Timber Malaysia
Transcript of Timber Malaysia
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1news
VOL15 NO3 May - June 2009ISSN 1394 - 6196
PUBLISHED BY MALAYSIAN TIMBER COUNCIL
Matang Mangroves: A Century oSustainable Management
MTCs Ice-Breaking Sessions with the
New Minister
Malaysias Green Building Index Launched
PEFC Endorsement o MTCSCover Story
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editorial
Congratulatory wishes are due to the Malaysian Timber
Certication Council (MTCC), whose Malaysian Timber
Certication Scheme (MTCS) has now been ocially endorsed
by the Programme or the Endorsement o Forest Certication
schemes (PEFC) rom 1 May 2009. (Report on pages 4 - 5). The
MTCS has, indeed, developed systematically since the idea o
certiying Malaysian timber was rst mooted in MTCs London
oce (then in Curzon Street, Mayair) back in 1996.
Malaysia is, indeed, blessed with much natural vegetation. In
terms o orest alone, Malaysia is home to 10 types o orest:
mixed dipterocarp, lower montane, upper montane and subalpine
vegetation, beech vegetation including strand orest, Kernagas
or tropical heath, orest over ultrabasic rock, orest on limestone,
mangrove and brackish water vegetation, peat swamp and
reshwater swamp. This issue eatures a write-up on Malaysias
mangrove orests along the coast o the state o Perak. Malaysia
has built up a reputation or the best management o mangroves
in the world. To nd out the basis or this claim, read our report
on pages 6 - 11.
We are happy to note that a Malaysian private-sector initiative has
conceptualised the countrys rst ever Green Building Index (GBI).
Launched on 21 May 2009, the GBI spells out the standards
which a new building must meet beore it can stake that green
claim. It was developed by Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM)
and Association o Consulting Engineers (ACEM) as part o the
eort to green the Malaysian property industry. It is gratiying to
note that under the criteria choice o materials and resources,
emphasis is given on the use o environment-riendly, recycled
materials and sustainable timber. The Cooperative Research
Centre or Greenhouse Accounting, Australia has estimated that
more than 25 tonnes o greenhouse gases could be saved i
timber products were used instead o the common alternatives,
to build anything. It is hoped that, in the long run,
more and more people, particularly speciers and
architects, realize how small timbers carbon ootprint
is and how using more timber actually contributes to
less greenhouse gas emissions. Our story on the GBI
is on pages 12 - 18.
Happy Reading!
The Editor
Dear Readers,
Indoor environmental quality, which includes natural lighting, is one o ve areas where
buildings are evaluated under the GBI.
We are happy to note that a
Malaysian private-sector initiative has
conceptualised the countrys frst everGreen Building Index (GBI). Launched
on 21 May 2009, the GBI spells out
the standards which a new building
must meet beore it can stake that
green claim.
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content
2 NEWSMTCs Ice-BreakingSessions With The NewMinister
3 Dialogue On FinancingActivities
12 Malaysias Green BuildingIndex Launched
4 PEFC Endorsement o MTCS
6FEATURE
Matang Mangroves: ACentury o SustainableManagement
19GLOBAL COMMUNITY
8th Session o UN Forum on Forests;17th Session o UN Commission onSustainable Development; Workshopon Forests and Water; 8th Asia ForestPartnership Meeting; Bonn ClimateChange Talks; High-level Conerence onFighting Climate Change with CarbonCapture and Storage
22QUICK TAKES
Project Near East 2009; GULFBID2009; Timber Mission; MTC TimberTalk Series; Resource and BusinessMission; Business Visit
HEAD OFFICE
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Timber Malaysiais published six times a year by the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC).
It is distributed to over 8,000 individuals and timber related companies, agencies and
organisations in 117 countries.
MTC holds the copyright to all its contents, unless otherwise stated. No part o this
publication may be produced or transmitted in any orm or by any means, without priorwritten permission rom MTC.
For eedback, subscription, article contribution and/or advertising, please write to:
With the endorsement, the MTCs has become the rst tropical timber certication
scheme in the Asia Pacic region to be endorsed by the PEFC.
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Given the economic quagmire that the world is currently stuck in, it is,
indeed, a challenging time or the new Minister o Plantation Industries
and Commodities, His Honourable Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, to start
overseeing the continued growth o the Malaysian commodities sector.
MTCs Ice-Breaking Sessions
with the New Minister
evertheless, within a short time, the Minister has managed
to get acquainted with the main players o the various
sub-sectors o the industry. MTC organised a series o
events in June 2009 in an eort to introduce the Council
to the newly-appointed Minister.
The CEO and Management team o MTC gave a brieng tothe Minister at the Ministers Oce on 18 June 2009. The
brieng ocused on the Councils objectives, as well as its main
activities. A ew MTC-initiated projects, like the development o
a glu-laminated industry in Malaysia and the establishment o a
Malaysian Timber Product Centre in Warsaw, Poland, were also
elaborated on.
On the same day, the MTC Chairman, HRH Tunku Tan Sri
Osman Ahmad, hosted a dinner between the Honourable
Minister and the Trustees o the Council. This provided a good
opportunity or representatives o all Federal-based timberassociations to touch base with the Minister in an inormal
setting. Many subjects, including the laminated scantlings
project jointly undertaken by MTC, the Malaysian Wood
Industries Association, the Malaysian Timber Industry Board and
Forest Research Institute o Malaysia, were discussed at length.
