State of Forestry Industries
Over the past decades, the main activity was the extraction of Timber and products for round log export of commercial species. Logging activities started in the 1930s’ on crown land and continued to intensified until 1980s’ when all crown land have been completely exhausted. In the late 1980s’ the Logging Industry started to enter into the Customary Land with arrangement and contract made directly with Resource owners. This was when heavy extraction and exploitation occurred well above the sustainable allowable cut. In 2005 Round Log export increases dramatically to reach 1 million cubic meters which is 4 times the sustainable rate of harvesting. This rate of extraction causes rapid depletion of the Natural Commercial stand. A National Inventory was carried in 2006, to assess the remaining commercial stand and a wood flow projection was produced. The scenario produced, predicted a rapid depletion of the commercial forest stand volume and by 2010 and complete depletion by 2015. This is the present scenario of the Timber industry of Solomon Islands.