AGRICULTURAL NEWS - Key role players in forestry have raised concern over the future of the industry. The Knysna Timber Buyers Association (TBA), the Knysna Timber Initiative (KTI), the George Millers Forum (GMF), Knysna & Partners and the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI), recently met in Knysna to discuss their concerns around the sustainability of the forestry industry, with the view to engage with government on the matter.
The George Millers Forum was formed last year to address problems in the forestry industry.
During the Knysna Timber Festival which will take place from 11 to 13 November, a workshop will be held to discuss the future of the Southern Cape timber industry. Industry roleplayers will meet formally with government representatives - including the Western Cape’s MEC for Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde.
"Up until the 1980’s, some 80% of the economic activity of Knysna and George was related to the forestry industry," says Cobus Meiring of SCLI.
"Today, that figure is estimated to be well below 15%, and still declining. Sadly, in the Boland and Western Cape, the forestry industry has essentially ceased to exist, with most sawmills closed."
Meiring says although there are multiple reasons why the industry diminished so fast, it can essentially be ascribed to the department of forestry (DAFF), which, through lack of planning, and not committing to replanting, allowed the forestry industry to slip into a downward spiral.
"Contrary to common belief, most of the economic activity related to the timber and forestry industry, such as job creation and socio-economic upturn, is not generated in the plantations itself, but in the downstream economic activity.
"A further concern is the current management of government land and more specifically the future management which is feared will remain unchecked and become overrun by invasive alien trees, with disastrous ecological results. What is at stake are not only the plantations on the slopes of the Outeniqua mountains, but the entire forestry value chain, which is dependent on the steady supply of timber."
The forestry value chain includes planting and extraction of timber, the specialized transport companies, large and small sawmills, furniture factories, and a myriad of support industry entities, providing work to literally thousands of people.
Says Meiring, "The fact is that Daff did not consider the enormous downstream economic and social implications of the failure to plan and implement. There still is timber available in the area today, but all indications are that much of the forestry value chain may well cease to exist within the next few years when supply will run out.
At the core of the medium and long term projection, economic fears are that areas, which Daff does not want to replant (so-called exit areas), will be clear-felled within the next three years, resulting in a void in timber supply to the open market.
"Although projections indicate that the supply side could recover over the long term (as replanting starts to mature), the industry cannot sustain itself over the duration.
The intention of the group of forestry entities is to petition government to consider their concerns, and to provide the industry with a sound strategy aimed at optimizing economic growth for the industry."
**Over the past four years the departement of forestry leadership, right up to director general level, has been approached on numerous occasions by the George Herald for clarity as to when exactly the replanting of pine forests is likely to start, but answers were always evasive or not forthcoming at all.
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