Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698070671419.pdf (Guyana)
GUYANA FORESTRY COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Guyana Forestry Commission 1 Water Street, Kingston, Georgetown, GUYANA, South America Tel: + (592) 226-7271/4; Fax: + (592) 226-8956 Website: www.forestry.gov.gy Page 1 of 37 GFC ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Page 2 of 37 CONTENTS Message from the Chairperson, GFC Board of Directors Message from the Commissioner of Forests Executive Summary GFC Board of Directors 2016 Acronyms Organizational Structure of the GFC Divisional overview of the GFC Administrative summary Financial summary Performance of the Forest Sector Summary of key activities REDD+ Activities Forest Monitoring Operations Forest Management Operations Forest Products Development & Marketing Council Forestry Training Centre Inc. Key areas of Focus: 2017 List of GFC Forest Stations Countrywide 4 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 16 17 20 23 25 27 30 32 33 36 Page 3 of 37 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR, GFC BOARD OF DIRECTORS The 2016 GFC Board of Directors (appointed in February 2016), comprised of a diverse range of professionals well equipped with the skills’ sets to effectively provide policy guidance to the GFC.
In addition to meeting at least once monthly, several Board sub-Committees were constituted; these met almost on a monthly basis to ensure that there was continuous oversight of the operational areas of the GFC in keeping with the approved 2016 work plan and budget.

The initial aspects of the Board’s work entailed detailed analyses of the GFC’s guiding operational documents, with revisions being effected when necessary.
Additionally, the 2015 forensic audit of the GFC was carefully scrutinized and relevant recommendations implemented.

Further, the GFC Board focused on ensuring that there was greater stakeholder access to information, increased transparency, and a general improvement of the public image of the Commission.
Several public engagements were held with direct stakeholders, the Guyanese public, local and international partners, as well as relevant Government entities; these engagements afforded a better understanding of some of the challenges faced by the sector, as well as potential opportunities for sector development.

During 2016, both domestic and export markets were depressed.
This impacted negatively on Forest sector production/exports; when compared to 2015 figures, this resulted in a shortfall of GFC revenues by approximately 26%.

However, prudent financial management and cost reduction measures ensured that GFC satisfactorily completed most of its priority work plan activities without any budget deficit.
Based on its 2016 experience, the Board has proposed a suite of measures aimed at strengthening and improving the sector’s performance in 2017 in collaboration with stakeholders and partners.

These include the possible reallocation of some areas that reverted to the State in 2016, and further exploring opportunities for Non Timber Forest Products and Environmental Services.
The existing bilateral partnership on forest and climate between Guyana and Norway provides a platform for exploring similar opportunities.

The national scale MRVS will continue to be implemented and will allow for a robust mechanism for validating implementation of sustainable forest management.
Emphasis will be placed on continuing training and capacity building of GFC staff and forest sector employee; this will have a direct positive impact on the increased implementation of SFM guidelines by the sector, and improved monitoring/enforcement by GFC.

Page 4 of 37 In 2017, Guyana’s forest products’ access to markets will be strengthened and existing challenges addressed.

Efforts will be advanced to market species on a “fit for purpose” basis.
Ongoing discussions and efforts to regain access to the UK Market for Greenheart will be further advanced with an aim to reestablishing these markets.

Additionally, the trade agreement under the Guyana-EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (EU FLEGT VPA) should be finalized in 2017.

Other initiatives to expand local and regional trade of forest products by improving marketing, product development, and quality, will be prioritized.
In 2017, the Board will promote additional initiatives to boost production, encourage more added value forest activities, and generate additional employment opportunities.

Providing justifiable incentives to the forest harvesting and wood processing sector to enhance competitiveness will also be explored.

The GFC Board of Directors expresses thanks to all our stakeholders for their support and collaboration in 2016.

We look forward to your continued cooperation in 2017.
Special thanks are due to the staff of the Commission and to the Minister and staff, Ministry of Natural Resources for the astute guidance provided.

Sincerely Ms. Jocelyn Dow Chairperson GFC Board of Directors (2016) Page 5 of 37 MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER OF FORESTS The forest sector continues to be an important sector in Guyana, contributing to approximately 3% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based on primary production.
It also provides direct employment to approximately 22,000 persons, inclusive of over 3,000 residents of hinterland communities.

Due to depressed markets, and the reverting of several concessions to the state, forest sector production was recorded at 353,495m3, a 21% decline when compared to the 2015 value.

Export of forest produce was recorded at US $41.9 M, a decrease of 8.15% compared to the 2015 value.
This impacted negatively on the GFC revenue collection; however due to prudent financial management, GFC completed its 2016 deliverables satisfactorily.

GFC in collaboration with the Forest Training Centre Inc. (FTCI) and the Forest Products Development and Marketing Council (FPDMC) continued to build capacity to the sector, especially with the members of the Community Forestry Associations.
This enabled a satisfactory implementation of the GFC guidelines; in fact, several operations were given various levels of independent certification during 2016 based on good compliance with the national standards.

Additionally, there was the continued movement of the industry to embrace more added value activities.
The National Technical Working Group (NTWG) tasked with coordinating the formulation of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) under the European Union Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade initiative made considerable progress in 2016.

Numerous public education and awareness sessions were held countrywide and it is envisaged that the VPA will be initialled in 2017.

This would give further credibility to Guyana being recognized as a source of legal and sustainably managed forest products.
From an international perspective, GFC collaborated with a number of international organizations and donors such as ITTO, FAO, IDB, WWF and UNDP to implement projects relevant and appropriate to Guyana’s situation.

The GFC looks forward to the continued support and guidance of its Board of Directors, the Ministry of Natural Resources, sector stakeholders and the general public for the collaborative development of the forest sector.
James Singh Commissioner of Forests Page 6 of 37 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Forest Sector continued to provide direct employment opportunities to over 22,000 persons, inclusive of residents of hinterland communities.

Oversight of the sector was provided by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) through policy guidance by the GFC Board of Directors and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The GFC satisfactorily completed its 2016 operational Work Plan activities through the combined effort of 411 staff and the support of the Forest Products Development and Marketing Council (FPDMC) and Forestry Training Centre Inc. (FTCI).

Revenue collected for 2016 was approximately $1,250,000,000.00 whilst Expenses totalled $1,160,000,000.00, with a surplus of $90,000,000.00.

Both production and exports of forest produce declined when compared to 2015 (21.0% and 8.15% respectively).
This decline was directly related to depressed markets locally and internationally.

