Timber treatment is now a topic of national interest in Fiji. Last week, the Fijian government issued a new Biosecurity (Infested Controlled Areas) Order targeting key regions, including Ba, Labasa, Lautoka, and Nadi, as part of ongoing efforts to manage the Asian Subterranean Termite infestations.
This order, authorised by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka under section 70(1) of the Biosecurity Act 2008, explicitly prohibits the movement of any materials harbouring these pests.
“This restriction encompasses a wide variety of items, such as nests, soil, potted plants, timber, logs, wooden furniture, live plants, and harvested crops. Such measures are crucial as the Asian Subterranean Termite is known to cause significant damage to wooden structures and live plants, leading to serious economic impacts for local communities.”
“Furthermore, this regulatory context aligns with previous declarations made by the government, particularly concerning areas like Nakasi and Davuilevu, which have also been classified as biosecurity emergency zones due to similar infestations. Earlier initiatives involved strict measures prohibiting the transport of any stage of the termite, including eggs, without the explicit permission from the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji.”
It comes after local businesses in Labasa, a hotspot for termites, warned that the cost of timber has jumped fivefold from pre-COVID levels, forcing buildings to switch out timber for steel-based alternatives.
In October, Alitia Banivalu, Fiji’s Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, flagged concerns with insufficiently treated timber, advising that “the main purpose of treating timber with chemicals is so that they can last longer in service and to avoid termites.”
Minister Bainivalu said that many timber species, including pine, will not be suitable for use in exposed and ground-contact situations without treatment. Adding chemicals, which is only part of the solution, requires more care to ensure the proper specification of timbers used in designing buildings, especially against termites.
In response, Semi Koroilavesau—a member of the FijiFirst opposition and the long-time Minister for Fisheries—argued that people who live in rural areas should not always rely on chemicals and should instead “utilise traditional knowledge of conserving timber to last longer.”
The concerns came after Minister Bainivalu warned that a number of hardware stores were misleading customers with labelling on timber products.
- To learn more about the Fijian forest industry, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
