Forest concession closed

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Forestry has closed North Sulawesi to new forest concessionaires because of forests' poor conditions and limited forest areas.

The ministry's provincial office chairman, Bambang Hendriyo, said in Manado yesterday that forest conditions in the province were worsening because of shifting cultivation and illegal logging.

"More than 300,000 hectares of forest is already in critical condition. We're very concerned," he was quoted by Antara. as saying.

He said the forest area in the province was about 1.5 million hectares or 55.48 percent of the province's total area.

He said his office would intensify reforestation programs to improve forest conditions. (bnt)