Earlier, on 8 June 2009, the Minister also took the opportunity
to get to know members o the industry through an inormal
hi-tea get-together at a local hotel in Putrajaya. Organised by
the Ministry o Plantation Industries and Commodities, similar
ice-breaking sessions were also held or other major commoditysectors like oil palm and urniture.
Tan Sri Bernard (third right) with Tunku Osman (on the
Ministers right) and other MTC Trustees at the dinner.
MTC CEO, Mr. Cheah Kam Huan, and other members o the
MTC Management team at the brieng to the Minister.
N
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Dialogue on Financing Facilities
MTC initiated a dialogue between the industry and the local banking
sector including the countrys central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia
(BNM), to address several issues aecting the timber industry with
regard to fnancing and credit acilities.
eld on 20 May 2009, the dialogue, chaired by BNM
Assistant Governor, Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim, was
well attended by 42 bankers and 25 members rom the
wood-based industry. MTC CEO, Mr. Cheah Kam Huan
led the representation o the timber industry, and MTC Senior
Director or Trade Promotion and Marketing, Mr. SK Tham
made a presentation on the Malaysian timber industry.
The dialogue enabled the banking sector to have a better
understanding o the needs and requirements o the wood-
based industry, which contributes our per cent to the
countrys GDP annually. For the year 2008, export earnings
rom the wood-based sector was RM22.79 billion, making it
the th largest export earner ater electrical and electronic
products, palm oil and palm-oil based products, crude
petroleum and liqueed natural gas.
The dialogue has also resulted in BNM having direct
access to problems aced by the timber industry in their
daily dealings with the banks. Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim
requested that any other individual issues with the localbanks be sent directly to BNM or quick solutions. MTC will
be coordinating the issues rom the industry and submitting
them to BNM in due course.
Currently, MTC is working together with the Association o
Banks o Malaysia (ABM) to organise a regional roadshow.
ABM, together with BNM and SME Corporation Malaysia
(ormerly known as SMIDEC), is organising a Financing Fair
in Batu Pahat, Johor on 17 August 2009. In conjunction
with the air, there will also be a dialogue session between
the timber industry and the banks on 18 August 2009. Thiswould again be a good opportunity or the timber industry,
especially rom Johor, to interact with the banks on issues o
a similar nature.
H
Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim
Mr. Cheah (right) leading the representation o the timber industry at
the dialogue.
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PEFC Endorsement o MTCS
he endorsement is valid or a ve-year period, with periodic
review to ensure the continued compliance o the MTCS. With the
endorsement, the MTCS, which is operated by the Malaysian Timber
Certication Council (MTCC), has become the rst tropical timbercertication scheme in the Asia Pacic region, and the second in the world
ater the Gabonese Forest Certication Scheme, to be endorsed by the
PEFC.
Ben Gunneberg, PEFC Secretary General, said: The endorsement o
MTCS is a signicant achievement or the sustainable orest management
community as a whole. While the certication movement has its origins
in eorts to protect tropical orests, over 90% o the worlds certication
today takes place in the temperate orests o Europe and North America.
Yet tropical orests in the Southern hemisphere oer the most benets totackling some o societys biggest challenges, including climate change,
combating deorestation and orest degradation, and maintaining the
worlds precious biodiversity.
The Programme or the Endorsement o Forest Certifcation schemes
(PEFC) has given its endorsement o the Malaysian Timber Certifcation
Scheme (MTCS). The decision to endorse the 2002 Malaysian
Criteria and Indicators or Forest Management Certifcation, on which
the MTCS is based, was announced on 5 May 2009. This ollowed
the outcome o the PEFC General Assembly postal vote among its
members based on the recommendation o the Board o Directorswho had made their decision on an assessment o the MTCS by an
independent assessor appointed by the PEFC Council.
Ben Gunneberg.
Photo credit: PEFC.
Backgrounder: PEFC
PEFC is a ramework or the assessment and endorsement o national orest certication systems that have been developed based on
internationally recognised requirements or sustainable orest management. Since its launch in 1999, PEFC has become the largest orestcertication umbrella organisation covering national systems rom all over the world, delivering hundreds o millions o tonnes o wood to
the processing industry and then onto the market place rom currently more than 200 million hectares o certied orests. This is an area
larger than the combined orest area o all European Union member states. PEFC has strong grassroots support rom many stakeholders
including the orestry sector, governments, trade associations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations.
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Datuk Dr. Freezailah Che Yeom, MTCC Chairman said, MTCC is
proud to have obtained the PEFC endorsement, which shows that the various
aspects o the MTCS, such as the institutional arrangement and certication
standards used, have met the stringent requirements o the PEFC. It gives
urther assurance that orests certied under the MTCS are implementing
the best management practices and contributing to the challenging eorts
to achieve sustainable orest management, particularly or the tropical
rainorests.
Dr. Freezailah added that the endorsement enables the MTCS to achieve
mutual recognition with 26 other PEFC-endorsed certication schemes. This
means that the MTCS-certied timber product manuacturers and exporters
will soon be able to combine PEFC-certied material rom Malaysia with other
PEFC-certied material under the PEFC logo.
