Government lifts timber ban
After 1st January announcement by the President imposing a ban on timber exploitation, a careful review of situation has been carried out and  the Government has come up with policy measures to ensure a sustainable beneficial timber business in Sierra Leone. The notice states: The ban is lifted on the exploitation, transportation and processing of timber with immediate effect for domestic market ONLY.
Export of any timber from Sierra Leone is banned until further notice. Â However, 157 containers deposited at the quay prior to 31 December 2009, and for which export permits have been given, will be allowed to ship at the new budget rate of US$10,000 per 20ft container.
The notice also went on to state that all owners of timber impounded at various check-points must verify their legality at the check-points before being released. These measures have been taken to address the current high level of environmental degradation resulting from the uncontrolled illegal harvesting and export of timber currently taking place, while the public is advised to contact the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture for further details.
The ban, which created a lot of hardship for the domestic wood market, resulting in the scarcity of planks for furniture, coffins and woodwork, such as roofing and other activities, was lifted just as the Agricultural Community and Timber Development Association (ACOTIDA), including carpenters and others, were to protest over the ban. The Association had been denied permission to protest in the streets, but the unhappy citizens had vowed to do so any way.
However, the lifting of the ban changed the direction of events and  ACOTIDA’s chairman Abubakarr Barrie (Alan Barrie) stated they are happy that domestic materials will be available once again, although he expressed his dismay at the contents of the Public Notice which states that every 20ft container now at the quay must pay $10,000 before export whether they had earlier paid or not. He explained that the cost of this load of container when sold in Europe is $11,000 and this means that they will be running at a loss.
He also explained that they are ready to co-operate with Government, so that foreigners will not exploit the forest without doing anything about it, while disclosing that they had always been nursing tree seedlings but Government took only 5,000 from them for the national tree planting exercise on June 5, 2009, which cost Government about Le50m to the organizations but nothing was given to ACOTIDA who had nursed the tree seedlings.
“We have 6,000 seedlings which the Guma Valley Water Company needed for their water catchments area and we asked the Agriculture Minister for only Le7m for the tree seedlings but they said they there was no money!,†the chairman explained.
The Chairman stated that Government has given them polythene bags and tools to nurse 36,000 trees at Kent and divulged that Government had approved only 50 power saws for the whole country under ACOTIDA, while about 550 power saws were operating in the country.
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