Concessionaires ordered to stop burning forests

JAKARTA (JP): The government has ordered forestry concession holders to stop the practice of burning forests to clear land for timber estates or plantations, because thick smoke is now disrupting activities in towns across Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo ordered his offices in the provinces to monitor and control the activities of concession holders in their respective regions.

In a letter to the provincial offices, a copy of which was made available to the media yesterday, Djamaludin said the government would revoke the concessions if companies ignored his order.

Thick smoke billowing from forest fires has disrupted flight services in Sumatran and Kalimantan towns this past week. Haze is causing health problems in the affected towns, and complaints of respiratory problems are becoming common.

A recent official satellite photo showed that smog and haze mainly came from forests that were burned by plantation and forest companies in order to clear the land.

The Ministry of Forestry said 550,000 hectares of forest needed to be cleared this year to make way for 300,000 hectares of timber estates, 200,000 hectares for plantations, and 50,000 hectares for the government's resettlement program.

State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said last month that forest fires destroy 30 million cubic meters of forest every year, with Rp 240 trillion (US$96 billion) in losses.

Sarwono blamed the practice of burning forests squarely on large companies. "They favor controlled forest burning over other ways of clearing land because it costs less," he said. (08)