The endorsement is urther testimony that the MTCS has made tremendousprogress and improvements since it began operation in October 2001. I would
like to attribute this success to the hard work o the MTCC management and
sta, as well as all the Malaysian stakeholder groups or their contributions
and inputs which have been very helpul in improving the scheme to meet the
requirements o the PEFC, added Dr. Freezailah.
Note: The ull report o the conormity assessment o the MTCS can be
obtained rom the PEFC website at www.pec.org.
Datuk Dr. Freezailah Che Yeom
Photo credit: MTCC.
This success is attributed to the hard work o the MTCC management and sta, as well as all the Malaysian
stakeholder groups or their contributions and inputs. Photo credit: MTCC.
Backgrounder: MTCC (www.mtcc.com.my)
MTCC was established to develop and operate a voluntary national timber certication scheme, now known as the MTCS, in order to
provide independent assessments o orest management practices to ensure sustainable orest management in Malaysia as well as tomeet the market demand or certied timber products. Currently, nine Forest Management Units (FMUs) accounting or a total area o 4.84
million hectares o Permanent Reserved Forests (PRFs) in Malaysia are certied under the MTCS. 141 timber manuacturers and exporters
have been awarded the chain-o-custody certicate, which qualies them to supply MTCS-certied timber products to the market.
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Matang Mangroves: A Century o
Sustainable Management
Up to 73.6 per cent have been classifed as
productive orest while the balance o 26.4 per cent
consists o non-productive or protected orest.
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7eature
atang Mangroves is located in the north-western coast o Peninsular Malaysia, within
the administrative district o Larut Matang, and Krian in the State o Perak. Larut Matangwon the Ministry o Primary Industries (now renamed as Ministry o Plantation Industries
and Commodities) 1996/1997 Green Award or the Best Managed Forest District in
Peninsular Malaysia.
Up to 73.6 per cent have been classied as productive orest while the balance o 26.4 per
cent consists o non-productive or protected orest. The productive orests are assigned or the
purpose o timber production and the non-productive orests are or the purpose o bio-diversity
conservation, erosion mitigation, research and education, recreation, local communitys needs
and settlement.
Numerous waterways including rivers orming important means o transport divide the orestreserve where more than 85 per cent are tidal swamps, which are naturally fooded during high
tide. Its complex and ragile ecosystem plays an important role in conserving the bio-diversity o
the fora and auna in the orest reserve.
M
Numerous waterways including rivers orming important means o transport divide the orest reserve where more than 85 per cent are tidal
swamps, which are naturally fooded during high tide.
The Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, or Matang Mangroves, has been
acknowledged as the best-managed mangrove orest in Malaysia. Covering
slightly more than 40,000 hectares, it is the largest single mangrove orestin Peninsular Malaysia and is an exemplary sustainably managed mangrove
orest which has been able to successully balance the continuing demand
or wood resources and preservation o the mangrove ecosystem.
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8eature
Management of Matang Mangroves
Matang Mangroves is divided into our zones based on careully delineated orest types. This in turn, is
the basis or a silviculture system based on ecological considerations. At the heart o the management
system are the Perak State Forest Departments 10-Year Working Plans and detailed Control Maps,
which meticulously outline how the orest reserve is to be managed. The rst Working Plan covered the
period 1950-1959, and has been revised consistently every 10 years.
Hence, the management system o MatangMangroves, which has evolved on many levels,
rom silviculture to zoning and conservation,
has not only allowed or timber to be harvested
but also or shing to take place all year round.
In addition, it has allowed the mangroves
to play their natural and important roles o
stabilising the riverine coastlines and be home
to unique plants and animals. Ultimately, the
aim o the management system o Matang
Mangroves is sustainability.
Matang Mangroves have contributed signicantly to Peraks high sheries
production, which is the highest in Malaysia.
Fauna of Matang Mangroves
Besides fora, Matang Mangrove is also home o 156 species o birds. O these, 49 species are
migratory. At least two important species are listed in the IUCN/ICBP Red Data Book o endangered
bird species, which are the Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea) and Lesser Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos
javanicus). Matang is also home to the Grey Heron (Ardea cinera), and during wintering, to hundreds
o migrating Great Egrets (Egretta alba).
Other auna ound in Matang includes the Smooth Otter (Lutra perspicillata). Matangs Dryland
Forest is rich in mammals such as Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis), Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca
ascicularis), Silvered Langur (Presbytis cristata), and a variety o bats, squirrels, civets, mongooses,
pangolins and wild boars. Underwater, Matang Mangroves wildlie is equally rich; scientists have
identied 114 species o sh, 20 species o prawns and 48 species o crabs.
A crab species ound in Matang.Long-tailed Macaque.
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9eature
Major Tree Species of Matang
The major tree species ound in Matang are Bakau Minyak (Rhizophora apiculata) and Bakau Kurap (Rhizophora
mucronata ) along the riverbanks and in more tide-submerged areas. These two species occupy up to 85 per
cent o the total orest area and are the main commercial species.
Small channels usually bring in large quantities o Lenggadai (Bruguiera parvifora) propagules. Being
opportunistic plants, they take root very quickly in areas that had been clear-elled, impairing the growth o
Bakau. Another Bruguiera species that occurs mainly seawards is the Bruguiera cylindrica (Seaward Berus
Forest). As it is inerior to Rhizophora as a raw material or charcoal production, large areas o this species
remain unexploited.
