Long term licenses and its role in harvesting Belize’s timber and forest resources in a sustainable manner

By Hugh O’Brien: “Safeguarding Belize’s forests through responsible harvesting, restoration and sustainable forest management”

Belize’s forests are undeniably among the country’s most valuable natural resources, providing a wide variety of timber and exotic woods, habitat for wildlife and endangered species, clean water for drinking, irrigation and other purposes, carbon storage/sequestration, and growing opportunities for tourism and recreation. Our nation’s forests are under severe pressure from agriculture expansion, inclusive of small-scale farming, cattle ranching and commercial grain production, the need for residential expansion particularly in the rural areas, and the unsustainable timber harvesting techniques practiced by the timber industry. The pressure has become so great that areas once set aside and protected as forest reserves have gradually been, and continues to be, chipped away. Sustainable management of our very valuable forests is essential to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of both present and future generations.

Sustainable forestry is often misunderstood. Many people assume that harvesting timber and conserving forests are opposing goals. They are not. When forests are managed scientifically, timber harvesting becomes one of the tools used to keep forests healthy, productive, and capable of providing the ecological, social, and economic benefits previously mentioned for generations to come.

In the mid 1990’s while teaching at the Belize College of Agriculture (BCA then now the Central Farm Campus of the University of Belize), I had the pleasure of taking my students each year on a field trip to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve where we studied the different soils that formed from the granite and limestone formations in the area. On three (3) or (4) of those field trips, the BCA students and myself were pioneering witnesses to the launch of the 40-year cutting cycle for managing and harvesting pine trees in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. This 40-year rotation system of management was designed by some British forestry experts (I can’t remember their name) who were in the country at that time, and the then Chief Forest Officer Mr. Richard Belisle accompanied us on a couple of these field trips and explained how the scientific harvesting system was designed to work.

Up until today, the 40-year cutting cycle remains one of Belize’s most important forest management tools particularly for the Caribbean Pine. Rather than clear-cutting forests, only a portion (1/40th on an average) is harvested during each cycle, balancing timber production with biodiversity conservation and long-term forest health. Where scientific evidence shows faster growth rates, the cutting cycle may be adjusted by a certified forester.

Only mature trees that have reached the minimum cutting diameter, and are suitable for commercial use, are removed. The best, most vigorous and healthiest trees are selected to remain as mother or seed trees, hopefully producing much stronger offsprings for later harvest. The cutting cycle provides enough time for this tree species to mature and replace those that were removed. After harvesting sustainably, the area continues to be sustainably managed while the remaining trees grow and new seedlings develop.

Every harvest begins with a detailed forest inventory. Trained foresters assess the species, sizes, and abundance of trees before determining how much timber can be harvested sustainably. Roads and skid trails are carefully planned to minimize impacts on soils, waterways, and surrounding vegetation, and once harvesting is complete, the forest is monitored throughout its regeneration.

However, sustainable forestry does not mean simply harvesting a forest and leaving it alone for so many years. Pine ecosystems require continuous management and intervention. Wildfires, bark beetle infestations, hurricanes, invasive vegetation, and overcrowded stands all threaten the long-term health of the forest.
Another essential practice is thinning. Weaker, diseased, or overcrowded trees are selectively removed to reduce competition, allowing healthier trees to develop into high-quality timber. Many of the trees removed during thinning can be utilized for products such as fence posts rather than being left on the forest floor.
Prescribed burning is another essential management practice. Carefully planned and controlled fires reduce hazardous fuel loads, promote pine regeneration, recycle nutrients, and help prevent the catastrophic wildfires that have become increasingly common. (We will talk about prescribed burning in more detail in a future article.)

This system offers many environmental benefits. Because only selected trees are removed, most of the forest canopy remains intact, preserving habitats for birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and other wildlife. The remaining vegetation helps prevent soil erosion, protects water quality in rivers and streams, and maintains the natural beauty of the landscape. The forest also continues to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reduce the impacts of climate change.

The economic benefits are equally important. By allowing forests sufficient time to regenerate, Belize can maintain a continuous supply of valuable timber without exhausting its natural resources. This supports the forestry industry, creates employment opportunities, and provides income for local communities while ensuring that future generations will also benefit from healthy and productive forests. Sustainable harvesting also increases the value of Belize’s forest products by demonstrating that they are produced using environmentally responsible practices. Ideally, under a well-managed system, Belize should be able to supply the lumber market without having to rely on pine importation. While it may be easier to import and resell lumber, investing in the sustainable management of our forests is what ensures they continue to provide economic benefits for generations to come.

Although this management system has proven successful, it also faces several challenges. Illegal logging, forest fires, hurricanes, pests, diseases, and the effects of climate change can all damage forests before they complete their recovery period. Effective enforcement of forestry regulations, regular monitoring, scientific research, and community participation are therefore essential to ensure that the rotation cycle continues to achieve its objectives.

Sustainable forest management cannot be achieved through short-term thinking. It requires decades of planning, investment, monitoring, protection and restoration. For that reason, I am an advocate of dividing the country’s forest resources into a large enough number of management areas and using a transparent process to tender out the management of these areas. I am also an advocate of the issuance of long-term licenses as a tool to harvest and manage Belize’s timber resources in a sustainable manner. I am not an advocate of simply issuing a license to anyone for them to use as a tool to negotiate and sell the license. I am also not an advocate of issuing long term licenses to holders who are involved in illegal harvesting, bribing of public officials and constantly breaking the law.

Sustainable forestry management in the ‘Jewel’ is severely affected by accusations of corruption at various levels in the forestry department and allegations that party loyalists and close friends and families of senior public officials are receiving long term permits without having experience or demonstrating adequate ability to manage the forest on a long term basis. Decisions to approve or disapprove petty and other permits take far too long thereby complicating matters further. It is also no secret that there are hoards of illegal logging occurring across the country and that our forest resources are being depleted rapidly and that there are only a handful of examples of companies that are properly managing the portion of forest granted to them in their license. I pause to recognize two (2) such companies that I know who are doing so – the first is Programme for Belize operating in northern Belize and the other is Bulridge Company Ltd. operating in Central Belize.

The future of Belize’s forests will not be determined by how much timber we harvest today, but by how well we manage the forests that remain for generations to come.

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