311

INTERNATIONAL TROPICALTIMBER COUNCIL

Distr.
GENERAL
ITTC-JC(XLV)/2 – Annex II
26 September 2011
ENGLISHFORTY-SEVENTH SESSION
14-19 November 2011
La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

META-EVALUATION OF PREVIOUSLY EVALUATED ITTO
PROJECTS
Lessons learned & good practices towards sustainable
management of tropical forests
Summary Report
9. Reduced impact logging

Markku Simula, Hosny El-Lakany and Ivan TomaselliPage 2THEMATIC SUMMARY REPORT No. 9
Reduced Impact Logging

1.

INTRODUCTION

Reduced impact logging (RIL) was developed to facilitate and improve the implementation of sustainable
forest management (SFM) of tropical forests. The original purpose was to reduce impacts of harvesting
operations, but RIL has become a new management approach for improving operational planning,
harvesting methods, and supervision and monitoring. RIL is part of the implementation of forest management
plans with which its planning is closely linked. RIL, therefore, is one element of the toolbox for SFM at theforest management unit (FMU) level. It is applicable both in large-scale concession operations, for which it
was originally developed, and small-scale community and privately managed forests.
In addition to reducing damage to the remaining vegetation, soil and water, RIL also contributes to improved
regeneration in harvested areas and future sustainable production of timber and non-timber forest products.
As the technology also aims at reducing costs, its application contributes to profitability. RIL also improves
working conditions and occupational safety and health of the workers. In addition, RIL-based operations
usually meet the forest certification standards related to harvesting.
The ITTA Objectives calls for the promotion of practices that contribute to improve sustainable managementof tropical forests, such as RIL. The development and promotion of RIL are related to several ITTA
Objectives including objective (f) Promoting and supporting research and development with a view toimproving forest management and efficiency of wood utilization and the competitiveness of wood products
relative to other materials, as well as increasing the capacity to conserve and enhance other forest values intimber producing tropical forests, objective (m) Encouraging members to develop national policies aimed atsustainable utilization and conservation of timber producing forests, and maintaining ecological balance, inthe context of the tropical timber trade, and objective (p) Promoting access to, and transfer of, technologies
and technical cooperation.
ITTO has been supporting the development of low-impact logging models, testing operational options in
specific forest conditions and training of planners, supervisors and workers in several countries. Some
projects have supported governmental and non-governmental organizations to establish training centers todevelop human resources for the timber industry and to facilitate the adoption of reduced impact logging
operations.

2.

KEY ISSUESRIL is not yet adequately mainstreamed in the policy and regulatory requirements set for forest
operations.

The government policies and regulations are not always compatible with RIL and may need to be revised
to allow its adoption.

Implementation of RIL largely depends on the commitment of the timber industry management toimprove operational forestry practices. There is a perception among many companies that RIL leads toincreased costs even though the improved operations have been demonstrated to be cost-efficient.

Convincing company management of the benefits of RIL is not enough. Field managers should be
supportive to the necessary changes and adequately trained to implement RIL in their particular area ofresponsibility.

Full implementation of the RIL approach requires effective supervision and communication within theorganization. This often means a fundamental change to a logging company’s organizational structure
and rules of procedure/operational standards.

In some cases companies are not interested in RIL because it disrupts the status quo of their
management systems and operational practices, and because many companies are mainly concerned

Page 3
about their immediate supply of raw material rather than optimizing their costs and minimizing theirenvironmental impacts.
Introduction of RIL has in many pilot projects involved the use of expensive equipment which has beennecessary for improved forestry practices. Mainstreaming of the technology has been constrained bylimited investment capacity of FMUs.



Adaptation of RIL to community forests and other small-scale FMUs is still at initial stages. This would
require specific concerted efforts.

Specialized RIL training centers have suffered problems of sustainability when external financial support
has finished. Adequate training fees from private companies sending their staff for training have not beenadequate to ensure financial sustainability.

3.

LESSONS LEARNED

Project design

RIL projects usually involve participation of pilot FMUs which can serve as training grounds andexperimental areas. This approach has proved to be useful for the introduction of RIL. However, this is
only the first step and mainstreaming RIL needs other efforts.

The pilot area selected for the implementation of RIL practices is often remote and located in steep
terrain which tends to slow down the pace of work and reduce the demonstration potential of the area.

The RIL model is currently mainly applicable to large logging enterprises that use heavy equipment.
Medium-sized and small-scale operations and community-based forest enterprises use simpler
technologies that also tend to result in adverse environmental impacts. As these smaller FMUs arenumerous in many countries, their particular conditions should be taken into consideration in project
design (choice of technology, FMU-level capacity building strategy, etc.).

For the successful application of RIL it is necessary to have technically competent planners, operators,and supervisors. Well-trained operators need equally well-trained supervisors to ensure that work iscarried out properly and to provide feedback to improve practices continually.

The field-level operational staffs, the core target group of many RIL projects, needs to be fully consulted
in the determination of training requirements in the planning phase.

Participating companies should be prepared to meet the costs of training of their staff.

Collaborating agencies have not always actively participated in the project which calls for clear statementof intention from all the planned parties.

A feasibility study on a special RIL training center should be carried out before its financing can bejustified.