Tree-Harvesting Rotation
In Matang Mangroves, productive orests are clear-elled once they reach 30 years old. This has been in
practice since 1950. Silviculture practices see intermediate elling carried out twice, i.e. during years 15 andyears 20. Where necessary, intensive planting is done two years ater nal elling. The 30-year rotation gives
the highest net return on capital value. Most o the present stands within the productive areas o Matang
Mangroves consist o second rotation crop except or an approximate 15% o the total area.
Yield
Yield regulation serves to ensure a constant supply o greenwood as raw material or the charcoal industry
in the State, which is concentrated in the Kuala Sepetang district. It also ensures that only economically
productive areas are harvested. At the same time, it provides assurance to contractors that areas allocated to
them yield a minimum volume o greenwood.
Yield is regulated based on area and volume.
It is also dependent on each compartments
productivity, which diers year to year. By dividing
orest into productivity classes, all productive
areas in Matang Mangroves are identied
or nal elling, and hence coupes and sub-
coupes allocated. It is estimated that productive
mangrove areas in Matang in this second rotation
will be able to yield between 140-190 tonnes
o greenwood per hectare, mainly rom the
Rhizophoraceae amily during nal elling.
Silviculture
The objective o silviculture practices in Matang
Mangrove is to create a sustainable high-yielding
stand o the highest ecological ramework o a
dynamic mangrove orest. The system employed
in Matang Mangroves is reerred to as the Clear
Felling and Planting silviculture system.
Yield regulation serves to ensure a constant supply o greenwood as raw
material or the charcoal industry in Perak.
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10eature
Socio-Economics
Charcoal is Matang Mangroves primary economic timber product. The estimated annual value o charcoal
during 2000-2009 is RM27.2 million. Besides its usage as uel, charcoal is also urther processed into other
products such as soap, cigarette lters, shoe soles and water lters.
Matang Mangroves is the largest supplier o mangrove poles in Peninsular Malaysia. The poles are used as
piling materials in housing and construction. The expected annual value o poles during 2000-2009 is RM2.6
million.
Others products rom Matang Mangroves include the making o shingles (attap)
rom the ronds o Nipah and also wood vinegar, which is a by-product oconverting greenwood to charcoal, produced exclusively or the Japanese market.
Matang Mangroves have contributed signicantly to Peraks high sheries
production, which is the highest in the country. O the species identied by
marine scientist, 60 to 100 per cent o sh and 75 to 99 per cent o prawns were
juveniles, indicating the importance o Matang Mangroves as a nursery ground.
Cockle arming around Matang Mangroves meanwhile has also made a signicant
contribution, recording an annual market value o RM32.45 million.
The uniqueness o the Matang Mangrove ecosystem makes it attractive or
education and eco-tourism. Tourism not only serves to increase awareness oand appreciation or mangrove conservation, it also provides income to locals as
operators o tours, boats, homestays and eateries.
To produce the charcoal, mangrove billets or poles o 1.6m long will
be placed inside each kiln or up to 28 days.
The uniqueness o the Matang Mangrove
ecosystem makes it attractive or education
and eco-tourism.
FROM GREENWOOD TO CHARCOAL
The avai lability and yield o the orest or nal el ling determine the volume o greenwood that could
be harvested or charcoal production, as well as the number o charcoal processing kilns to beoperational. For 2000-2009, the charcoal-processing rate per kiln was set at eight burns per year,
and greenwood requirement or a single burn is 40 tonnes.
To date, the number o ki lns approved and
operational in Kuala Sepetang is 348. This works
out to having 2.3 hectares o orest to provide the
greenwood or each kiln, which resembles an igloo.
They are built with bricks. Clay and sand are mixed
to be used as plaster. The standard diameter or
all the kilns at ground level is 6.7m with a height o
about 7.1m. Each kiln has an economic lie span o
seven to 10 years.
To produce the charcoal, mangrove billets or poles
o 1.6m long will be placed inside each kiln or up to
28 days. The charcoal is then let or a week to cool
beore being taken out rom the kiln. The charcoal
production rom each burn is around 10.5 tonnes. All
the charcoal produced rom this industry in Matang,
which started o in 1930, is exported to Japan.
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11eature
Mangrove itsel is a unique ecosystem, which requires special attention and management. Its location, which
is between the land and the sea, plays an important role in sheries, coastal protection and conservation o
biodiversity o both fora and auna. This is no dierent in Matang, where it has been a provider o numerous
renewable products o commercial value, which have generated economic opportunities or the local
communities.
The reservation o Matang Mangroves started way back in 1902 and continued until the ull gazettment o the
present area by 1906 makes it a national heritage and asset. Ater a hundred years, Matang Mangroves are
the best-managed mangrove orests in the world and are a living proo that sustainable management o thisecosystem can preserve its numerous environmental, economic and social roles.
Source:
Matang Mangroves: A Century of Sustainable Management. Matang Mangrove Forest by Perak State Forestry Department
Eighth Malaysia Plan, 2001-2005. Ninth Malaysia Plan 2006-2010.
CONSERVATION
To preserve the environmental protective unction o Matang Mangroves, buer zones have been established.These buer zones also serve various other unctions, such as:
protectingtheriverbanksfromexcessiveerosion;
minimisingtheimpactofclear-fellingoperationsonthemarineecosystem;
preventingunnecessarylosstothemostaccessibleproductiveforestareas;
actingasasourceofpropagulesfortheimmediatefelledareas;and
providingapleasantlandscapeforvisitorsandtourists.