Other key activities that were undertaken in 2016 included: Improved public engagements   Consultations for a New Revenue Structure  Consultations for a New Log Export Policy  Strengthening Chain of Custody Initiatives  REDD+ Activities – Years 6-10 proposals  Training and capacity building of GFC and sector personnel in various aspects of forest management.

Interagency collaboration on Community Forestry.


  Preparation of national reports on Forest Sector Information.

 Monitoring of State Forest Areas (SFA’s), Sawmills, Lumberyards, Exports, other licences to verify compliance with the relevant legislation and guidelines.

Compliance was found to be satisfactory.

 Review of and compliance with Annual Operational Plans (AOP’s) Forest Management Plans (FMP’s), Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC)/ Quota, Log tagging, Forest Inventory methodologies.
 Promotion of the Lesser Used Species and encouraging the transition to manufacture of added value forest products.

The deliverables for all of these activities were achieved in a timely and effective manner.

Additional actions to support positive sector interventions will continue in 2017.

GFC expresses its appreciation to its staff, the sector, local and international partners for their collaboration.
Thanks also go to the Minister and Ministry of Natural Resources, the GFC Board of Directors and the general public for their guidance, encouragement and support Page 7 of 37 GFC BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016 Ms Jocelyn Dow Chair Mr Troy Cadogan Vice-Chair Ms Vanessa Kissoon Ms Joylon Burrowes Mr Clayton Hall Mr Arron Fraser Mr Jacy Archibald Mr Mohindra Chan Member Member Member Member Member Representative- Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association Mr Khellawan Representative- Forest Products Association Mr Godfrey Scott Representative- Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Mr Gordon Lorrimer Worker’s representative Dr Janette Bulkan Observer Mr Mervyn Williams Observer, Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Mr James Singh Ex-officio Page 8 of 37 ACRONYMS Annual Allowable Cut Assistant Commissioner of Forests Community Development Programme Community Forestry Organization Community Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Code of Practice European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO African Caribbean and Pacific Programme Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Forest Products Association Forest Resources Management Division Forest Resources Planning Forest Resources Information Unit Forest Resources Information Officer Global Canopy Programme Guyana Empirical Model for Forest Management Group on Earth Observations GEO Forest Carbon Tracking Global Earth Observation System of Systems Guyana Forestry Commission Global Objectives on Forests
 Government of Guyana Guyana Revenue Authority Guiana Shield Facility Inter-American Development Bank Independent Forest Monitoring Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change International Tropical Timber Organization Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (ITTO) Knowledge and Capacity Building Product (IDB) German Development Bank Low Carbon Development Strategy Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (Guyana) Monitoring Reporting and Verification System for REDD+ MRVS Steering Committee National Forest Carbon Monitoring System (Guyana) National Forest Plan National Forest Policy Statement North Rupununi District Development Board National Toshaos’ Council AAC ACF CDP CFO CMRV CoP EU FLEGT FAO FAO ACP FCPF FPA FRMD FRP FRIU FRIO GCP GEMFORM GEO GEO FCT GEOSS GFC GOF GoG GRA GSF IDB IFM IPCC ITTO JFSQ KCP KfW LCDS MoAA MNRE MRVS MRVS SC NFCMS NFP NFPS NRDDB NTC Page 9 of 37 NTFP NTWG OCC PDD PES PSP REDD+ RGDP RIL SFA SFEP SFM SFP ToR TSA UNFCCC UNFF VPA WCL WI WWF YTC Non Timber Forest Products National Technical Working Group (for EU FLEGT for Guyana) Office of Climate Change Planning and Development Division Payment for Ecosystem Services Permanent Sample Plot Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus REDD+ Governance Development Plan Reduced Impact Logging State Forest Authorization State Forest Exploratory Permit Sustainable Forest Management State Forest Permission Terms of Reference Timber Sales
 Agreement United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change United Nations Forum on Forests EU FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement Wood Cutting Lease Winrock International World Wildlife Fund Yarrowkabra Training Centre Page 10 of 37 Page 11 of 37 1.
DIVISIONAL OVERVIEW OF THE GFC 1.1 Human Resource and Administration Division The Human Resources and Administrative Division is responsible for the general administration of the Guyana Forestry Commission, staff management, development and implementation of human resources policies, procedures and training.

It also manages the Library which is available for public use and is stocked with a number of publications including research findings and journals on issues of local and international status.
1.2 Finance Division The Finance Division is responsible for managing the financial resources of the Commission.

It is also responsible for the Management Information System which assures improved data communication between both internal and external stakeholders; and maintains reliability, security and availability of information that is accessed throughout GFC.
1.3 Planning and Development Division The Planning and Development Division is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the National Forest Plan, conducting economic analyses and other relevant studies on the forest sector, reporting on forest sector information and coordinating GFC's social development programme.

It also formulates project proposals and seeks funding for projects developed.
Project activities that are approved and financed are implemented by this Division under the oversight of the office of the Commissioner.

The Division is also responsible for supporting the REDD+ and MRVS work that is being executed by the Commission.

1.4 Forest Resource Management Division The Forest Resources Management Division (FRMD) of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is largely responsible for data collection on National Forest resources by conducting surveys and inventories.
Additionally, the FRMD contributes to research and makes recommendations on forest dynamics, silviculture treatments, the allocation of forest concession areas, the preparation of operational guidelines for forest management plans, evaluation of proposed forestry operations; ensuring concessionaires follow prescribed standards for sustainable forest management and disseminating information on Guyana’s forests.
1.5 Forest Monitoring Division The Forest Monitoring Division (FMD) of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is responsible for the enforcement of Forest Laws and Regulations, the licensing of forestry operations, the monitoring and control of forestry operations with regards to annual allowable cuts, social and environmental impacts, approving forest produce for export, and the collection of revenue.
Page 12 of 37 1.6 Overview of the REDD Secretariat As part of Guyana’s efforts to provide an enabling environment for the facilitation of key technical aspects of REDD+ activities, the REDD Secretariat (RS) has been established as a unit within the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The Secretariat has been tasked with responsibility for the coordination and implementation of key technical REDD+ activities as detailed in Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy framework.

