ASIAPRIMA RCF SDN BHD

A company committed to the FSC principles and criteria

SUMMARY OF FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN

FOR KONSORTIUM PERHUTANAN MAKMUR’S CONCESSION AREA IN KEMASUL

PERMANENT FOREST ESTATE, MENTAKAB, PAHANG, MALAYSIA

INTRODUCTION

As all of the existing A.mangium trees planted under the CFPP have been extracted, the current PFMP version 1.3 is now updated and revised as PFMP version 1.4 dated October, 2011, as plantation activities are now more focused on managing the second crop of A. mangium planting for chiplog production. This PFMP contains a comprehensive list of instructions and plan of actions that will be used by Asiaprima RCF Sdn Bhd (ARCF) to develop and manage, on a sustainable basis, existing Acacia mangium forest plantation in part of the Kemasul Forest Reserve, in the District of Temerluh, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia.

As a living document to be utilized for a long period of time, this PFMP is flexible and subject to periodic reviews and should be amended throughout its years of application in order to accommodate the necessary changes brought about by latest data, findings, observations, ideas and experiences.

BACKGROUND

The State Government of Pahang Darul Makmur, through its Director of Forestry has consented to grant a 60-year lease to Konsortium Perhutanan Makmur Sdn Bhd (KPM), to manage and develop parts of the existing government-owned Acacia mangium Compensatory Forest Plantation Project (CFPP) in Kemasul Forest Reserve. KPM in turn has appointed Asiaprima RCF Sdn Bhd (ARCF) as its sole management contractor to conduct all the relevant management prescriptions and development work for the entire area.

MISSION

· The main mission of ARCF in the project is to convert the whole of the existing first crop of Acacia mangium CFPP into a better, higher-yielding, well-managed and sustainable industrial tree plantation (ITS) through a private sector-driven initiative and recognized by local and international certifying bodies.

· To harvest, replant and manage the whole concession area over a period of 60 years based on 7-year harvesting cycles in line with sustainable forestry management practices with minimal impact on the environment.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this plantation project are:

· To secure a sustained supply of Acacia mangium wood raw material in the form of chiplogs within the shortest timeframe possible.

· To participate in the State Government’s on-going drive to ensure the supply of quality timber raw material and the country’s sustainable development.

· To re-establish the A. mangium plantation and intercrop with suitable high-value species to help restore the poorer and degraded areas and hence maximize the per hectare productivity of the land.

· To enlist the support and involvement of local community, relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to help maintain the integrity of the state’s system of forest reserves.

· To ensure the safety of wildlife and the environment through well thought-out logging and plantation re-establishment strategies

· To develop and refine knowledge and science of industrial forest plantations particularly on second crop Acacia mangium

· To earn income through immediate, medium and long-term activities to start off and sustain the plantation project through to its maturity, and

· To make KPM and its associate as renown and active parties in sustainable forest management.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

Logging/Harvesting

The salvage logging operation on the existing first crop of Acacia mangium, which will be followed immediately by site preparation activities, will be carried out in stages in Logging Blocks (LB) of 400 hectares each and the plantation re-establishment activities will be conducted within Planting Blocks (PB) of 100 hectares. Not every part of the concession area will be cleared and subject to plantation re-establishment. Buffer zones, sensitive slopes and sites, permanent river embankments, protected areas (if any) such as genetic resource conservation area (GRA), areas containing pockets of high conservation value (HCV) species and protection forest, recreation and touristic areas and areas of special interests will be accordingly identified, delineated, marked on the ground, mapped and conserved for their non-timber values and services

The annual allowable coupe (AAC) for the concession area is 469.64 hectares for the 7-year cycle.

Plantation Re-establishment

Plantation re-establishment activities will be guided by the company’s plantation programme that takes into consideration the following aspects:

· The conditions of the existing Acacia mangium forest plantation, general topography, soil types and suitability and physical environment.

· Benefit/ cost consideration.

· Availability, quantity and placement of functioning infrastructure, plantation tools and machinery, materials, forest nursery and technology.

· Availability of skilled and informed manpower.

· Protection of forest ecosystem and wildlife.

Salvage logging operation on the existing Acacia mangium stands and planting reestablishment will make full use of the existing old forest roads which will be upgraded to allow for use over an extended period of time.