To urther conserve the primarily important Rhizophoraceae, a pristine area o 42 hectares o predominantly
Rhizophoraceae orest has been designated a Virgin Jungle Reserve (VJR) since the ormulation o the rst
10-Year Working Plan. Rhizophora trees in the VJR attain an average girth o 115cm at breast height and total
height o 28m.
Mangroves location, which is between the land and the sea, plays an important role in
sheries, coastal protection and conservation o biodiversity o both fora and auna.
Prospects for Mangroves in Malaysia
During the Eighth Malaysia Plan (2001-2005) period,
measures were already taken to intensiy the conservation
and rehabilitation o mangrove orests, to serve as an
eective shoreline deence system against erosion, waveaction and tsunamis. This approach to manage the natural
resource is being continued in the Ninth Malaysia Plan
(2006-2010), through:
adoptinganIntegratedCoastalZoneManagement
Policy to promote the conservation and preservation o
marine and coastal resources;
intensifyingtherehabilitationandimprovementof
coastlines through regeneration and re-vegetation
programmes;
developingacomprehensivemanagementplanfor
mangroves and coastal orests to arrest the mangrovedepletion rate to ensure a continuous supply o
resources as well as to mitigate the impact o coastal
erosion and tsunamis; and
developingaCoastalVulnerabilityIndextoguide
the design o programmes to enhance coastal zone
management.
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12news
Malaysias Green
Building Index Launched
Century-old timbers recycled rom a demolished
bottling actory was judiciously used as beams,
window rames, verandah and roo trusses in this
triple-award winning house in Sierramas, Selangor.
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13eature
In tandem with its leaders aspiration or Malaysia
to become a developed nation by the year
2020, a Malaysian private-sector initiative has
conceptualised the countrys frst ever Green
Building Index (GBI). Launched by Works Minister,
Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor on 21 May 2009, the
GBI spells out the standards which a new building
must meet beore it can stake that green claim.
It was developed by Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia
(PAM) and Association o Consulting Engineers
(ACEM) as part o the eort to green the Malaysian
property industry.
When PAM and ACEM started drating the green building criteria
in 2008, they drew upon industry views and existing schemes
such as Singapores Green Mark, Australias Green Star and
the United States Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED). A private company, Greenbuildingindex Sdn Bhd
(GSB), has been ormed to manage the certication scheme.
To comply with the GBI, buildings must have an energy consumption
o below the national guideline o 150 kilowatt hour per square metre
per year (kWh/m/year). Studies show that existing commercial
buildings in Malaysia are now at 250 to 350kWh/m/year.
In order to be GBI-certied, ones building must rst be assessed by a
certier appointed by GSB. A provisional award is then issued. Once
the completed building has been veried according to the design,
the ull award is given. The building must be reassessed every three
years to maintain the award. Points are given or perormance abovebenchmarks and current industry practice. Depending on the scores
achieved, the buildings will be awarded one o our types o ratings:
certied, silver, gold or platinum.
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Only recycled timber is used in the construction o
this house in Pulau Langkawi, Kedah.
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15eature
Dierent criteria are employed based on
each buildings unction. Residential buildings are
assessed based on sustainable site planning and
management. For commercial buildings, however,
energy-eciency and indoor environmental quality are
paramount issues.
Buildings are evaluated in ve areas:
(1) Energy eciency: use o renewable energy,
lighting zoning and low energy consumption;
(2) Indoor environmental quality: mould and
air pollutants prevention, thermal comort,
natural lighting, volatile organic compounds-
ree paints and ormaldehyde-ree composite
wood, particleboards and plywood;
(3) Sustainable site planning and management:
site selection, access to public transport,
community services, open spaces and
landscaping, redevelopment o existing sites
and brownelds (abandoned land or ormer
industrial sites), avoidance o environmentally
sensitive sites, construction management
(proper earthworks and pollution control) and
stormwater management;
Maximisation o natural lighting.
This award-winning house in Kuang, Selangor incorporates a rainwater harvesting system and 100% recycled timber in its design and construction.
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16
Use o particleboards and plywood
enhances indoor environmental quality.
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17eature
(4) Materials and resources: use o environment-riendly, recycled materials and
sustainable timber; storage and collection o recyclables; construction waste
management; and reuse o construction ormwork; and
(5) Water eciency: rainwater harvesting, water recycling and water-saving ttings.
The rst listing o the GBI would be out in August 2009, based on a pi lot project involving
the assessment o 11 buildings, ranging rom oce towers to malls, mixed developments
and even a car showroom.
The GBI calls or sustainable site planning and management, which include open spaces and landscaping.
The interior o a house in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, where the minimal use o ans and air-conditioning is achieved through architectural elements that
shade the house. This idea o achieving low dependency on mechanical cooling has resulted in signicant savings in electricity bills or the owners.
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18eature
Although the GBI labelling is voluntary, all new structures
should strive to be GBI-certied mainly because buildings generally
have a large carbon ootprint. Many buildings are major emitters
o greenhouse gases, which have an enormous impact on the
environment, human health and the economy. The World Green
Building Council has estimated that buildings collectively emit 33% oglobal carbon emissions, through the processing o all the glass, steel
and concrete that are needed or their construction, plus the energy
needed to power, heat and cool these structures.
