Concessionaires ordered to stop burning forests

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)