Page 13 of 37 2.
Page 13 of 37 2.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUMMARY 2.1 Staffing Table 1 shows the 2016 Staff distribution relative to years 2012-2015.
Table 1: Staff distribution for years 2012- 2016 Divisions of GFC Number of staff in divisions 2012 2013 Forest Monitoring Division 200 189 Forest Resources Management Division 63 Planning Development Division/REDD 6/6 55 6/5 54 35 59 31 Human Resources & Administration Finance & MIS Internal Audit Total 2.2 Staff Development 2014 213 64 13 58 35 2015 208 64 13 86 37 2016 220 57 14 83 37 5 365 344 383 408 414 An Annual Training Plan for 2016 was developed and approved by the GFC Board.
Activities implemented in keeping with this plan include the following: Scholarships  Four (4) GFC staff members were granted scholarships to study at the University of Guyana within the following programmes - Forestry-3; Environmental Science-1.

 Five (5) students from hinterland/indigenous communities were awarded one year scholarships to attend the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) to study the Certificate in Forestry programme (4 at Mon Repos Campus, and 1 at Anna Regina campus).
Overseas and local training Relevant staff benefitted from exposure to eleven (11) overseas training opportunities on GIS/ Remote Sensing.

On their return, there was transfer of knowledge to other staff members.

Capacity building for approximately two hundred (200) staff was done locally.
Some of these areas were:  Monitoring and Evaluation (Introductory Level Course)  Communication and Human Relations Skills for Success Page 14 of 37  Timber Grading Course  Occupational Health & Safety for the Manufacturing Sector  Principles of Supervisory Management  Use of Electronic Key for the Identification of 17 Tropical Wood Species  Guyana’s Forest Laws and FMD Operating Procedures 2.3 Industrial Relations GFC continued to enjoy cordial relations with the union representing the workers- Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU).
However, some staff expressed dissatisfaction with the level of representation and started exploring other Union representation.

2.4 Other Important Issues  Mr. Gordon Lorrimer, Forest Ranger -1 from Kwakwani Forest Station, was elected as the Workers’s representative on the GFC Board of Directors.

 Ms. Towana Smartt was confirmed as Manager-GIS/Remote Sensing within the Forest Area Assessment Unit of FRMD.
 Mr. Gavin Agard was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Forest (DCoF) for FMD Division as of July 1, 2016.

 Messrs. Benny Layne and Kenford Fraser were appointed as Divisional Forest Officers.

 A Government wage increase ranging from 10% to 1% for Public Servants, and a bonus for staff earning less than $ 500,000 monthly were paid in 2016.

 The Annual Staff meeting and Christmas social was held on December 22 2016 at the GFC Head Office.
Minister Trotman and Chairperson Dow, delivered remarks at the Staff meeting.

 GFC held several fire drills, blood donations, health clinics and other safety exercises throughout the year.

These were coordinated by the Occupational Health & Safety Committees.
 School tours with lectures were effected at the Yarrowcabra Facilities on the Linden Highway and GFC Head Office for students of Betterverwagting Secondary school, Kuru Kuru Training Centre, New Amsterdam Secondary School and Bush Lot Secondary School - East Berbice.

 23 secondary school students were on 5 weeks attachment at the GFC Head Office and Forest Stations in Regions 1, 6, 8 and 10 during the August vacation period.
 7 UG students from the Forestry, Environmental Science and International Relations programme were attached to at the Head Office for a 2 months stint.

 22 students from GSA who completed the Certificate in Forestry Programme were attached to various Offices of the GFC for a one month period.

Page 15 of 37 3.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY 2016 Financial Overview 2016 was a challenging year in terms of revenue collection.
Limited local and export market access, repossession and expiration of some forest allocations, and the non-renewal by the previous largest state forest allocation lessee were the major reasons for this situation.

Production and Export were therefore below the desired levels and this had an adverse impact on the revenue position of the Commission.

The GFC had projected to collect $ 1.5B for 2016; however revenue collection was $ 1.250B.
Total GFC Expenditure was $ 1.190B (current $ 1.160 and capital $ 0.03B).

The main heads of expenses were employment cost (salaries and wages, station allowance, vacation allowance, pension, medical etc.
), operational cost ( fuel, maintenance, subsistence and other field cost), administrative ( training, conferences, scholarships, stationery and office supplies, forestry exhibition and promotion) and financing ( support to Forestry Training Center and Forest Products Development and Marketing Council, Directors fees, legal fees, subscription etc.).

Despite the difficulties experienced in terms of revenue collection, GFC was able to meet most of its financial obligations.
Operational and administrative activities were also executed in accordance with the 2016 work plan.

However, some capital works had to be curtailed based on cash flow.
Table 2: Financial Summary 2016 (Unaudited) Revenue Royalty Acreage Fee Licencing & Other Fees & Compensation Export Commission Other Income Total Expenses Employment Operational Cost Administration Cost Finance & Professional Cost Depreciation Sub Total Surplus/Deficit 2016 $ 232,427,000.00 $ 164,394,000.00 $ 182,042,000.00 $ 685,360,000.00 $ 105,495,000.00 $ 1,369,718,000.00 $ 745,642,000.00 $ 390,443,000.00 $ 134,861,000.00 $ 103,911,000.00 $ 40,015,000.00 $ 1,414,872,000.00 $ (45,154,000.00) Page 16 of 37 4.
PERFORMANCE OF THE FOREST SECTOR IN 2016 4.1 Report on the Performance of the Forest Sector and Challenges Experienced For the year 2016, the summary of the sector’s performance is outlined below: Forest sector activities registered decline in both production and export in 2016.

Total production of Timber products (Logs, Primary Lumber, Roundwood, Fuelwood, and Splitwood) for 2016 was recorded at 353,495m3 and is 21% lower than the corresponding 2015 total.
This quantity summed with Veneer and Plywood production for 2016 recorded a total of 380,659 m3.

This compares to 452,954m3 in 2015 for main timber products, and with Veneer and Plywood added, the 2015 total was 483,702m3.

This decline was partly as a result of less than favourable pricing conditions in the global timber trade, as well as production declines from concession that have returned to the State.
This included the largest timber concession which was issued to Barama Company Limited, for which the Company opted not to renew, following its lease expiration in October, 2016.

Export of forest products recorded total export value of US$41.9M.

When compared to the 2015 value of US$45.6M, this represents a decrease of 8.15%.

The leading value earner for 2016 continues to be Sawnwood with revenue earnings of US$18.8M.

This was followed by Logs which recorded export value for 2016 of US$16.2M.
This was then followed by Roundwood earnings of US$3.1M.

Within this category, Greenheart Piles has been the main contributing product with earnings of US$2.7M.

Splitwood and Plywood also formed part of the export product basket in 2016, although with a lower volume and value than that of 2015.