MTC is happy to note that or choice o materials and resources,
emphasis is given on the use o environment-riendly, recycled
materials and sustainable timber. The Cooperative Research Centre
or Greenhouse Accounting, Australia has estimated that more than 25
tonnes o greenhouse gases could be saved i timber products were
used instead o the common alternatives, to build anything. Projects
like Londons Murray Grove, the UKs rst multi-storey modulartimber housing development with 30 apartments, are also pushing
the boundaries on cost and energy-eciency through the use o
engineered timber as the main building material.
A GBI certication criteria is also planned or existing buildings and new
townships. This means old buildings which are retrotted to be energy
ecient and less polluting can apply or the GBI award in uture.
For urther inormation on the GBI, please go to:
www.greenbuildingindex.org
Having strips o timber placed vertically as bars in place o walls allows or cross-ventilation or natural
cooling o the interior o this award-winning house in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Murray Grove. Photo credit: Waugh Thistleton.
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19global community
UNCSD
17th Session oUN Commission onSustainable Development
The eighth session o the United Nations Forum on Forests
(UNFF8) was held on 20 April - 1 May 2009 at the UN
headquarters in New York. Over 600 participants attended the
two-week session, to address:
forestsinachangingenvironment,includingforestsand
climate change, reversing the loss o orest cover and
degradation, and orests and biodiversity conservation; and
meansofimplementationforsustainableforestmanagement
(SFM).
At the end o the session, delegates adopted a resolution on
orests in a changing environment, enhanced cooperation and
cross-sectoral policy and programme coordination, and regional
and subregional inputs. Delegates did not agree on a decision on
nancing or SFM, and decided to orward bracketed negotiating
text to the Forums next session, scheduled to be held in January 2011.
During the meeting, delegates also participated in two Multi-
stakeholder Dialogues, and panel discussions on orests and
biodiversity, climate change and desertication, the nancial crisis
and SFM, and regional perspectives on orests in a changing
environment. While the discussions on nancing did not lead to
an agreed outcome, the extended discussions on orests in achanging environment, the panel presentations and the Multi-
stakeholder Dialogues allowed a glimpse o the Forums potential
uture role as a body or interaction, dialogue and cooperation in
support o SFM implementation.
Two years ater the adoption o the Non-legally Binding
Instrument on All Types o Forests (now reerred to by many as
the orest instrument) and the Global Objectives on Forests, the
UNFF8 concluded without coming to an agreement on how to
nance their implementation. This leaves the Forum somewhat
in limbo, at the very moment that it is beginning to emerge as a
body or interactive dialogue the only such orum supported by
universal membership, and capable o delivering a 360-degree
perspective on orests, as depicted by UNFFs new Director
Jan McAlpine.
Source: ENB Vol. 13 No. 174, 4 May 2009
The two-week UNFF8 was attended by over 600 participants. Photo credit: IISD.
The 17th session o the UN Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD 17), which convened on 4-15 May 2009,
was held at the UN headquarters in New York.
The CSD meets annually in two-year Implementation
Cycles, with each cycle ocusing on one thematic cluster
alongside cross-sectoral issues. This approach was outlined
in a multi-year programme o work (2004-2017) adopted
at CSD 11 in 2003. Each cycle is comprised o a Review
Year and a Policy Year. CSD 16, in May 2008, conducted
a review o barriers and constraints in implementation,
as well as lessons learned and best practices, in relation
to the thematic cluster. CSD 17 negotiated policy
recommendations based on CSD 16s review o the issues
and the development o a drat Chairs Negotiating Text
during an Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting, which
convened in February 2009.
The agenda or CSD 17 covered a complex cluster o
interrelated issues - agriculture, rural development, land,
drought, desertication, and Arica - and took place against
the backdrop o a confuence o related global crises - ood
prices, energy and nancial, in addition to global attention to
the challenge o climate change.
Delegates at CSD 17 were expected to respond by
identiying meaningul policy options to issues that reach to
the heart o sustainable development. It did respond, with
a lengthy and detailed consensus decision, and a Shared
Vision statement rom ministers. However the decision
was not particularly orward-looking as it did not quite
send a clear message as to how sustainability, in particular
sustainable agriculture, can be part o the solution in
addressing poverty and climate change. The session thus,
provided a cause to refect on the place o CSD in the
universe o sustainable development governance.
Source: ENB Vol. 5 No. 281, 18 May 2009
The CSD 17 ocused on the thematic cluster o agriculture, ruraldevelopment, land, drought, desertication and Arica. Photo credit: IISD.
UN Forum on Forests
8th Session o UNForum on Forests
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20global community
UNECE Water Convention
Workshop onForests and Water
Asia Forest Partnership
8th Asia ForestPartnership Meeting
More than 270 participants rom over 50 countries met on27-29 May 2009 in Bali, Indonesia to discuss about illegallogging, and how it might aect a mechanism to reducegreenhouse gas emissions rom deorestation and orestdegradation - or REDD.
The two-day 8th Asia Forest Partnership (AFP) Meetingprovided an opportunity or stakeholders in tropical oreststo share inormation, establish partnerships and proposerecommendations to policymakers. The AFP meeting examined
the links between mechanisms to compensate countries orREDD and eorts to combat illegal logging and the associatedtimber trade.
