Commitment to FSC certify Georgia's forests
The FSC certification process is speeding up in the Republic of Georgia. The Georgian Ministry of Environment has expressed its support to the FSC system and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the FSC-International.
Significantly, the Ministry is planning to lease out state forests for long-term use. According to the leasing agreement for three recently issued licenses the owners of licenses has to commit themselves to FSC certification within a short timeframe.
Georgian State Forests occupy around 2,8 million hectares, of which the vast majority are located on mountain slopes. Forests cover about 40% of the country’s area, with broadleaved species (beach, oak, horn beam, chestnut, peach, etc.) common at lower levels, dark conifers (fir and spruce) in a higher mountain belt, and pine in higher mountain valleys.
The vegetation of Georgia is very diverse, with numerous relict and endemic plants, and Georgia is home to more than 400 species of wood plants. However, the forest biodiversity in Georgia is threatened by unsustainable forestry methods and overlogging, resulting in severe degradation of the forest environment.
Illegal logging is a major part of this problem: While the official harvest rate is 700,000 m3 per year, the actual annual harvest is assessed as being closer to 2,5 million m3. In some areas, degradation of the forest on steep slopes has resulted in many accidents related to avalanches and landslides. In addition, the country’s economy has suffered from years of internal struggle, and resources for tackling these problems are scarce. Currently even basic forest inventory data are lacking.
Nikoloz Burduli, Director of the Forest Institute says: “The establishment of FSC in Georgia will surely help in reversing the current situation, by creating an opportunity for Georgian forestry to gain financial advantages based on principles of sustainable forestry. Also, certification is a well-known mechanism to halt illegal logging”.
The FSC international is currently seeking to assist the establishment of a Georgian FSC working group. NEPCon is collaborating with the Vasil Gulisashvili Forest Institute, a strong supporter of FSC certification, to help the process as well.
Sources of annual harvest estimates: RWA International, Georgia Forest Sector Institutional and Financial Rationalization Plan, 2003. |