Of the two Splitwood products (Paling Staves and Shingles), the main value earner has been Shingles with earnings of US$1.9M.
Plywood earnings for 2016 has been recorded at US$1.3M The main markets for Guyana’s Forest products in 2016 remained generally the same as that of 2015, with a few additional markets emerging in Europe and the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Noteworthy, Guyana continues to feel the effects of the contraction in both China and India markets, since these two destinations are the major markets for Guyana timber products.
Overall, the general price level for 2016 was lower than that of 2015 for the main forest products.

This impacted on the overall export value for the year 2016.
Page 17 of 37 Page 18 of 37 Table 4: Export Volumes and Values by Products for 2016 and 2015 PRODUCT Logs Sawnwood Roundwood Greenheart Piles Kakaralli Piles Other Piles Poles Posts Spars Splitwood Paling Staves Shingles Plywood Dressed Undressed Jan-Dec 2016 Jan-Dec 2015 Volume m3 Value US$ Volume m3 Value US$ 86,832.85 16,184,139.24 109,220.87 20,669,302.10 20,728.69 18,837,150.64 18,722.95 18,013,447.00 10,464.35 10,742,476.86 7,701.24 9,947,231.45 10,264.34 8,094,673.78 11,021.71 8,066,215.55 5,670.70 3,119,158.38 3,851.18 2,122,288.94 5,123.08 2,702,256.40 2,786.80 1,362,763.83 - - 361.63 185.99 - - - 327,596.50 89,305.48 - - - 833.68 230.63 0.06 - - 648,326.24 104,061.65 7,137.22 2,029.87 1,923,162.73 2,154.41 2,089,192.56 13.22 6,075.00 - - 2,016.65 1,917,087.73 2,154.41 2,089,192.56 2,565.67 1,309,132.15 3,921.56 1,940,821.55 TOTAL TIMBER & PLYWOOD Furniture (pcs) Indoor Furniture Outdoor/Garden Furniture Building Componentry (pcs) 117,827.78 41,372,743.14 137,870.97 44,835,052.15 265.00 282.00 - 27,024.03 27,024.03 - 353.00 333.00 20.00 46,895.00 45,895.00 1,000.00 22,591.00 180,268.10 7,608.00 268,565.70 Doors Door Components Windows Other Builder's Joinery (pcs) (m3) Rails (pcs) (m3) Spindles (pcs) Mouldings (m) Pre-Fabricated Houses (pcs) OTHER (than Plywood) VALUE ADDED Fuelwood (m3) Charcoal Firewood Other (pcs) Wooden Ornaments & Utensils Craft Non - Timber Forest Products (pcs) 532.00 151.00 113.00 19,076.00 - 104,784.60 28,366.50 21,834.25 2,176.60 539.00 559.00 473.00 81,642.00 6,233.81
 145,581.00 2,006.00 19,479.04 - - - 283.00 1,376.00 133.00 1,153.00 - 2,449.00 8,748.68 - - - 21,730.15 3,903.00 33,730.09 13,821.86 - 8.00 - OTHER PRODUCTS 15,540.29 296,159.34 15,992.97 383,496.92 TOTAL EXPORT VALUE 41,909,924.70 45,627,725.14 Page 19 of 37 5.
SUMMARY OF KEY ACTIVITIES Projects Overview for 2016 5.1 The activities undertaken formed part of the GFC’s Programme of Work for 2016 and are also outlined as key priorities in the National Forest Plan 2011, National Forest Policy Statement 2011, REDD+ Governance Development Plan (RGDP), MRVS Road Map, among other strategic documents.

Public Engagement 5.2 During 2016, GFC had several engagements with various civil society organizations, private sector bodies and international organizations.
Included among these were:  Forest Products Association  Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association  World Wildlife Fund  Conservation International   Community Forestry Organisations  National Technical Work Group for EU FLEGT  European Forest Institute  National Toshaos’ Council Iwokrama These meetings allowed for positive interaction amongst the GFC Board, the GFC and the specific agency and areas for collaboration and partnership to be identified.
GFC’s website has also been updated to include portals for key areas of work including EU FLEGT, REDD+ and Public Releases.

A portal for Industry Stakeholders has a sub menu including new policy documents (including proposals), concession allocation summaries and related maps.

This tab is updated frequently to provide new information as it becomes available.

Another new portal allows for the GFC to be directly engaged by the public by email.
Proposal for National Log Export Policy 2017 - 2020 5.3 In 2009, following a consultative process, a National Log Export Policy was instituted.

This saw a phased increase in the rates of export commission on targeted species of exported logs.

This Policy lasted 3 years.

In July 2012, a national process was undertaken to develop a revised Policy which was implemented in August 2012 and extended to 2016.

In 2016, a Review was conducted of both the first and second phase of the Policy.
National consultations were held and the GFC revised a proposal for consideration by the Board.

The GFC’s Board is currently reviewing this updated Proposal and indicated that a decision will be taken regarding a new Policy, in early 2017.
Page 20 of 37 Proposal for a Revised Revenue Structure for the Forest Sector 5.4 A system of new revenue charges was drafted in 2016 with the main aim being to develop a revenue structure that encourages optimal utilization of forest resources whilst maintaining economic, social and environmental sustainability.

One main aspect of the revised revenue structure is that of the charge of stumpage value which is focused on encouraging optimal allocation of forested areas leased out to concessionaires.
It is envisaged that this will replace both royalties and acreage fees, as well as the other charges required by law for the GFC to administer.

A revised structure of licenses and fine is also similarly geared to meet updated cost structures and to encourage efficiency in operations.

A series of stakeholder engagement and consultation sessions were held to inform the final recommendation.
Providing Policy Guidance 5.5 Significant advances within the forestry sector have prompted the urgent need for the revision of the National Forest Policy Statement (NFPS) and the National Forest Plan (NFP).
Advances within the sector range from institutional changes such as the establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources; engagement with the European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (EU FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), progress in developing a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification System, considerations for payment for ecosystem services, and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Project.
The revised NFPS and NFP will be completed in 2017 and be reflective of Guyana’s commitment to the Green Economy and its responsibility to combating climate change.

Support Efforts to Address the UK EPA Ban on Guyana’s Greenheart 5.6 The GFC held discussions with private sector representatives to seek possible solutions to the UK EPA’s ban on the importation of Guyana’s Greenheart.
It was agreed that the efforts to regain access to the UK Market for Greenheart will be further advanced with an aim to reestablishing these markets.