The major issues concerning orest-dependent people inrelation to REDD and illegal logging, which were elaboratedduring the meeting, included: raisingcommunityawarenessofREDD; buildingcapacityofcommunitiestorespondtoREDD
threats and opportunities; clarifyingforesttenureandownershipofcarbonrightswithin
the REDD ramework; addressingtheneedformeaningfulparticipationof
communities in processes to ormulate and implement
REDD demonstration activities and national REDDrameworks; enhancinglivelihoodopportunitiesforcommunitiesaspart
o avoided deorestation strategies; developingequitableandsustainablenancialdistribution
mechanisms; facilitatinginteractionsbetweencommunitiesand
concessionaires under REDD; and employingandrewardingcommunity-basedforest
management or climate change mitigation.
Participants at the AFP were strongly in avour o a REDDmechanism to preserve the worlds orests. Many wereconcerned, however, about the workability o REDD and
whether or not the money would go to those who need it most.Forest-dependent communities are oten poor and marginalisedbut it is their livelihoods that could be jeopardised i they arenot properly compensated under REDD or reduced access toorests or income and ood.
Source: AFP, http://www.asiaforests.org.
Seventeen presentations were made at the workshop.
Photo credit: MCPFE.
Participants were strongly in avour o a REDD mechanism to preserve the
worlds orests. Photo credit: AFP.
The workshop on orests and water entitled Sustainable
Forest Management and Infuences on Water Resources -
Coordinating Policies on Forests and Water, was held on 12-14
May 2009 in Antalya, Turkey.
The workshop was based on the Ministerial Conerence on the
Protection o Forests in Europe (MCPFE) Warsaw Resolution
2: Forests and Water and work under the United Nations
Economic Commission or Europe (UNECE) Water Convention
on ecosystem services. It examined the complex interrelations
and mutual infuences o orests and water, how countries
approach these topics, and how this is and could be refected
in orest and water policies in the pan-European and UNECE
region and neighbouring states.
The objectives o the workshop were to:
exchangeexperiencesonforestandwatermanagement
tools and policies that contribute to realise water related
orest ecosystem services;
explorecross-sectorialworkandhowthecoordinationof
orest and water policies could be conducted at national
and regional levels; and
explorepaymentforecosystemservicesschemesand
other measures that broaden and diversiy the nancial
basis or sustainable orest management and help maintain
the protective unctions o orests.
Source: MCPFE, http://www.mcpfe.org.
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21global community
Over 3,500 delegates convened in Bonn, Germany, rom
1-12 June 2009 to participate in our meetings as part o
ongoing negotiations under the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. The
Conventions Subsidiary Body or Implementation (SBI) and
the Subsidiary Body or Scientic and Technological Advice
(SBSTA) held their 30th sessions. The sixth session o the AdHoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under
the Convention (AWG-LCA 6) and the eighth session o the
Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments or Annex I
Parties under the Protocol (AWG-KP 8) also took place. The
participants represented governments, intergovernmental and
non-governmental organisations, academia, the private sector
and the media.
The main ocus in Bonn was to enhance international climate
change cooperation, including in the post-2012 period when
the rst commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.
The long-term issues were considered by the AWG-LCA andAWG-KP, which are both scheduled to conclude their work by
the teenth Conerence o the Parties (COP 15) to be held in
Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009.
Eighteen months ater parties to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto
Protocol adopted the Bali Road Map, consisting o two
negotiating tracks to enhance international cooperation to
address climate change, comprehensive negotiating texts
are now on the table but it remains to be seen how these
documents will evolve over the next six months and what may
eventually be adopted in Copenhagen in December. However,
whatever the outcome in Copenhagen, the main ideas willmost likely be contained in documents that were developed in
Bonn during the rst two weeks o June 2009.
Source: ENB Vol. 12 No. 421, 15 June 2009
Climate Change
High-level Conerence
on Fighting ClimateChange with CarbonCapture and Storage
The High-level Conerence on Fighting Climate Change with
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) took place in Bergen,
Norway on 27-28 May 2009. The conerence sought to
provide an arena or high-level policy makers and other key
stakeholders to discuss concrete experiences, priorities,
ideas and initiatives to achieve a comprehensive global
approach or delivering climate solutions.
At the close o the conerence, Jonas Gahr Stre, Norways
Minister o Foreign Aairs, presented a Chairs summary o
the meeting. The summary concluded that:
acomprehensiveapproachtoreduceCO2emissions
must include CCS;
CCScanplayakeyroleinthetransitiontoalowemission
society;
morelarge-scaledemonstrationplants,moreR&Danda
major scaling-up o present CCS eorts are needed;
stimulatingframeworkconditionsarenecessaryto
encourage wide-scale capture and storage;
transportandstorageprojectsmustminimisetheriskof
negative impacts to the environment, health and saety;
privatesectorcompanieshaveaparticularroletomake
CCS commercially viable;
CCSmustbemadeaccessibletodevelopingcountries;
and
CCSshouldfeatureindiscussionsattheUN
Copenhagen Climate Change Conerence in December
2009 and in other relevant fora.
The Chairs summary also indicated that the international
community must move orward with a suite o options,
including CCS as a key technology. It stressed that thedeployment o new technologies, including CCS, depends
on public condence and strong political leadership to build
public condence on saety and environmental impacts.
Source: ENB Vol.163, No. 1, 1 June 2009
The main ocus in Bonn was to enhance international climate change
cooperation. Photo credit: IISD. Eight key messages were raised during the conerence.Photo credit: IISD.
