The Solomon Islands wants to sell controlled-source tropical timber to the world, with the Solomon Islands Timber Processors and Exporters Association (SITPEA), a body that represents up to 17 small timber processors, amongst the first to receive PEFC chain-of-custody certification for its sawn timber.
Today, Wood Central spoke to Malcolm Scott, the long-time chair of the New Zealand Tropical Timber Importers Group (NZTTIG), who has been working closely with local timber processors and exporters for more than a decade to help meet the PEFC controlled-source criteria.
“NZITTG has, since 2015, been pushing hard to source third-party legally verified timber products from the Solomons,” Scott said, “so it was with great relief that PEFC terms and conditions have now been met by three exporters…with another three or four likely to join later this year or next.”
According to Simon Dorries, CEO of Responsible Wood (PEFC’s national governing body in Australia), the milestone is a “monumental” achievement for the development of sustainable forest management and timber legality not only in the Solomon Islands but across the wider Pacific region.
“Whilst the Solomons do not have a sustainable forest management standard (yet), the Soil Association (the independent certification body) have conducted due diligence on the sites, allowing the products to be sold as PEFC-controlled source,” he said.
“Importantly, PEFC controlled source is recognised under the Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation and the New Zealand Legal Harvest Assurance (LHA) system,” Dorries stressed, which in effect means that the Solomons now have a clear pathway into the Australian, NZ and global markets too. “In addition to SITPEA, a group scheme that captures small-sized timber companies in the Solomon supply chain, Top Timber is a medium-sized processor and exporter.”
It comes as Wood Central last year reported on the growing momentum for certification not only in the Solomon Islands but also across the wider Pacific. “Sawn timber is an important source of income and jobs for Solomon Islanders, and SITPEA is positioning Solomon Islands as a trusted source of certified, high-value timber,” according to Rod Hilton, Australian High Commissioner for the Solomon Islands, with PEFC (and/or FSC) certification instrumental in gaining access to Australia, New Zealand as well as into Asia, Europe and America.
“Certification isn’t just about meeting market standards – it’s about building trust, improving livelihoods, and protecting our forests,” according to Adam Bartlett, SITPEA Chair, who has worked with the NZITTG, Responsible Wood, Pharma Plus and PEFC International to grow chain of custody scheme in the region. “We are committed to expanding timber certification and strengthening our industry practices.”
Forestry is a major export industry for the Solomon Islands with the Timber Trade Portal reporting that up to 65% of the Islands export revenue was tied to forest products.
The push for certification comes amid rising Chinese engagement in the Solomon Islands’ forestry sector, which accounted for more than 87% of the Solomon Islands’ log trade in 2016. Already, China is using timber and bamboo diplomacy to deepen its economic and strategic ties with the Pacific nation, which in July saw eleven Solomon Islands forestry officers—including Chief Forester Christina Gabuvai—return from a two-month intensive training program in China aimed at strengthening the country’s downstream timber processing capacity.
“In Solomon Islands, forest coverage is around 90%, and most of the country’s revenue comes from logging, with limited development of downstream products,” Gabuvai told China Daily. “I joined this seminar because the government of Solomon Islands recognised the importance of this training. Here, I’ve gained new ideas and skills, including how to transform timber into value-added products.”
- For more information about timber opportunities in the Pacific, a $1 billion-plus market for tropical timber, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from October 2023.