There will also be direct engagement with the UK agencies and provision of the factual documentation to make Guyana’s case that strong sustainability rules are in place.
Chain of Custody Certification Advances in 2016 5.7 In November 2016, Iwokrama, recently certified under FSC, using the principles and guidelines of the GFC as the basis for its certification, exported its first shipment of FSC™ Certified Greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei) and other species from the Iwokrama Forest to the United Kingdom.
In 2016, SCS Global Services awarded Specialized Timber Services Inc. (STS) and members of its supply chain, FSC™ Chain of Custody and FSC™ Controlled Wood individual and group certification.

This certification reflects a management control system which is compliant with the standards of the internationally-recognised Forest Stewardship Council (FSC™).
This was achieved in conjunction with funding from the Guiana Shield Tropical Timber program and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative Page 21 of 37 In 2016 also, McVantage of Guyana Inc. a local forest operator, received FSC Controlled Wood certification for its sites at: Coverden and Iwokrama.

This certificate covers the production and distribution of lumber and outdoor furniture using the transfer system.
This certification also covers a verification programme for the control of wood sources from identified supply areas in Guyana, and the sale of FSC Controlled Wood.

This certificate is valued from 2016 to 2021 and will be subject to annual audits.

This brings the total of FSC Operators to 7.

Community Forestry in 2016 5.8 The Community Forestry program remained a focal area of the Guyana Forestry Commission throughout 2016.

Sixty Nine (69) Community Forestry Organizations (CFO’s) were active in 2016.
One new organization was formed: Bartica Indigenous Green Enterprise.

These CFO’s had access to four hundred, seventy two thousand and two (472,002) hectares through one hundred and twenty three (123) Community Forestry Agreements.

Estimated direct membership was one thousand, four hundred and sixty five (1465).

Three hundred and thirty eight (338) participants from forty-seven (47) CFOs and Indigenous communities received various training in sustainable forest management practices during 2016.
Majority of the training was done by FTCI with support from FAO, EU FLEGT VPA and the Board of Industrial Training.

Much of the training provided was in response to the request made by the various groups, Seventy-six (76%) of the CFOs are Registered as either Friendly Societies, Cooperative Societies or Companies.

The remaining 24% are at various stages in the registration process.
Five (5) Regional meetings involving the Chairpersons of all the CFOs across the country were held during August/September, 2016; at which the representative and alternate were elected to serve the respective administrative region on the National Steering Committee of Community Forestry Organizations (NSCCFO).

The general meeting of the new Committee was held during December at which the executive members were elected and the work plan for 2017 was developed.
GFC also participated actively in the 2016 National Toshaos’ Council Meeting.

The Toshaos were generally satisfied with the work of the GFC.

In 2017 emphasis will be placed on communities acquiring funding for value added activities, and improving governance (planning and decision-making processes, compliance with relevant regulations, transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness) at the community level.

Page 22 of 37 6.
Page 22 of 37 6.

REDD+ ACTIVITIES Year 6- 10 Proposal 6.1 The GFC prepared a proposal for financing of the MRVS for the period 2016-2019 (Years 6- 9) and submitted this to the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative, through Conservation International, Guyana.

The main activities proposed for implementation are as follows: a.

To complete reporting on forest area change assessment and monitoring.

b.
b.

To strengthen the implementation capacity of the GFC to execute Guyana’s Forest Carbon Monitoring System in fulfilment of the MRVS Roadmap Phase 2. c. To pilot the use of MRVS data at the level of concessions and communities.

d. To build stakeholder awareness and participation in the successful design and implementation of the MRVS and other REDD+ related activities including EU FLEGT as well as in overall sustainable forest management.
e. To explore more applied uses of MRVS data and results the establishment of a platform for use of the MRVS data at the policy level, for land use management.

Along with the implementation of the routine forest carbon monitoring components of the MRVS, a number of key areas of emphasis will be developed over the Years 6 – 9 period.
These are as follows: a) Exploration of technological options for a “non-REDD+ payment” scenario in the conducting of forest change monitoring – Along with tasking of high resolution imagery to conduct the forest area assessment, a parallel mapping exercise would be conducted using freely available Landsat 30m resolution imagery, as a “non- REDD+ payment” option.
The result of this will be made available at the end of Year 6, and will inform the way forward for forest change mapping in Guyana, should there not be REDD+ payment options available.

b) Implementing of the MRVS Phase 2 roadmap – the MRVS Roadmap Phase 2 identified key actions needed in order to consolidate and expand capacities: I.

Consolidate capacities and routine REDD+ monitoring and MRV II.

Develop national forest monitoring as tool for REDD+ implementation III.
Knowledge sharing and capacity building The activities to be implemented over the Years 6- 9 period are guided by the MRVS Roadmap Phase 2. c) Mechanisms for application of the MRVS to decision making, particularly for forest management – As the MRVS is now in its 6th annual period of implementation, there is a valuable information system now available for use in areas of decision making on natural resources management matters, including forest concession allocation and renewal, and policy development in general.
d) Development of a roadmap for Phase 3 of the MRVS – with completion of implementation of activities outline in the MRVS Roadmap Phase 2, a new, successor document, the MRVS Roadmap Phase 3, will need to be developed.

This will guide the continued development and implementation of the MRVS and its components post 2020.

Page 23 of 37 The proposal was prepared by the GFC, with inputs from Conservation International, Guyana and subsequently submitted to Norway.
The proposal was reviewed and has been revised based on the comments received from Norway.

Assessment of non-carbon benefits for REDD+ implementation 6.2 Work has been undertaken in evaluating opportunities for incentivizing the protection of ecosystem services, including but not limited forest carbon.

Other such services include biodiversity, fresh water and ecotourism.

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes seek to incentivize protection and sustainable management of ecosystem services.
Three ecosystem services were selected through stakeholder consultation: biodiversity, fresh water and ecotourism, with freshwater being ranked highest priority.

In order to move forward with this, the existence of current existing markets for each of these services needs to be assessed, the types of markets that are available and the requirements for entering into each type of market.
In continuing these efforts, the following was conducted: a) Exploration of the markets available for biodiversity, freshwater and ecosystem services, with a description of the payment mechanism for each.

b) Assessment of the requirements necessary for entering into each market.

c) Determination of the reporting requirements necessary.

REDD+ Community Outreach 6.3 In sustaining the GFC’s effort to engage in capacity building on REDD+, outreach sessions are executed across various regions.
The primary aim of these outreach exercises are to; ensure that information is disseminated to enhance the knowledge of all relevant stakeholders , to garner feedback , inputs and recommendations and to raise awareness on REDD+ , the MRVS & the FCPF etc.

