Falling timber supplies ahead: Minister<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Minister of Forestry Nurmahmudi Ismail
\nwarned the lumber industry on Tuesday that supplies of timber
\nwould decline over the coming years in line with the country's
\nshrinking forests.<\/p>\n
\"Every year, the size of our natural forest is shrinking,\"
\nNurmahmudi said during a meeting with executives of lumber
\ncompanies at the Athlete Century Park Hotel.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's total forested area has fallen to 58.5 million
\nhectares from 64 million over the last six years largely due to
\nexcessive exploitation, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n
The minister said lumber companies should strive for greater
\nefficiency in their processing plants, including making more
\neffective use of available timber supplies.<\/p>\n
Logging companies should make the most of the trees they fell,
\nhe said, noting that the branches, twigs, and barks which they
\nusually left behind could still be employed for productive
\npurposes.<\/p>\n
Companies should aim for \"zero percent\" waste, he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Soegeng Widodo, the ministry's director general of
\nproduction forest management, said the government would issue 70
\nforestry concessions in the coming month.<\/p>\n
Of these, 21 would be new concessions and the other 49 would
\nbe extensions of existing concessions, he told the meeting.<\/p>\n
Most of the concessions cover 50,000 hectares of forest,
\naccording to Antara. (03)<\/p>",
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