Description of the Project Area:

The concession area consist of four (4) major blocks with smaller sub-blocks coded and numbered based on the years they were alienated and planted by the Forestry Department. The 4 blocks are:

· Block 1, consisting of compartment 1/89 and parts of compartments C3/87, B1/87, B2/87 with total acreage of approx. 1,270 hectares (3,138 acres)

· Block 2, consisting of compartments B3/87 and 3/89 with total acreage of approx. 1,345 hectares (3,324 acres)

· Block 3, consisting of compartment A3/87 with total acreage of approx. 549 hectares (1,357 acres) and

· Block 4, consisting of compartment A/86 with total acreage of approx. 983 hectares (2,428 acres).

Foundation for Re-establishment of Plantation

The total area of approx. 4,046 hectares will be cleared in stages over a period of approximately 7 to 10 years from now. Inside each LB, planting blocks (PB) of 100 hectares each will be demarcated and will be replanted immediately upon completion of logging and site preparation works i.e. at about the same time the logging team moves to the next LB. The designation of logging blocks into 100 hectares sizes are purely administrative as it is tied to the payment of premium and deposit to the State Forestry Department.

Conceptual Planning Approach:

Species Selection

The concession area had been planted with Acacia mangium only although other species such as Pine, Batai and Yemane were also planted on smaller scales in other parts of the Kemasul F.R., outside of ARCF’s area. As of now, the plantation re-establishment will replant Acacia mangium as its species of choice as stipulated in the conditions for Regeneration by the Forestry Department.

(In the event that we decide to shift away from Acacia mangium in the future, there is a host of species to choose from. Some of the notable examples include: (a) Hevea tree (timber clones) (b) Meranti (Shorea spp), (c) Teak (Tectona grandis), (d) Mahogany (Swietenia macrphylla), (d) Kedondong (species of Santiria and Dacryodes), (e) Jelutong (Dyera costulata), (f) Perah (Elateriospermum tapos), (g) Kelempayan (Anthocephalus cadamba)) and Rubber (Havea brasiliensis).

Site Preparation

It is the company’s responsibility to ensure that the following points are met during site preparation, i.e. consistent with the principles of SFM and multiplicity of uses of the forestland:

· Site preparation will not be considered in isolation but as part of an inter-connected and inter-dependent network of activities in the plantation re-establishment process. As such it will be tied into higher-level plans and be coordinated with other site treatments

· The site preparation method (and its appropriate alternatives) will be clearly stated and followed in earnest.

· Site preparation will be ecologically based, suitable for the species and the site.

· Site preparation will not cause detrimental or excessive soil disturbance, but will be carried out in a timely fashion and under appropriate site and seasonal conditions, consistent with the specified soil/ forest floor disturbance limits.

· Site preparation prescriptions will consider integrated resource management issues such as enhancement of wildlife cover and browse species, biodiversity and other land use issues such as cultural heritage sites and unique recreational features. It will also be sensitive to other management issues such as the spread of noxious weeds and diseases.

Approaches to Site Preparation

Based on the data gathered from the Reconnaissance Survey of the area, the whole Project site of 4 Blocks will be zoned up into: (I) Production Areas and (II) Non-Production Areas. Production Areas are destined for timber production purposes whereas Non-Production Areas are those managed for non-timber producing purposes such as: (i) Seed stand, (ii) Soil reclaimation, (iii) Research Forests, (iv) Education and Amenity Forest, (v) High Conservation Value Forests, and (vi) Buffer zones.

Forest stands identified as Production Areas will be further stratified into 3 categories: (i) Very high stocking area; (ii) Moderately high stocking area; (iii) Very poor and degraded areas with blanks patches.

For very high stocking areas, salvage logging and site preparation will be a straightforward affair as every single tree in the stand is cut and removed, albeit in an environmentally friendly and orderly manner. In very poor and degraded areas, virtually no timber output will be anticipated. Instead, planting using nursery-raised seedlings or those transplanted from the high-stocking areas will need to be undertaken in line with the company’s objective of maximizing outturn through the utilization of all available land and turning these lands into highly productive use.

Road Construction

The construction of forest roads and infrastructure for forestry operation will be done based on the standards specified in the “Forest Road Specifications for Peninsular Malaysia 1999” and in Chapter 11 of “Forestry Manual for Peninsular Malaysia 1953 (Amendment 1995): Forest Road and Drainage Systems”.