Outreach activities target a broad spectrum of stakeholders including forest dependent communities, miners, loggers etc.
what is REDD+, climate change and its impacts, the importance of forest to a green economy, key components of the REDD+ system, the definition of forests that Guyana has adopted, the MRVS and MRVS Roadmap, key benefits to Guyana from the REDD+ mechanism, etc.
In addition to this supplementary training/user friendly materials were distributed to enable better understanding of what is climate change, deforestation and degradation and the main drivers in Guyana, how forests are measured over a period of time, the role of forests in combating climate change, components of the MRVS etc.

and were distributed in the forms of booklets & posters.
This will contribute to strengthen the level of discussion, feedback and overall understanding of REDD+ implementation in Guyana, the MRVS and related REDD+ areas and to further strengthen the level of stakeholder knowledge and participation.

During the year 2016, several sessions were held across various forest based communities.

Page 24 of 37 7.
Page 24 of 37 7.

FOREST MONITORING OPERATIONS 7.1 Monitoring of State Forest Authorizations (SFA’s): - State Forest Permissions (SFA-SFP) - State Forest Exploratory Permits (SFA-SFEP) - Wood Cutting Leases (SFA-WCL) - Timber Sales Agreements (SFA-TSA) Monitoring activities for forest concession operations were conducted throughout 2016.
These monitoring exercises were aimed at verifying the level of compliance with the logging operation against the GFC’s CoP for Timber Harvesting, the procedure for the GFC’s log tracking system and other operational procedures and standards that were set by the GFC.

These monitoring activities were both impromptu and Compliance was found to be satisfactory; however, in cases of breaches, the Operator was dealt with in accordance with the relevant guidelines.
To minimize the repeating of these breaches, several extension training and capacity building sessions were undertaken by GFC, FTCI, FPDMC, FPA and other partners.

Operators of both small and large SFA’s were targeted and this initiative was welcomed by the sector, and will continue in 2017.

7.2 Monitoring of Sawmills/lumberyards/exports 311 sawmills and lumberyards were active during 2016.
Monitoring of these operations and all exports were on a continuous basis; compliance was satisfactory with the exception of a few operators whose submissions were not as timely/detailed as required.

This is an area that will be focused on in 2017.

Table 5 below summarizes the types of licenses issued in 2016 (compared to 2015) by Division.

Page 25 of 37 Table 5: Types of Licenses issued in years 2015/2016.
Comparison of Year 2015 &2016 Licence Issuance Division Year of Issuance Demerara Berbice Essequibo Total North West Dealer Year 2015 Licence Type Timber Export Lumber Yard Timber Dealer No Storage Sawpit Licence Sawmill Licence Firewood Licence Charcoal Licence Timber Depot Timber Path Permit to Erect TOTAL Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2015 Year Page 26 of 37 8.
FOREST MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS Forest Concessions Management 8.1 State Forest allocated as large concessions (Table 6) and small concessions (Table 7), with the associated Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) are shown below.

The reduction in the 2015 area allocated as SFA’s-TSAs and SFEPs resulted from the expiration/repossession of 3 SFEP’s and 5 TSA’s (acreage of approximately 2,337, 000 ha.).

Table 6: Active large concessions ending 2016 Ending December 2016 TSA WCL SFEP Non-TSA/WCL (IIC) Total No.
17 1 3 1 22 Area Size (ha) % 2,157,882.56 21,268.35 259,796.36 371,610.44 2,810,557.71 77% 1% 9% 13% 100% AAC (m3) 428,795.12 6,247.74 56,953.41 36,144.33 557,975.58 Table 7: Active small concessions ending 2016 SFAs inclusive of CFMAs Division Demerara Essequibo Berbice North West 13 469 Total Ha 481,522 605,611 667,791 57,795 1,812,719 # 150 171 135 % ha Quota (m³) Division 250,779.38 Demerara 27% 308,835.01 Essequibo 33% 341,743.82 Berbice 37% 31,209.30 3% 932,567.51 Total 100% Mining and Agricultural leases Ha 8,808 1,343 2,572 0 12,727 AL 9 4 2 North West 0 15 ML Ha 0 3 0 0 3 0 476 0 0 476 Table 8: Total SFA allocated with corresponding quota/AAC.
SFA SFP and CFMA TSA WCL SFEP Sub Total Non-TSA/WCL AL and ML Grand Total Total Area size (ha) % ha Quota/AAC (m3) % Quota/AAC 932,567.51 428,795.12 6,247.74 56,953.41 1,812,719.00 42.64% 2,157,882.56 50.75% 0.50% 21,268.35 6.11% 259,796.36 4,251,666.27 100.00% 1,424,563.78 371,610.44 13,203.00 8,888,145.98 36,144.33 NA 1,460,708.11 65.5% 30.1% 0.4% 4.0% 100.0% Page 27 of 37 Forest Management Plans (FMP) 8.2 GFC continued to review and offer recommendations for submitted Forest Management Plans in 2016.
Critical management prescriptions, such as felling cycles, blocks for harvesting, annual yield and felling area were the focal point for the year.

Efficient monitoring of these management prescriptions ensure that companies are adhering to the sustainable forest management guidelines prescribed by the GFC and are complying with environmental guidelines for forest operations.
GFC is currently working with 5 Companies with expired/unapproved FPM’s to ensure that by the end of 2017, all Companies will have valid FMP’s.

Forest Annual Plans of Operations (AOP) 8.3 AOPs are essential for effecting monitoring.

All plans submitted were assessed against the minimum requirements as outlined by GFC Guidelines and in keeping with the GFC’s AOP Guidelines.
Where GFC was not satisfied with the quality of plans or vital information was omitted the company was requested to resubmit a revised plan.

In total, nineteen (19) AOPs for 2016 were submitted for SFA-TSA/WCL and three (3) for SFA-SFEP.

19 (100%) of AOPs submitted by TSA/WCL holders have been approved and two (67%) for SFEP holders.

All AOPs were reviewed in a timely manner and this can be attributed to the improved AOP assessment sheet and the initial review of electronic copies of AOPs.
It should be noted that the rate of non-approval has drastically reduced following these reviews.

