Malaysia: Committed to Sustainable Forest Management

PRF

The “Permanent Reserved Forests” (PRF) are the cornerstone of sustainable forest management in Malaysia. The PRF are managed for multiple use, including protected forests, sustainable timber production forests, plantation forests, and wildlife sanctuaries.

Logging Practices

100% of Blue Star timber comes from designated timber concessions within the PRF. Contracts to harvest timber are obtained through an open public bidding process similar to the one employed by the U.S. Forest Service.

All harvesting activities are supervised by State Forestry Department officials.

Timber is harvested under a rotating selective felling system, which is intended to create a perpetually regenerating natural forest that is a renewable source of forest products. Timber is not clear cut. Nor is the natural forest converted to commercial tree plantations of single species.

Under current guidelines, an average of one to two trees per acre are selected by the foresters for extraction, based on scientific forest management principles. Trees are not selected for their commercial value.

As trees are harvested, increased sunlight reaches the lower level of the forest and triggers rapid new growth that resembles the original mixture of species. Once an area has been logged, it is left alone for 30-35 years, before it can be logged again. This cycle can be repeated perpetually.