Business

Illegal logging huge challenge for Pine Industry

September 25, 2020 6:50 am

One of the key challenges affecting the Pine Industry is the repeated cases of illegal logging.

This was revealed by Chair Ratu Wiliame Katonivere yesterday saying there are also issues with some landowners taking away trees that Fiji Pine planted years ago.

Katonivere says one thing that hurts them the most is that when these trees were planted and growing, no one raised any issues.

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He adds it was only when these resources matured, that external parties, mainly saw millers started moving around with GPS equipment to identify Fiji Pine resources that are outside of the lease boundary.

Katonivere says landowners are then trapped into selling these valuable resources that Fiji Pine Limited waited more than 25 years to harvest.

According to the Chair some private license holders are also encroaching into their lease boundaries which he says is theft.