Block Approvals 8.4 As of December 2016, a total of 422 blocks (189 new blocks, 176 roll over blocks, 56 re-entry blocks and 1 advance block) were approved for harvesting for SFA-TSA/WCL; 48 blocks (28 re-entry blocks and 20 new blocks) were approved for two SFA-SFEPs.
Forest Land Allocation 8.5 Three (3) large SFA’s were advertised locally and internationally in October-December 2016: SFA-SFEP 1 on the Left and Right Bank Berbice River, Right Bank Essequibo River of approximately 65,843.41 ha and two large SFA areas of approximately 443,013.26 ha and 412,320ha (previously part of the BCL TSA 04/91).

54 smaller SFA’s were also published during October to December 2016.

The review and award process is not yet complete and will continue into 2017.
No areas were awarded in 2016.

Page 28 of 37 Chart 5: New areas allocated over the last 5 years Dem Ess Bce Nwd 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 d e t a c o l l a s a e r a f o r e b m u N 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Year Over the last five years, 2013 had the largest number of new areas allocated followed by 2012, 2015 and then 2014.

The year 2016 was the only year within the last (7) seven years that had no new areas being allocated.

Page 29 of 37 9.
Page 29 of 37 9.

FOREST PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING COUNCIL (FPDMC) Guyana- EU FLEGT VPA 9.1 The FPDMC continues to serve on the Guyana European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (GUY EU FLEGT VPA) committee as member of the National Technical Working Group.

FPDMC was awarded Grant funding from DFID for two projects submitted.
The two awarded projects are successfully being executed: EU- FLEGT GTLAS and VPA booklets were produced to inform persons about the Timber Legality Assurance System in Guyana and on the VPA process, as one of the projects.

The second project was based on outreaches and distributing these booklets to the general public.

This was done through outreaches by visiting stakeholders in their villages.
Outreaches were conducted in Berbice, Orealla, Essequibo/Pomeroon, Linden, Moraikobai Lethem/Annai and Kwakwani, while Demerara outreaches are to be completed early in 2017.

Outreach Programme 9.2 Apart from the outreaches discussed above, the FPDMC conducted other outreaches targeting saw millers and lumberyard dealers.
These outreaches were aimed at collecting information from these two stakeholder groups to inform the timber industry on the way forward with regards to better utilization of resources under a project, titled; “Global Value Chain and Cluster Study of the Furniture Industry in Guyana”, executed by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Caribbean Center for Competiveness (CCfC) of the University of the West Indies (UWI).
The second outreach was done in collaboration with the EU FLEGT Secretariat, which was aimed at sensitizing and educating the two above mentioned stakeholders groups about the EU FLEGT VPA initiative in areas of Berbice, Essequibo, and Demerara.

9.3 Marketing and Promotion Throughout 2016, the FPDMC continued its advertising campaign to promote the use of the Lesser Used Species of woods.
Brochures and handbooks reflecting the benefits of using LUS were distributed to persons attending various exhibitions.

Television advertisements were produced and aired on several stations across the country.

Seminars were also held with the Permanent Secretaries /other key staff of various Ministries on enhancing the use of Lesser Used Species in Public Procurement.
Additionally, Lesser Used Species Promotional packages were prepared and dispatched to the overseas missions via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A meeting was held with National Park Commission (NPC) to promote the Lesser Used Species in NPC projects.

Further private stakeholders undertook projects which utilized products from LUS; these are displayed and promoted publicly in the Botanical Gardens and National Park- value added products included combination park bench and picnic tables and Gazebo.
The Council produced five thousand (5000) timber trade magazines for the forest sector in 2016.

The idea of the publication of this magazine is to showcase Guyana’s timber and timber products both locally and internationally which would result in increased economic benefits for the timber Page 30 of 37 industry of Guyana.

The cost for producing this magazine was covered from advertisements which were placed in the magazines.
The Council also produced wall and desk calendars for 2017 with a focus on promoting the EU FLEGT VPA.

9.4 Market and Product Development Research The FPDMC updated on a daily basis, a database with the contact lists of potential international buyers; this is accessible to the local stakeholders in the timber industry.

The database is updated with information based on the council’s subscription on Go4worldbusiness.com.
Throughout the year, the Marketing Unit has worked along with exporters to better advertise their products to become more competitive when expanding their markets regionally and globally.

Google Mapping 9.5 The FPDMC has been working continuously to map all operators in the timber industry.

This exercise involves collecting GPS coordinates of local stakeholders’ locations and plotting them on Google Maps for local and international access.
This exercise would enable someone to view the Google map on Guyana and determine the exact location of all the entities that have agreed to participate in this exercise.

In addition to finding the location of these operations, the kinds of timber and timber products available at each site would also be made available.

This information would be updated on a very regular basis.
Documentary demonstrating best practices in Sawmilling and Lumberyard 9.6 A video documentary on best practices in Timber Processing in Sawmill and Lumberyards in Guyana was produced and distributed among saw millers and lumber yard dealers.

The objective of this documentary is to demonstrate best practices in Sawmilling and Lumberyard in keeping with GFC code of practice.
The areas of focus include pre-sawmilling practices, Sawmill Layout, Grade sawing, Maintenance of Equipment, Saw doctoring, Moisture in lumber, Sticker-Stacking and Racking and Kiln drying.
Advisory Service to Stakeholders 9.7 FPDMC provided on a continuous basis, an advisory service to both stakeholders and other agencies on new developments in wood technology and market requirements in areas such as moisture content, wood preservation standards, drying, stacking, packing and handling among other areas to various stakeholders.
This service will continue with the Council aiming to have another 10 species of LUS tested for strength and durability in 2017 and information on these made available to the private sector.

Page 31 of 37 Linkage 9.8 The Council has continued to maintain the linkage between prospective overseas buyers and local suppliers.

Expressions of interest received from overseas firms have been passed on to local producers.
Once there are expressions of interest, the Council plays a facilitating role as much as is needed.

Further, the FPDMC became a member of the International Wood Products Association.

This online membership was recognized on the newsfeed of the IWPA who encouraged viewers to visit the FPDMC website.

10.
10.

FORESTRY TRAINING CENTRE INC. 10.1 Training 2016 was a good year for FTCI with 397 persons being trained as compared to the 566 that was achieved in 2015.This achievement was based on collaboration with several local and international agencies.

The FTCI provided its services to the students of the Guyana School of Agriculture, University of Guyana, Indigenous Communities, Logging Associations and staff of the Guyana Forestry Commission.
These opportunities were funded by provided by the Guyana Forestry Commission, the National Technical Working Group (EU-FLEGT) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FLEGT) programme.

The Board of Industrial Training continues to provide support to the FTCI as strides are made to ensure youths are provided with requisite skills to gain employment in the forestry sector.
The FTCI has been able to arrange its services overseas during the period with Reduce Impact Logging training being planned for Dennebos (Suriname) in 2017 after postponement in 2016.