UNFCCC / Kyoto Protocol
Bonn Climate
Change Talks
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22quick takes
Enquiries being attended to at the MTC booth.
Jordan
Project Near East 2009
Bahrain
GULFBID 2009
MTC participated in the 6th edition o Project Near East
2009, which was held at Amman Exhibitions Park in
Amman, Jordan on 4-7 May 2009. Project Near East 2009
was a construction exhibition serving the markets o Jordan,
Iraq, Syria and Palestinian territories. Among the building
materials exhibited were sawntimber, plywood, MDF,
wooden doors, veneer, wood-based fooring and claddings.
The event eatured 240 companies rom 28 countries,
which displayed their products spread over a total exhibition
space o 9,000m. The exhibitors included 11 national
groupings rom Italy, France, Turkey, Indonesia, India,
Pakistan, Germany, Kazakhstan, China, UAE and Saudi
Arabia. The total number o registered trade visitors was
7,104 including 1,279 rom neighbouring countries.
Malaysian wood-based companies intending to enter
the Jordan market used the exhibition as a platorm to
introduce their range o products, assess market potential
and establish initial contact with the local timber tradingraternity.
MTC participated in GULFBID 2009, which was the ourth
edition o the Gul International Exhibition or Construction,
Interiors and Furniture. The exhibition showcased a broad
range o building materials including wood-based products
such as sawntimber, plywood, MDF, veneer, wooden
doors, wood-based fooring and urniture. Woodworking
machinery was also among the exhibits.
A total o 177 companies exhibited their products and
services in the air spread over 7,000 m2 at the Bahrain
International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Manama
City, Bahrain on 5 - 7 May 2009. These included 53
Bahraini and 122 international companies. Trade visitors to
the three-day air totalled about 3,500. Most o the visitors
were rom Bahrain ollowed by Saudi Arabia (mainly rom
Al Khobar and Dammam) and the rest were rom UAE,
Kuwait, Qatar, UK, Germany, Lebanon, Oman and India.
Although the air was relatively small compared to
the other similar regional airs, the growing number oparticipants showed that GULFBID 2009 had good
potential or showcasing ones products to Bahrains
construction and interior urnishing sectors. The air
was also a useul platorm or Malaysian wood-based
companies seeking to establish initial contact with
importers and market players o Bahrains wood-based
and urniture sectors.
Trade visitors at the MTC booth.
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23quick takes
MTC organised a Timber Mission to Germany on
16-24 May 2009. The mission delegation included nine
participants rom six companies.
The mission provided opportunities or members o the
Malaysian timber industry to gain in-depth knowledge and
understanding o the current status o the German timber
industry as well as create business contacts or possiblejoint-ventures to promote product diversication in the
Malaysian timber processing and manuacturing sector.
Besides visiting some wood processing actories such as
urniture and glu-laminated timber manuacturing plants,
the delegation also attended a Timber Frame Construction
Symposium, Designing With Wood on 19 May 2009.
The symposium was organised by Deutsche Messe AG
in conjunction with LIGNA 2009, the World Fair or the
Forestry and Wood Industries, held in Hannover on 18-22
May 2009.
The MTC Timber Talk Series on Timber Roos was held
on 9 June 2009 at MTC HQ, Kuala Lumpur. It was the
second o our Timber Talks scheduled or this year.
The talk was attended by 45 participants comprising
architects, students as well as members o the timber
industry and representatives rom government agencies
who were interested in learning more about timber roosystems.
The speaker, Mr. Ng Wun Pin rom Multinail Asia Sdn.
Bhd., discussed the usage o timber as a material in
roo construction as well as covered topics and issues
related to timber roo truss and preabricated timber
truss systems. He elaborated on the advantages o using
timber roos instead o steel roos by comparing actors
such as saety, strength, environmental impact and re
perormance o these materials. He also showed examples
o projects using timber roos.
Germany
Timber Mission
Malaysia
MTC Timber Talk Series
The mission delegates at a wood processing actory.
Participants at the Talk.
Mr. Ng Wun Pin elaborating on the advantages o using timber roos.
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24quick takes
Meeting at Myanmar Timber Enterprise.
Myanmar
Resource and
Business Mission
Italy & France
Business Visit
MTC organised a Resource and Business Mission
to Myanmar on 10-12 June 2009 to create business
opportunities and linkages between members o the
timber sectors o Myanmar and Malaysia. The mission
also provided opportunities or participants to strengthen
cooperation with suppliers and manuacturers o timber
materials and products in Myanmar.
A total o nine participants rom our Malaysian wood-based
companies participated in the mission.
The delegation visited the state-owned Myanmar Timber
Enterprise as well as participated in a business-matching
session with members o the Myanmar Forest Products and
Timber Merchants Association. The participants also visited
three woodworking actories during the mission.
MTC organised a Business Visit to Italy and France on
7-13 June 2009.
The objectives o the visit were:
Toenhancetraderelationsandincreasethetimber
trade;
TostrengthenMalaysiaspresenceintheItalyand
France timber product markets; Toseektradeopportunitiesinthetimbersector;and
Toexchangeideasandinformationontimber
utilisation.
A total o six Malaysian wood-based companies
participated in the business visit.
A B2B meeting in Paris, France.
Visit to an importer in Milan, Italy.
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25advertisement
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