Timber firm extends agreement

 By TONY PALME KIP

A TIMBER company which operated in West New Britain for the last 25 years has extended its agreement term to 50 years.

Stettin Bay Lumber Company Ltd that was given a timber permit in 1989 for logging operations between Hoskins and Kimbe  signed a long-term agreement with the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) last Friday.

PNGFA acting managing director Goodwill Amos said it was a trusted company that had contributed enormously to forest sustainability in the country. “I want other companies that are interested in getting a timber permit with us to follow the example set by SBLC,” Amos said.

He said companies should not come to PNG just to extract timber and go, but stay long term and develop forests in a sustainable manner and address issues the country has.

“We have a lot of grassland and degraded forest areas that we need to enrich with and forest commercialisation is the way forward,” Amos said.

“Forestry operation is an expensive and difficult exercise but I thank and hope that through this agreement, SBLC will continue to maintain the good reputation it set by honouring terms and conditions of the timber permit.”

Amos said SBLC would carry out commercialisation by harvesting and replanting and extending forest cover in the area it operated to address issues such as climate change. 

SBLC general manager and resident director Peter Yiu thanked PNGFA for the continuous support and pledged to embark on commercialising the 21,700 hectares that it had been allowed in the agreement.