1. INTRODUCTION
The Forestry Division manages the state's forest resources in Trinidad. The Secretary for Agriculture in the Tobago House of Assembly manages the forest resources in Tobago. Up to 2000, the Forestry Division was a Division within the Ministry of Agriculture Land and Marine Resources. However, in 2001, The Forestry Division was transferred to the Ministry of the Environment.
Forestlands in Trinidad and Tobago are classified as forest reserves (143,084 ha), state-owned lands (48,916 ha) and private forests (56,000 ha) (FRIM 1980). Together these lands comprise approximately 48.4 % of the total land area of Trinidad and Tobago.
For purposes of administration and management, Trinidad is subdivided into six (6) Conservancies. Each Conservancy is headed by an Assistant Conservator of Forests (a graduate with at least a BSC degree in Forestry). These Conservancies are north-east, north-central, north-west in the north of the country and south-east, south-central, and south-west in the southern part of the Country. Each Conservancy is further subdivided into smaller units called ranges. Each range is under the control of a Forester I (Diploma level) who is normally assisted by other Foresters I, Forest Rangers II and Forest Rangers I. At the level of the Range, the work is separated into activities related to the sale of trees from the natural and plantation forests and other plantation duties. Generation and capture of data on individual trees sold commences at the range level.
1.1.1. Imports
Trinidad and Tobago continues to be a net importer of wood and wood products with the value of imports increasing steadily from TT $90 million in 1993 to TT$ 241.8million in 1998 (Figure 1).
The total value of wood imports in 1998 was TT $241.8 million. Value of imported wood products by product groups in decreasing order were sawnwood and roundlogs TT $142.6 million, plywood TT $72.9 million, other wooden articles and wood parts TT $12.4 million, fibreboard TT $9.5 million, particle board TT $4 million and charcoal TT $0.3 million. Import rose in value from 1993 to 1998 in all product groups. Table 1 summarises the value of wood products by product groups imported in the Country for the years 1993 to 1998.
Table 1: Value of imports of wood products into Trinidad and Tobago from 1993 to 1998 (Source CSO).
|
Product Group |
Unit |
Year |
|||||
|
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
||
|
Charcoal and fuelwood |
Millions TT$ |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
|
Sawnwood |
Do |
42.5 |
57.2 |
78.0 |
85.3 |
134.5 |
142.7 |
|
Plywood |
Do |
40.5 |
37.8 |
57.1 |
57.3 |
70.3 |
72.9 |
|
Particle board |
Do |
1.0 |
2.6 |
4.0 |
2.1 |
3.9 |
4.1 |
|
Fibreboard |
Do |
3.0 |
4.7 |
5.2 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
9.5 |
|
Other Wooden Articles |
Do |
3.0 |
3.3 |
6.5 |
6.6 |
7.3 |
12.4 |
1.1.2. Exports
For the corresponding period, the total value of exports rose from TT $29.8 million in 1993 to TT $72.5 million in 1998. Revenue earned by product groups in decreasing order were, other articles of wood TT $67.1 million, sawnwood TT $4.4 million, plywood TT $0.5 million, particle board TT $0.32 million, charcoal TT0.08 million and fibreboard TT 0.05 million. Figure 1 shows that there was a general increase in imports as well as exports for the period 1993 to 1998. However there was a greater increase in imports when compared to exports. In 1997 there was a slight peak in exports, which began to decline in 1998. It cannot be determined if this trend continued up to the present since data for 1999 and 2000 are not yet available. Table 2 summarises the value of wood products imported and exported by product groups for the period 1993 to 1998.
Table 2 Value of exports of wood products from Trinidad and Tobago from 1993 to 1998 (Source CSO).
|
Product Group |
Unit |
Year |
|||||
|
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
||
|
Charcoal and fuelwood |
Millions TT$ |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
|
Sawnwood |
Do |
3.9 |
9.9 |
13.2 |
16.6 |
12.7 |
4.4 |
|
Plywood |
Do |
0.4 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
0.6 |
1.5 |
0.5 |
|
Particle board |
Do |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
|
Fibreboard |
Do |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
|
Other articles of wood |
Do |
25.4 |
34.5 |
47.3 |
47.9 |
62.8 |
67.1 |
1.1.3. Production
A review of the data as shown in Table 3 for production of roundlogs reveals that production increased from 42,959 cubic metres in 1993 to 71,302 cubic metres in 1997, with a drop in production in 1998 to 50, 289 cubic metres. Table 4 shows that sawnwood production rose from 29,232 cubic metres in 1996 to 56,049 cubic metres in 1998.
