Background
Realising
the reality of forest depletion, the Sabah Forestry Department
with technical support from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ)
of Germany,
have developed a management system aimed at sustainable production of timber
for logged over forestlands in 1989.
The system requires substantial investments in forest planning,
infrastructure, low impact harvesting equipment, and training of foresters,
managers and forest workers in new techniques.
The
objective is to begin the application of ecologically and scientifically
acceptable forest
management to the logged- over
Commercial Forest Reserves of Sabah.
The intent is to manage the commercial forest reserves in a way that
mimics natural processes for production of low volume, high quality, high
priced timber products.
Sustainability is defined in terms of balance nutrient cycles, forest
structure, biodiversity, forest function and socio-economic needs.
Deramakot
FR was chosen as the site for a model forest for SFM
(see
seminar paper on SFM here).
Why
Deramakot?
Deramakot
Forest Reserve
is 55, 083 hectares of Mixed Dipterocarp Forest.
The forest had been logged at
least once with subsequent silvicultural treatment (i.e. poison girdling)
before the commencement of sustainable
forest management (SFM).
Past forest management practices have resulted in a very heterogeneous
stand types and a patchwork of different stocking conditions.
Only 20% of the area is considered well stocked and more than 30% is
covered by very poor forest with virtually no mature growing stock left.
Apart from some small human settlements that are located at the fringes
of the Reserve, the entire forest area is uninhabited.
These
characteristics have made Deramakot an ideal site as a SFM model.
As
dictated by a Comprehensive Forest Management Plan, about 51,000 ha of the
area is set aside for log production and the remaining 4,000 ha for conservation.