Primary Roads/ Permanent Access Roads:

These are the main access and primary roads into the forest plantation areas from the public road system. Road density will be kept at a density of 40m/ ha with grades not exceeding 1:10.

- Secondary Roads:

These provide the access from the primary roads into the compartments/ planting blocks (PB). Secondary roads will be constructed mainly along ridgelines or along PB boundaries. They will be well compacted but graveled only in wet places. Typically secondary roads will be constructed as land is cleared, and to serve as firebreaks.

- Tertiary Roads:

These provide access within the compartments/PB themselves for the purposes of salvage logging and plantation establishment and maintenance. These tracks will be formed by blade scraping only to the width of 2-2.5 meters.

Silvicultural Operation: Timber Stand Improvement (TSI)  

The main objective of the forest plantation project is for the production of both chip-grade timbers and sawlogs. In view of this, all of the subsequent silvicultural treatments and tending schedules will be planned and implemented with that objective in mind.

The initial stocking at the successful completion of planting will be 2,500 seedlings (2m x 2 m spacing) per hectare. Silviculture treatment schedule for these stands involves singling about 6 months after planting. Weeding is a regular treatment until the canopy closes. Fertilizing is important to achieve good tree increments. In replanting, the first weeding should be done within six months after out-planting. Weeding of noxious plants such as climbers, creepers and vines is recommended, but less harmful weeds can be left in the field to maintain lateral competition. The number of follow-up weedings will depend upon each site.

General Silvicultural Schedule for New Plantation

Treatment	Age	Activity	Remarks
Treatment 1	3 months	Planting, singling & fertilizing	Spacing 2m x 2m = 2500 stems/ha. All climbers within 45cm radius around seedlings to be uprooted.
Treatment 2	1 year	General slashing, vacancy planting & weeding	Weeding is needed until canopy closure. New acacia seedlings to be removed.
Final Felling	7 years	Final felling	Remove all trees as chip logs.

Summary of Targeted Growth Parameter

Plantation will be established using high quality of improved genetic materials to achieve the following targeted growth parameters:

Parameter	Targeted value
Rotation length	7 years
Initial stocking at 2m x 2m	2,500 trees per ha
Standing volume	0.1555 m^3 per tree
Estimated final stocking at Year 7	900 trees per ha
Standing stock new planted stands	140 m^3 per ha
MAI new planted stands	20 m^3 /ha/a

MONITORING PLAN

The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of planned activities is a standard component of the overall forest management system described in this Forest Management Plan. Continuous M&E activities shall systematically observe the implementation activities, their effects and frame conditions on the basis of plans, targets and objectives (FMP), followed by a documentation of the relevant data and information collected, and a subsequent evaluation of the achievement of scheduled activities.

The monitoring objectives include

· the control of forest operations adherence to SOPs, including the performance of own staff and contractors

· the identification of under- or over-achievements, to determine the causes and to take action to rectify the situation through future plan adjustment

· the detection of inefficiencies, shortcomings, and fraud

· the provision of information for future revision of the Forest Management Plan,

The results of the M&E activities will be presented and discussed with relevant managers for corrective action and improvement, as considered necessary.

PLAN REVIEW

Over the plan period the economic, environmental and social situation, resource conditions, company policies and management strategies, as well as the scope of forest operations, and technical procedures will be subject to certain changes. The FMP will need to be adapted to reflect the actual situation and to ensure that the planning framework does not become obsolete. In order to accommodate such changes to the conditions of resource management a review of the FMP is proposed at the end of each rotation.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The successful implementation of this Forest Management Plan for Konsortium Perhutanan Makmur Sdn Bhd will lead to a well-managed forest that is subject to regular independent third party evaluation for compliance with the ecological, social and economic requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The forest operations will provide ample opportunities for the local people to develop skills and increase their well-being through direct employment or employment with contractors, and through various spin-off effects of the plantation operation, wood based industries, and general service sectors. The company’s commitment to responsible forest resource management will further protect social and environmental values within and adjacent to the plantation area.

All these efforts will eventually contribute to achieve the vision formulated for the Konsortium Perhutanan Makmur Sdn Bhd in this plan.