10.2 Consultancies FTCI writes Annual Plans of Operations (APOs) and Forest Management Plans (FMPs), for concessionaires.

In 2016, FTCI provided this service along with preparation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and conducted inventories for companies.
10.3 Revenue In 2016, the FTCI was still reliant on the GFC for support in meeting its administrative expenses.

The centre however, recorded an 80 % increase in revenue generated as compared to 2015.

This was mainly due to an of 57% increase in training fees.

Page 32 of 37 The FTCI would have engaged in many cross cutting ventures as a means of reducing its expenditure.
This included an agricultural project which resulted in the Mariwa now having the availability of vegetables and fruits grown at the location.

10.4 Projects The Centre has been responsible for the management of Four (4) project during the period.

These projects are namely the Chainsaw Milling Project funded by the European Union, NTWG-FLEGT Project and Two projects funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The Chainsaw Milling project activities focused on “at supporting the integration of legal and legitimate timber markets into voluntary partnership agreements in Guyana.”This project was completed 2016 with all technical and financial reports submitted.

The NTWG-FLEGT project aimed at developing the capacity of 22 Small Loggers Association in the management of their forests as a resource.

These associations have to date benefitted from GPS devices and training along with training in Tree Identification.
This project will be continued in 2017.

The FAO addressed the needs of 6 Community Associations by improving their record keeping system.

This project was completed in 2016.

The FTCI has also started the FAO project addressing low production forests.

In this project the FTCI has started conducting inventory of concessions suspected to have a low stocking: 1 block with SFP-Dem 16/08 is currently being inventorized while the similar activity will be conducted in 3 other concessions in 2017.
This project will be completed in 2018.

The FTCI continues to apply for projects as calls for proposals and concept notes are available.

11.

KEY AREAS OF FOCUS – 2017 The Board of Directors of the GFC working closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Commission are working together to implement a suite of measures that will be directed at strengthening and improving the sector’s performance in 2017.
These measures will be implemented in collaboration with the private sector and indigenous communities with whom there are continuous consultations.

The FPA, GMSA along with the MOIPA are members of the GFC Board.

11.1 Opportunities for Non Timber Forest Products and Environmental Services Guyana’s forest offer a wide range of goods and services in addition to timber.
It is the intention of the Commission, working closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources, to further explore the potential to develop these alternatives.

These may include uses such as: conservation value, carbon value, non-timber forest products, etc.

The existing bilateral partnership on forest and climate between Guyana and Norway provides a platform for exploring similar opportunities.

Under this partnership, an estimated US$30-40M has been earned annually.
This indicates the level of opportunity that may be available from environmental services and non-timber production.

The national scale MRVS will continue to be implemented and will allow for a robust mechanism for validating implementation of sustainable forest management.

Page 33 of 37 Trade and Markets Measures 11.2 Guyana’s forest products’ access to markets will be strengthened and existing challenges addressed.

Efforts will be advanced by FPDMC in collaboration with the GFC/FPA etc.
to market species on a “fit for purpose” basis.

Ongoing discussions and efforts to regain access to the UK Market for Greenheart will be further advanced with an aim to reestablishing these markets.
Additionally, the programme of work on EU FLEGT (EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade), through which a trade agreement between the EU and Guyana called the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), should be finalized by June 2017 and should create greater access and more lucrative market opportunities for Guyana’s forest products exports to the EU and other markets.
At the same time, initiatives to expand local and regional trade of forest products by improving marketing, product development, and quality, will be prioritized.

11.3 Encouraging Added Value The Commission will look to create a stronger platform for encouraging added value forest activities.
Among some of the immediate measures are the introduction of a revised Log Export Policy that seeks to promote local added value for prime species of timber, increasing efficiency and productivity of wood processing operations, and exploring the provision of incentives that can be provided to the wood processing sector to enhance competitiveness.
11.4 Capacities and SFM The forest sector will continue the implementation of sustainable forest management principles, and will look to further build local capacities to meet new and emerging needs of the sector.

The Forestry Training Centre Inc. has targeted training for at least 300 persons in various areas of sustainable forest management implementation.
11.5 Inter-Agency Collaboration GFC partnered with several organizations in 2016; some of these included:  Guyana Defence Force (GDF)  Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC)  Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission (GL&SC)  Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA)  Guyana Sea Defence Commission  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)   Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs  National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI)  Protected Areas Commission (PAC)  University of Guyana (UG) IWOKRAMA Page 34 of 37  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Page 35 of 37 Guyana Forestry Commission Forest Stations FOREST STATIONS ADDRESS TELEPHONE # 112 KM Buckhall 50 KM-110 KM UNAMCO 70 KM Buckhall A. Mazaharally and Sons Anarika Annai Arapiarco Bamboo Landing Bartica Bissaruni Junction Buckhall Buckhall (Water Front) Butakari Canje CPT Georgetown Goat Landing Haimorakabra Hururu Iteballi KK Water Front (Rong An Landing) Kurunduni Kwakwani Kwebana Lethem Linden Mabaruma Mabura Manaka Moraballi Orealla Parika Port Kaituma Scatter Rock Soesdyke Springlands Supenaam VW&GL WAICO Wineperu Buckhall, Water Front Rockstone, Esequibo Rupununi Pomeroon River Between Ituni & Kwakwani Bartica, Essequibo Berbice Essequibo River Essequibo Essequibo East Canje, Berbice Essequibo Water Street, Kingston Berbice Berbice Berbice River Mazaruni River Berbice Berbice Berbice River Region 1 NWD Lethem Christianburg, Linden North West District 74 Miles Mabura Essequibo River Demerara Corentyne River East Bank Essequibo North West District
 Corentyne River Berbice Soesdyke, EDB Corentyne, Berbice Essequibo Coast Berbice Berbice Bartica, Region 7 672- 5513 697-5698 625- 0612 772-9280 771-4735 440-2590 455-2332 – Fax;455-2255 650-4698 668-9935 332-0487/332-0227 (F) 604-3016 226-7271-4 613-9327 686-9023 692-0664 690-6448 440-2589 (F)/440-2590 444-4727-8 777-5131 226-5385/226-5382 (DTL) 651-3972 338-9280 260-4084/260-4217 (F) 614-3742 261-5310 – Fax ;261-5044 ;261-5045 335-3414 774-4944 (Office/Fax); 774-4945 656-4019 Page 36 of 37 Page 37 of 37