Sumatra, Biodiversity loss, Pulp & paper, APP, Artelindo Wiratama, Asia Pulp & Paper, bukit tigapuluh, Eyes on the Forest, hardwood, logs, tiger corridor, tiger habitat, timber supplier,
Logs stranded in APP’s timber supplier clearcutting
EoF News / 25 March 2012
EoF News (PEKANBARU)—Eyes on the Forest coalition last week published an investigation conducted last year in PT Artelindo Wiratama, an affiliated company to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), that located in Bukit Tigapuluh landscape.
Based upon series of investigation in May and September 2011, mixed tropical hardwoods (MTHs) that felled by PT Artelindo were not sent to pulp mill of PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper (IKPP) in Perawang, an APP pulp mill in Riau.
The forest clearance is based on Annual Cutting Plan (RKT) issued by the Ministry of Forestry through a Decree by Timber Plantation Development Director number No SK. 15/BPHT-3/2009, dated 15 April 2009.
RKT’s logging volume allowed in 2009 is around 4,940 hectares which has potential of mixed tropical hardwoods (MTHs) by 365,500 cubic meter. In 2010, PT Artelindo Wiratama gets more logging permit by 3,456 hectares or potential 378,910 cubic meter MTHs.
Within these two years this APP timber supplier has clearcut 8,396 hectares of tropical rainforest in Bukit Tigapuluh landscape.
Sources that found by EoF investigators team informed that the logs are not transported to the pulp mill due to there is no permit issued by the Forestry Service of Province and District level.
Local sources also said that clearcutting by PT Artelindo Wiratama have resented villagers of Pesajian and Sungai Besar as they demand compensation fee, but there is no response from the company until this report is prepared.
MTHs that found by EoF in PT Artelindo Wiratama’s concession started to decayed and get rotten. Bukit Tigapuluh landscape is a key habitat and global priority for Sumatran tiger conservation amid massive forest clearcutting by pulp and paper as well as palm oil plantation industry.