The following list was prepared by the FAO Legislation Branch and the Forestry Department from official government journals and gazettes regularly submitted to FAO For further information contact the governments directly.
General forest legislation
GUATEMALA
Decree No. 5-74: The "Ley Orgánic del Instituto Nacional Forestal," of 6 June 1974, is an Act setting up the National Forestry Institute, a decentralized semiautonomous state agency, the purpose of which is to ensure optimum use, protection and improvement of forest resources in conformity with the country's socioeconomic development programmes. It determines inter alia the objectives, mandate, organization, functions and financial resources of the Institute and enumerates the various agencies and units that are merged into it.
Decree No. 58-74: The "Ley Forestal" (Basic Enactment) of 12 June 1974 deals with policy, administration, conservation, management and regeneration of forest resources and industrialization of forest products. It includes provisions on forest land classification, forest utilization, timber transport, afforestation, forest land and forest industry taxation, offences, penalties and rewards.
INDIA (STATE OF KERALA)
Act No. 7, 1974, restricts the cutting and destruction of certain valuable trees on private lands in the State of Kerala. Restrictions concern sandalwood, rosewood and teak trees. Authorized offlcers are empowered inter alia to enter and inspect lands; order attendance of persons and discovery and production of documents; sanction institution of prosecutions. (K.G. No. 12, 19 March 1974)
PHILIPPINES
Presidential Decree No. 330, 1974, penalizes timber smuggling or illegal cutting of logs from public forests and forest reserves as qualified theft.
Presidential Decree No. 331 requires all forests to be developed, managed and utilized on a sustained yield basis with the benefit of the registered foresters' technical knowledge and experience. (O.G. No. 46, 8 November 1973, p. 10572-A, H and G.)
URUGUAY
Decree No. 621/974 regulates the Forestry Law's provisions for the granting of tax and credit benefits for private forests. To claim such benefits forests must be classified first into protected, production and other forests by the Forest Service and with management plans submitted and approved. (D.O. No. 19331, 12 August 1974, p. 446-A.)
ZAMBIA
Act No. 31 of 11 September 1973 repeals and replaces the Forests Act and deals with the establishment and management of national and local forests, conservation and protection of forests and trees, licensing and sale of forest products and other matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing. (G.G. No. 1084, Suppl., 14 September 1973, p. 327.)
Forest industries
BOTSWANA
Regulations of 1974 - Factories (Woodworking) govern the operation of sawmills and other factories, and building operations and engineering construction works for trade, business, industrial or commercial indertakings using woodworking machines: machine control, working space, floors, lighting, under ground rooms, wet sawing, training and supervision, use of saws, planing and other machines. (B.G.G. No. 24, 11 April 1974, p. C. 254.)
Afforestation and improvement works
ARGENTINA
Act No. 020.531 of 13 November 1973 concerns the protection, regeneration, improvement and development of forests and the protection of forest industries declared to be in the public interest. The Act restricts and regulates rights over public and private forests, requires that adequate supplies of wood be maintained. It deals with the constitution of national forests through purchase of existing ones; concentration and standardization of markets; regulation of trade in forest products; establishment of research and training centres; provision of investment, credit and technical assistance; creation of a National Institute of Forestry (assisted by a National Forestry Commission) to ensure programme implementation. (B.O. No. 22788 13 November 1973, p. 2.)
Decree No. 465 of 8 February 1974 awards benefits on investments in afforestation and reforestation works which conform to plans approved by the National Institute of Forests. (B.O. No. 22853, 14 February 1974, p. 4.)
PORTUGAL
Decree-Law No. 367/73 of 20 July 1973 deals with rules concerning the granting of state loans, subsidies and subventions to encourage tree plantations in private ownership, thereby promoting afforestation of land unsuitable for farming. (D. d. G. No. 169, 20 July 1973, p. 1283.)
Forest service
HUNGARY
Order No. 7/1974-MEM, 17 February 1974, of the Minister of Agriculture and Food on the training of qualified workers: concerns all agricultural, forestry and fishery cooperatives, establishments, undertakings, etc., under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, provides detailed instructions for training workers into qualified workers; repeals provisions still in force of Order No. 13/1970MEM of 9 May. (M.K. No. 11, 17 February 1974, p. 126.)
Trade
ECUADOR
Decree No. 0224 of 18 March 1974 regulates wood exports: they are all subject to specified regulations and the issuance of an export licence. (R.O. No. 521, 27 March 1974.)
Standardization and quality control
BELGIUM
Royal Decree of 19 April 1974 on measurement and classification of timber deals with rules for measurement by weight and volume and classification by size and quality. (M.D. No. 86, 4 May 1974, p. 6507.)
