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Fred Morgan
Sponsor
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Posted: Sun Feb 20th, 2005 12:48 am |
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By MINAE own admission, 25% of the trees harvested in Costa Rica are done illegally. MINAE recently had a scandal out in the San Carlos area where some of the officials were discovered (and currently awaiting trial in a not so cozy jail) taking bribes to look the other way.
In La Nacion recently - it said that MINAE is going to start using Satelite imaging to detect when illegal logging is occuring. This of course is a little like closing the barn door after the horses get out - but it will help catch the most flagrant violations.
Many times the rules about not cutting near streams and rivers is ignored and the trees are harvested anyway. However, recently, MINAE and the police have been stepping up inforcement of the need for permits. No permits, the confiscate the load. For years in Pital - there were no reports of violations, but after the police were replaced (and the MINAE officials were dealt with) there have been several loads confiscated.
What I didn't know until I read it in Al Dia was that the only times you are supposed to move wood is between 9 to 5 on weekdays - no other - and every log has to be tagged. I sure have seen (and heard) a lot of logging trucks at night.
One thing that MINAE has started to do that shows promise is that if they find logs without permits at a sawmill - they close the sawmill. Losing a load of logs is one thing, having a sawmill operation shutdown is another. There is a lot of capital invested in a sawmill - and if the sawmills won't accept logs without permits - there is no market. In the San Carlos area, in one month, 4 sawmills were shutdown.
It seems like at least in the San Carlos area that MINAE is getting serious. The future will tell just how effective it will be.
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Lumberdude
Member
| Joined: | Fri Feb 11th, 2005 |
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| Posts: | 16 |
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Posted: Sun Feb 20th, 2005 05:11 pm |
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| When I was visiting Sawmills in the Nicoya-GuanaCaste area, I noticed LOTS of tags on logs, but, not all logs are tagged. I could see where something had to be done to curtail cutting in protected areas. There are some very steep places that should never be cut. You wouldn't happen to know if ALL logs need tagging, or, just the protected species???
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Fred Morgan
Sponsor
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Posted: Sun Feb 20th, 2005 07:35 pm |
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According to Costa Rican law -ALL trees have a measure of protection now. Just because the tree is on your property does not mean that you can cut it.
There are 4 categories of trees from what I have been told.
1. "Field Trees" - these are trees that grow volunteer in pastures, etc. You normally don't have to get permission to cut them. These are trees that regenerate fine in fields. It isn't just that they grow in the fields, but are also common.
2. Fine Wood - These are valuable trees - you are not allowed to cut ANYTHING withing 15 meters of a water way - or 50 meters if it is a steep bank to a waterway. These trees are harvestable - but there is never any guarantee. One of these trees could end up on the next category - depending on scarcity.
3. Endangered Trees - These are trees like tempisque, almendro and others that are so rare now that you are not allow to cut them until they are dead. The law preserves them for seed trees. If you are discovered cutting one of these trees you will probably end up having a prolonged time in the local jail.
4. Plantation trees - you are allowed to cut plantation trees - i.e. trees you plant yourself.
Everything besides the first category has to be tagged - after being approved. Costa Rica is very strict about these laws - but the enforcement is a little spotty at times but getting better. It is possible too that the first category should be tagged as well, not sure. I hire a forestry engineer to determine what should be cut and to file the paper work - it isn't that expensive to do.
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