Implementation

It is important to identify environmental impacts associated with logging operations, particularly in steeply
sloping areas and highly erodible watersheds. Especially planning of forest roads and otherinfrastructure should be carefully done, and measures to minimize adverse impacts should be taken.

Alternatives to opening forest tracks and skidding can be analyzed for possible feasibility in specific localconditions. Helicopter logging reduces the need for road building in steep terrain and eliminates impacts
on soil and water but it is costly and therefore applicable only in special cases. Cable logging systems
are usually applicable in steep terrain.

In many cases, the same road standards and road construction practices are used on steep slopes as inlowland forests. This can lead to significant stream sedimentation and loss of water quality, with serious

Page 4downstream impacts on drinking water, river transportation, irrigation, hydroelectric projects, andactivities such as fish and shrimp farming.
Detailed operational planning of RIL harvesting needs to consider, inter alia, differences in the woodtechnological characteristics of the lesser known timber species, and needs for taxonomical identificationof additional species to ensure their due consideration in operations. Simple field guides for quickspecies identification have proved to be useful for lesser-used species.

Machinery has been inappropriate in some local conditions and should therefore be specified, applicableto local conditions.

Import procedures of improved logging machinery for RIL should be clarified in advance before theirprocurement.

Overly optimistic scheduling of activities should be avoided. Collecting the necessary baseline data for
RIL planning has often taken longer than originally anticipated.

RIL projects are rarely successful for effective transfer of knowledge if the implementation is mainly
based on short-term visits by overseas consultants.

Training of trainers and pilot FMU staff has been useful in the initial stages of RIL introduction but itneeds to be complemented by broader awareness raising among industry management and thegovernment staff and expanding training activities to other target groups.

It is important to understand that the targeted benefits may require a longer period of implementation
than anticipated which can reduce the possibilities for convincing industry management on RIL’s ultimatebenefits.

For effective dissemination of RIL project outputs to the public and private sector stakeholders requires a
ready access to the results through short-term training courses, workshops, seminars, videos andposters in exhibitions, printed material, and a well-designed web-page.

Technical reports of RIL projects are crucial for informing management and professional staff in private
and public organizations. They should include comparative analyses on costs and productivity as well as
environmental impacts of the RIL and conventional logging approaches.

Reaching small-scale enterprises and community forests which are scattered in the country andexperience limitations in the access to information would need specifically tailored dissemination
activities.

Sustainability
Some RIL activities and their promotion have lost momentum after the project completion.

Monitoring of RIL’s success based on a set of relevant indicators can help in communicating on the longterm benefits obtained.

Comparative analyses between traditional logging and RIL have often been lacking in many projects
limiting the industry’s interest in improved practices.

Independent RIL training centers usually need continual external funding even if demand for training
services can be created through the project.
It is difficult to sustain RIL training operations and promotion based on training courses fees.

4.

GOOD PRACTICES

Project design and implementation
RIL project design needs to be realistic and overambitious goals should be avoided.

Page 5Essential aspects of RIL projects include (i) establishment of baseline information, (ii) identification ofspecific causes of accelerated soil erosion, (iii) development of guidelines for road construction and otherpractices that would significantly reduce the erosion rates, and (iv) training.

Careful selection of sites for pilot areas at the very beginning can ensure that the areas meet criteria
related to access and representativeness.

Comparative cost and benefit analysis of RIL is an efficient tool to promote awareness raising on
benefits among stakeholders.

External experts are often required but resident staff or experts working continuously over long periodwith local counterparts would be preferable.

Sustainability
Measures for systematic follow-up training and harnessing of knowledge and applicability to local
conditions of the RIL technology, including among medium and small-sized operators and community
forests, can ensure sustainability.

Carefully planned exit strategies have proved to be critical for the continuous adoption of the RIL
technology. They can include among othersoFull involvement of national specialists

oA follow-up mechanism for tracking cost-benefit ratios and other impacts

oAssessment of the post-training performance of field operatives

oWidespread awareness raising among forest industry management

oTargeted dissemination on the benefits and costs, practical demonstration and technicaldocumentation.

oPartnerships with educational forestry institutions to ensure RIL to be included in their curriculum

The government should consider establishing policies that encourage forest industry and communities tomake available their workers for training on a regular basis.

In order to address future sustainability when establishing training facilities, the project could makefunding conditional for incorporating RIL in training.

RIL training centers could eventually acquire a corporate status before the external funding is exhausted
to enable self-financing from beneficiary organizations. However, as training fees charged to participants
have not generally been sufficient for ensuring sustainability.

SOURCESThis thematic summary is based on the ex-post evaluation reports of the following projects:
PD 47/94 Rev.3 (I)PD 3/96 Rev.2 (I)PD026/96 Rev.4 (F)PD39/06 REV.2 (F).

INDUSTRIAL UTILIZATION OF LESSER-KNOWN FOREST SPECIES INSUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTSDEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSION OF RUBBERWOOD PROCESSING ANDUTILIZATION TECHNOLOGYSTUDIES ON THE MANAGEMENT STANDARDS OF HILL DIPTEROCARPFORESTS IN SARAWAK FROM A WATERSHED MANAGEMENT POINT OF VIEW- PHASE IIREGIONAL PROJECT TO PROMOTE REDUCED IMPACT LOGGING IN THECONGO BASIN. PHASE 1.