BAI SHAN LIN

It is not that Glenn Lall does not love the President of Guyana; he loves him like a brother. It is just that he loves Guyana more.
There is no one that I have met in my lifetime who is as concerned about the future of Guyana as Glenn Lall, the publisher of this newspaper. It is this love for the country in which he was born and raised that has allowed him to pursue so relentlessly issues that he feels are capable of endangering the future of Guyana.
The concerns that this newspaper has been expressing over the forestry activities of Bai Shan Lin should not be confused with any conspiracy being hatched against the government. Instead of leveling charges of conspiracy against this newspaper, the President should be addressing the concerns that have been exposed herein.
What are these concerns?
The first concern is that logs are being exported out of Guyana for processing as far as China. While Guyana’s high energy costs would have no doubt contributed to the need to export logs rather than process them locally, the fact that the logs are being sent as far as away as China begs the question as to whether Bai Shan Lin has any interest at all in establishing sawmilling facilities to eventually process logs locally.
That company certainly has the financial clout to finance, as a private venture, the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project. This is something that the government should be exploring, so that cheap energy can be available to process the logs locally.
It is accepted that any logging company must cut first before it processes; it must stockpile logs before it begins any processing operations. But from the evidence that Kaieteur News has presented, it does seem as if the emphasis is on log exports rather than processing. The President of Guyana should address this concern.
The second concern is whether Bai Shan Lin’s operations are being properly monitored and regulated. The Guyana Forestry Commission is contending that it has been monitoring deforestation rates. It has, however, not provided any data on these rates, and specifically on Bai Shan Lin, so that an assessment can be made about whether the company is engaged in sustainable forestry practices.
By addressing this concern as to the rate of deforestation nationally, and by the company, the President should be able to satisfy Guyanese that our forests’ resources are not being exploited in an unsustainable way.
The third concern is related to the above. It is about ensuring sustainable forestry practices. Bai Shan Lin should be encouraged to launch a project in which it will replant a tree for every tree that it cuts down. In fact this should be the responsibility of all logging companies in Guyana. If you are going to cut trees you should be replanting.
The fourth concern is the availability of certain species for those manufacturers who utilize local logs. Many local timber companies have imperiled their own future by becoming buyers from private individuals and community associations engaged in logging.
Over the past ten years, timber companies have become reliant on chainsaw operators. Most timber companies, instead of engaging in their own logging, have been purchasing timber from these chainsaw operators whose numbers have multiplied because of the development of what is called “mobile saw mills.”  The fear of many of these local timber companies is that Bai Shan Lin will corner the local market because of their association with community logging associations and this will leave these local timber magnates, who are undertaking limited or no logging, without any supplies, since Bai Shan Lin could buy whatever these chainsaw operators and mobile sawmillers produce.
The President should work to ensure that local loggers are assured an adequate supply of logs, but he should also insist that Bai Shan Lin enter the domestic market so as to reduce prices. Those who control local timber sales are bound to resist this entry, but the President should insist on this in the interest of consumers.
The government is under no obligation to provide the Guyana Manufacturers Association with a copy of the contract and other documents relating to the deal with Bai Shan Lin. Those contracts would no doubt detail commercial information about the company’s plans and financial projections, and these should be kept confidential. But certainly a sanitized version of the contract detailing the size of the forestry concession and the allowable rates of exploitation should be provided to the National Assembly, so that there can be some oversight of this company’s operations in Guyana. The President should address this concern also.