Timber Utilization and Processing Division

Ms. Stephanie Rikoi, Acting Director,

Tel : 24215/24505, Email : srikoi@mofr.gov.sb

The division was only a section under then the Forest Industry and Utilization Division, having been established in 2010 to oversee the processing side of the Forest Industry in the country. Following the approval by the Ministry of Public Service in 2012, the Utilization Section submitted its own recurrent budget and for the first time operated as the Utilization Division in 2013.

The core functions of the Utilization Division as stipulated in the NACRA Government forest policy statement is to “Promote downstream processing and marketing system of eco-timber for both local sales and export by national sawmill owners”. The Division in meeting the above forest policy statement has set up the following objectives;

• Assist and encourage the downstream processing of timber and to create value added products for increased benefit to resource owners.
• Encourage the sustainable harvesting of the remaining forests.
• Provide empowerment to rural communities in sustainable forest management, sawing techniques, timber grading and marketing by facilitating training and giving technical advice to saw millers throughout the country.
• Ensuring compliance to section 18 and 5C of the Forest and Timber Utilization Act which requires all saw millers to have a valid saw milling license.
• Develop policies and procedures for the implementing of the downstream processing project.

1. Manage, implement and monitor the Downstream Processing Project.
2. Implement and involve the Solomon Islands Timber Grading Rules.
3. Enforce compliance to timber legality requirements.
4. Provide training on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and encourage Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.
5. Promote and Encourage Chain of Custody (CoC) to timber saw millers.
6. Facilitate applications for issue of Milling licenses.
7. Monitor and ensure compliance to “Milling Licenses” conditions by saw millers.
8. Implement and monitor compliance to 8% milling quota by logging companies.
9. Facilitate applications for export sawn timbers.
10. Liaise to ensure Value Added Timber Association (VATA) to market sawn timber and provide saw doctoring services to saw millers.
11. Manage and maintain sawn timber database.