Good Wood

The Philippines, once almost completely clothed in tropical rainforest, is running out of wood. Philippine furniture makers are complaining that prices for raw materials are rising and available wood does not meet demands. Plantations are not producing sufficient raw material, and timber permits for natural forests have been suspended. A four-month suspension of timber permits is allowing government authorities to inspect all operations for compliance with current logging rules. The underlying cause of the shortage is simply that the forests are gone: only about 3% of the original primary rainforest remains. In secondary forests, illegal logging and burning for clearance are rampant. This situation contrasts with Malaysia where restrictions on logging are helping preserve upland rainforest and rubber wood production is filling the demands of furniture makers.