Our Approach to Forests Should Be Changed

According to FRWO’s website, the nineteenth session of Sustainable Management of Hyrcanian Forest  committee presided over by Dr. Khosrow Shahbazi Acting Head of FRWO , was jointly held with the Working Group on Buxus Rescue with the agenda of logging ban of natural forests and development of wood farming on Saturday.

In this meeting, Dr. Shahbazi Acting Head of FRWO stated that society and elites are sensitive and concerned about the future of Hyrcanian forests and added “Today, no official in the country credit to logging in natural forests”.

He reiterated that cutting of even a tree in the farthest parts of the country offends public feelings and is widely reflected in the social media in support of forests, which of course is a source of encouragement to FRWO.

Dr. Shahbazi expressed satisfaction over the implementation of logging ban initiative in the past three years and said that illegal logging has reduced to a minimum in comparison with the past that will be resolved immediately with the completion of the plan. He concluded that with the progression of the initiative about 20,000 hectares of vacant lands in Gilan and Mazandaran provinces will be annexed to the Plan based on annual contract for wood farming development in line with forest conservation.

In this meeting, Dr. Abbasali Nobakht deputy for forestry affairs stated that FRWO does not consider forest as a source of wood for exploitation and added that objective of FRWO is to develop non-wood products while maintaining the vital forests' functions. He emphasized that eighty percent of forest goods and services are non-commercial including ecosystem services such as production of oxygen. Therefore, we have to change our perspective toward wood and forest exploitation.