Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL)
Conventional logging methods often cause much disturbance and damage to the forest floor and the forest vegetation. Excessive logging leads to erosion and reduces species diversity and regenerative capacity of the forest.
Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) focuses on reducing the environmental damage by supplying harvesting guidelines and techniques for timber production optimization. Parts of RIL are:
- 100% pre-harvest inventory and mapping
- selection and marking of the trees that are yet to be felled
- pre-harvest planning of forest roads, skid trails and landings
- cutting of lianas
- improved cutting techniques (directional felling, low stumps as much as possible, reducing waste wood)
- winching of logs, heavy machinery remain on skid trails
- safe use of the machinery and chainsaw.
The implementation of RIL techniques involve cost, but these are less (less damage to the forest, construction of less roads, less erosion, improved water quality, faster regeneration of the forest).
A National Code of Practice reflects the agreements which were reached within the framework of RIL. Suriname has no national code of practice. Neighboring Guyana does have a Code of Practice.
The FAO has developed a general model for a Code of Practice..
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FAO model code of forest harvesting practice |
In October 2003, as part of the CDE program [[Sustainable Forest Management [[a RIL-course was given by the Forest Training Centre Inc.. (FTCI, Guyana). This training, in which participants from industry, SBB and CELOS participated, took place at Ansoe NV More RIL training courses are needed.
Rapport CDE training in RIL Suriname
(source: USA-Fed, ITTO, IWOKRAMA, FTCI)