FAO Forestry country profiles - forest management

Trends

The principal trends in forest management relate to increased efforts to control unsustainable logging. To date, it is fair to say that efforts have been met with only modest success and it seems that the majority of merchantable forests will be harvested before sustainable forest management has a chance to really take hold. Significant interest has been shown in small community-based forest management projects producing eco-timber. In due course these initiatives are likely to constitute a significant component of a much-reduced Solomon Islands timber industry, along with privately-owned plantation forests.

Promotion of sustainable forest management

A range of programmes in support of sustainable forest management have been implemented in the Solomon Islands during the past decade. The development of a National Code of Practice for Timber Harvesting is one of the most notable, but others are also contributing significantly to the improvement of forest management. The implementation of a Solomon Islands Forest Resource Inventory in the early 1990s has significantly assisted in forest planning, despite difficulties in having its results and recommendations formally accepted. Several companies and communities have achieved third party certification or are otherwise involved in ¿eco-timber¿ initiatives. Privatization of forestry plantations is expected to result in improved management in areas that have been transferred to the private sector.