Tropical Forest Foundation -- Reduced Impact Logging (South America)


About - History - Leadership - Board of Directors RIL - TFF Standard for Reduced Impact Logging - Cost/Benefits Study - South America - Asia - Congo Basin Mahogany Contributors - Corporate Sponsors - Partners Support TFF - Contributor's App. TFF Newsletters TFF Species Bulletins Press Releases/News/ Documents of Interest CITES Tomorrow's Forests Industry Can Help Consider This Links Contact Established in 1990, The Tropical Forest Foundation's Mission Statement is: TFF's primary mission is to promote sustainable tropical forest management by gathering and disseminating information about its benefits and by demonstrating and teaching proper management practices.		South America The Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) has initiated two major sustainable forest management projects in South America. The first project launched in 1994 in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Five demonstration models have been established in the major forestry regions of Pará and Mato Grosso. Pará is home to a training school where supervisors from timber companies and government agencies learn the principles and practices of Reduced Impact Logging (RIL). Since its inception, more than 1,400 individuals have been trained at the Fundação Floresta Tropical (FFT) facility. The highly successful training center in Brazil prompted TFF to launch a second project in Guyana. In 1999, TFF and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) spearheaded a similar training initiative that promotes RIL techniques. Together, TFF and GFC established the Forestry Training Centre (FTC) with the intention to make Guyana's forest industry more competitive while minimizing the impact of timber harvesting. These projects are sustained in large part by funding from the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS). In the Amazon Basin of Brazil, five demonstration models have been established in the major forestry regions in the states of Para and Mato Grosso. In Para a training school has been established where supervisors from timber companies and government agencies learn the principles and practices of RIL in order to teach them in their home regions. That program which is near completion has now conducted 15 schools involving more than 170 management level participants. This includes 12 candidates from Guyana where a RIL training program is also being developed. Sustainable Forest Management Project in Brazil *-- Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) Models --* The majority of wood produced in the Amazon is harvested without consideration for the sustainability of the forest. Currently, of the 30 million cubic meters of wood harvested annually in the region, 75% comes from legally-authorized deforestation programs, 20% from illegal sources, and only 5% from areas with forest management plans. The roots of this problem lie both within and beyond the forest sector and comprise social, economic, financial, legal, political, institutional, and technical concerns. Since 1995, the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) and its Brazilian subsidiary, Fundação Floresta Tropical (FFT), have been developing and implementing sustainable forest management (SFM) and reduced-impact logging (RIL) models at various locations throughout the Brazilian Amazon. Initiation of this program was made possible by a grant from the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and has been sustained through continued ITTO funding as well as numerous additional funding sources. The practical training offered by FFT fostered a strong interest in forest management and created a demand for skilled forestry personnel. Until 2001, FFT was the only organization that trained field personnel in Brazil. A number of regional programs were introduced, but the demand for forest management training was greater than the combined capacity of FFT and the newer training initiatives. In addition, funding for FFT programs came from annual grants which made long-term training programs implausible. Thus, FFT collaborated with the Brazilian government (GoB) and other partners to discuss the creation of a permanent Amazon forest management training center. In October 2001, FFT completed a proposal and business plan to establish the Instituto Floresta Tropical (IFT) that would absorb FFT's current program and evolve into a more sustainable long-term forest management training program. By April of 2002, the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA) had signed a letter of cooperation with FFT, thereby endorsing the creation of the IFT. To assist in these measures, ITTO issued FTT a second grant in June 2003 to both continue current training and develop a long-term, more sustainable training program. The grant will fund 38 practical, on- and off-site training courses targeting 410 forestry professionals at every level tailored to diverse needs and interests. It will also fund a project to promote awareness of and interest in SFM-RIL among forest stakeholders. Finally, the grant will support FFT in its mission to establish the IFT. Sustainable Forest Management Project in Brazil Costs/Benefits Analysis For more information, visit TFF Brazil. TFF Provides RIL Training for Guyana Forestry Officials In April 2003, the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF), in partnership with the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), launched a 2-year sustainable forest management (SFM) project in Guyana to establish a Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) training program. The project is directed by Peter van der Hout, who has been working in Guyana for 13 years, formerly with the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Tropenbos-Guyana Programme. He began working with TFF in 2001. The Guyana training program is an extension of TFF's successful sustainable tropical forest management program in Brazil. Guyana was chosen as the site for TFF's latest project in South America because more than 90% of the small, sparsely-populated country is covered by forests. Although timber harvesting has been expanding rapidly, Guyana has interest and motivation for adopting forest management and RIL practices. Accordingly, TFF and GFC created the Guyana Forest Training Centre (FTC) to make the country's forest industry more competitive while minimizing the impact of timber harvesting. Though the Guyana project is slated for 2 years, a permanent, Guyana-based training program is planned that will consist of six 2-week courses per year with 12 trainees in each course. TFF will collaborate with the Guyana Forestry commission, the Forest Products Association, Iwokrama, and Tropenbos to create a facility that would allow for demonstrations, encourage research, and provide technical assistance. TFF Provides RIL Training for Guyana Forestry Officials Tropical Forest Foundation Makes Inroads to Guyana Tropical Forest Foundation to set up Guyana project -- (PDF) For more information visit TFF Guyana.