Proper planning reduces the impact on the environment and decreases the harvesting costs. The low impact logging as such, like the creation of the entrance to the forest, the cutting, the recovery after removal of the trees are being considered to keep any damage as low as possible. Planning is done with educated forest engineers and monitored during the entire operation. The ecological data gathered is being investigated before any cutting is done. At first being looked at is the forest soil, the bearing capacity, the sensitivity for erosion and the type of soil. No cutting is allowed on swampy or rocky areas and operations stay away from rare species. Governmental bodies release harvesting credits and monitor through GPS the actual activity in the forests. Commercially interesting trees are cut selectively. The selective cutting of trees is done by a chainsaw and the tree is being transported by a caterpillar of a certain weight class (depending on the capacity of the soil). Logs are than collected to a properly chosen spot where they are loaded on a truck which transports the trees to the various sawmills. Road works are done to a minimum extent and when the work is finished left such behind that after a couple of months the first vegetation covers the area so that is hard to see harvesting has been done. Temporary bridges across brooklets are being removed after the operation.
In case the harvesting is done according to the FSC principles similar procedures as above are applicable, but also the social-economic factors of the indigenous people are concerned to a larger extent. Besides this there is a wider variety of species which are being cut besides the commercial interesting species. Because the ecological data is interpreted in a different way less wood of a certain species can be harvested. To be able to keep the harvesting economically viable the lesser known species must be promoted.
The future of TTA depends on the long-term availability of timber. Responsibility towards customers and society demands a sound attitude to the conservation of the forests. TTA encourages fair measures to ensure future supplies and will purchase from suppliers who source wood products legally and comply with relevant environmental legislation and regulations. TTA will refrain from trading in endangered species prohibited under appendix 1 of the Cites convention.
