Partnership Programme on Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management: Linking National and International Efforts in South Asia and Southeast Asia is designed to enhance country capacities to collect and analyze relevant data, to disseminate up-to- date information on forestry and to make this information more readily available for strategic decision-making. Thirteen countries in South and Southeast Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam) participate in the Programme. Operating under the guidance of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) Working Group on Statistics and Information, the initiative is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in close partnership with experts from participating countries. It draws on experience gained from similar EC-FAO efforts in Africa, and the Caribbean and Latin America and is funded by the European Commission. Cover design: Tan Lay Cheng Photo credits: Samsudin Musa For copies write to: Patrick B. Durst Senior Forestry Officer FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 39 Phra Atit Road Bangkok 10200 Thailand Printed and published in Bangkok, Thailand © FAO 2003 ISBN 974-7946-33-5 2 3 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL DEVELOPMENT Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management: Linking National and International Efforts in South and Southeast Asia EC-FAO PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME (2000–2002) Tropical Forestry Budget Line B7-6201/1B/98/0531 PROJECT GCP/RAS/173/EC ASSESSING THE STATUS OF LOGGED-OVER PRODUCTION FORESTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID APPRAISAL TECHNIQUE by Samsudin Musa, Abd. Rahman Kassim, Safiah Muhammad Yusoff & Shamsudin Ibrahim 4 Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management: Linking National and International Efforts in South and Southeast Asia EC-FAO PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME (2000–2002) Tropical Forestry Budget Line B7-6201/1B/98/0531 PROJECT GCP/RAS/173/EC Background Over the last several decades, deforestation and degradation of tropical forests as well as their wasteful utilization have received increased attention. Forest resources contribute significantly towards foreign exchange earnings in many countries and over-exploitation of resources cannot be in their long-term interest. In the early 1980s, there were many predictions that tropical forests – including those of Malaysia – would be completely depleted by 2000 (Samsudin and Kasinathan 1989). Although such predictions were overly pessimistic and tropical forests remain an important land use in the Asia-Pacific region, some countries (e.g. the Philippines and Thailand) have turned from being exporters to net importers of timber (Appanah 2000). The widespread concern regarding forest abuse has triggered numerous forest assessments and inventories. Most countries in the Asia-Pacific region assess the extent of their forest areas on a regular basis. The area of natural forests is usually known, although area assessments may not necessarily be completely accurate. In some countries, data on logging are also available and post-harvesting inventories determine the needs for silvicultural treatments. However, once forest operators leave forest areas and road conditions deteriorate, regular inventories cease. As a result, knowledge of the status of logged-over forest areas is scanty, and the assumption that previously logged forests 5 will be ready for re-entry is frequently based on inadequate knowledge of forest stand volumes and composition. In fact, there is a widespread concern that many production forests are now degraded and will yield, during the second harvest, substantially lower commercial volumes than during the first harvest. The knowledge gap is a major concern as wood-based industries rely on a continuous flow of raw material. In many countries, all the old-growth (production) forests have been or will soon be exploited and wood supply will have to rely on logged-over or second- growth (or even third cycle) or residual forests1. Assessing the status of logged-over forests in terms of expected volumes, species composition and timber quality thus has high priority. In Peninsular Malaysia, information based on preliminary investigations (Yong 1998) and observations indicate that most residual forest stands have not regenerated according to assumptions and will not be ready for commercial harvesting on a sustainable basis at the end of the cutting cycle as expected. The effects of (poor) harvesting practices and illegal logging on forest conditions remain unclear. Due to the large extent, high variability and inaccessibility of many natural forests in the region, conventional forest inventories are extremely costly. Alternative assessment tools are needed, which allow for the rapid appraisal of stand conditions. This report provides an account of a methodology that can be used for assessing logged-over forests rapidly at the broad management level. For operational level inventories, the design and intensity of sampling will be different. Introduction In Malaysia, the forestry sector continues to play an important role in the socio-economic development of the nation. The total export of timber and timber products, including wooden and rattan furniture in 2001 was impressive and was valued at about US$3.75 billion. The country is fortunate in that forest products are still available from old-growth production forests to meet its timber requirements, although in some states (e.g. Johor, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan), timber harvesting has started in the second-growth (logged-over) forests. However, the old-growth production forests are expected to be exploited completely over the next few years and forest production will have to shift to second-growth forests. This will be a challenge for the forestry sector as the structure and composition of second-growth forests are quite different compared to old-growth forests. Research indicates that past logging practices caused serious damage to residual stands and regeneration (e.g. Canonizado 1978; Pinard 1995; Taumas 1999), often exceeding 50 percent2. There is also excessive soil damage and compaction due to the high density of logging roads and skid trails, and heavy blading by bulldozers. As a result, most second-growth forests are anticipated to contain less commercial species, and the size distribution patterns of the trees are expected to be highly variable. Due to high mortality and poor growth rates, productivity under the selective management system, currently being applied in production forests, is far less than the assumed 2.5 m3/ha (Ismail Harun and Appanah 2000). This means that the existing logged-over forest, which comprises more than 80 percent of the production forest in Peninsular Malaysia, needs to be assessed and new management approaches will have to be formulated to enhance the productivity of the stands. The total forest resources in Malaysia cover 18.9 million ha or 59 percent of the total land area. In Peninsular Malaysia, out of a total forested area of 5.55 million ha, Permanent Reserved Forests constitute 4.58 million ha, of which 2.91 million ha are classified as Production Forests while the remaining 1.67 million ha are Protection Forests (Table 1). The area of logged-over forests is about 3.11 million ha or 65 percent of the total inland forest. These forests will be re-logged in the near future to meet the timber demands of the country. Table 1. Permanent Reserved Forests (PRF) in Peninsular Malaysia (ha) Status PRF Stateland Total 1 The role of plantations in supplying wood is also expected to increase considerably. 2 Tay et al. 2002 report as much as 60 percent damage to the residual stand in Sabah, Malaysia. 6 Production Protection Undisturbed Inland Forest 775 378 735 221 138 481 1 649 080 Undisturbed Peat Swamp Forest 111 494 4 576 61 257 177 327 Sub-total 886 872 739 797 199 738 1 826 407 Logged Over Inland Forest < 1960 154 046 153 283 54 449 361 778 1961-1970 206 633 122 823 45 011 374 467 1971-1980 533 724 190 271 134 796 858 791 1981-1990 734 175 300 624 273 483 1 308 282 1991-1992 75 496 41 814 90 716 208 026 Sub-total 1 704 074 808 815 598 455 3 111 344 Logged Over Peat Swamp Forest < 1980 35 897 2 621 63 544 102 062 1981-1990 1 761 70 60 510 62 341 1991-1992 49 140 - 15 250 64 390 Sub-total 86 798 2 691 139 304 228 793 Mangrove Forest 88 827 80 13 716 102 623 Plantation Forest 89 960 746 - 90 706 Shifting Cultivation Forest 27 865 105 060 18 298 151 223 Degraded Forest 23 586 14 858 283 38 727 Total 2 907 982 1 672 047 969 794 5 549 823 Source: National Forest Inventory III, Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia Objectives of the study This study was designed to develop a rapid appraisal technique for assessing the status of logged- over forests at the management level in Peninsular Malaysia. It is based on existing methodologies and develops a pragmatic approach applicable for the prevailing conditions in Peninsular Malaysia. Literature review Forest inventory Forest inventories describe the quantity and quality of trees and other organisms of the forest and the characteristics of the land on which the forest grows.