Smart software from CMO streamlines EUDR compliance
Daniel von Heynitz, Chief Technology Officer at CMO, rolling out Tracer in Vietnam.
The European Union's Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) marks a significant step in the global effort to combat deforestation and promote sustainable forestry practices. Enacted to ensure that products entering the EU market do not contribute to deforestation, this regulation imposes strict due diligence requirements on companies producing or trading in forest products. It affects the entire forestry sector - regardless of the country of origin.
By mandating traceability and verification of supply chains, the regulation aims to reduce the environmental impact of forestry operations and promote more responsible land-use practices worldwide. This policy not only influences producers and exporters in deforestation-prone regions but also reshapes the economic and operational landscape for forestry businesses globally, emphasising the importance of sustainability in international trade.
Achieving compliance with EUDR is a complex challenge, but CMO, a leading forestry software and services provider, has developed software platforms that streamline these processes, making them more accessible and manageable for businesses.
CMO offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to meet the diverse needs of smallholders, commercial forestry companies, and the broader supply chain, with a strong focus on compliance with the EUDR. CMO tailors solutions to ensure adherence to all major certification requirements, including Forest Stewardship Council (FSCTM) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards, alongside EUDR compliance.
Michal Brink of CMO doing an FSC Group audit on small-scale growers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Empower is a comprehensive sustainability command centre developed to oversee and enhance a business’ compliance efforts. The principal aim was to create tech for smallholders to plan and control their farming practices. To this end, Empower gives the smallholder full control over their tree plot, with a clear picture of the standing volume of the trees planted and thus when best to harvest them.
One of its most notable features is the efficient onboarding of members, which simplifies the integration of new users into the system and ensures that all stakeholders are aligned with sustainability goals from the outset. Additionally, Empower facilitates comprehensive on-site audits, allowing organisations to conduct thorough evaluations of practices and processes to ensure adherence to established standards.
FSC/EUDR group scheme members onboarded by CMO Thailand with Empower.
Continuous improvement The application also includes an Action Log, a vital tool for addressing and closing non-compliances swiftly. This feature helps in identifying areas that require improvement and provides a structured approach to managing corrective actions, thereby fostering continuous improvement. Moreover, Empower’s capability to manage stakeholders both nationally and locally ensures that all stakeholders are engaged and informed, thus promoting a coordinated approach to sustainability.
Empower becomes even more powerful when paired with Tracer, a tool that maps supply chains and monitors volumes and commodity movements in real-time. Together, they promote efficiency and transparency.
Smallholders in Thailand get to grips with Empower.
Tracer captures detailed product information, supplier data, and coordinates throughout the supply chain, providing a complete overview of the entire production and distribution process. This level of detail is crucial for generating accurate and reliable reports, particularly for the EUDR due diligence statements, ensuring full compliance with the stringent regulatory requirements.
Over the past year, CMO has collaborated with Weber & Schaer (W&S) in Germany, the Sabah Rubber Industry Board (SIRB) in Malaysia, and the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) to promote sustainability practices and certification within the rubber industry. This partnership leverages CMO's Empower software to enhance sustainable practices and ensure compliance with industry standards.
In Vietnam, CMO has just concluded a successful trial for CMO Tracer in partnership with W&S in June and July 2024. The trial has allowed the first shipment of EUDR-compliant rubber to be sent to the USA. The users appreciated the simplicity of the new application, but also supplied valuable feedback around usability and language optimisation. The application was quickly adopted by the various processing plants that took part in the pilot project.
The CMO team, which has used its extensive knowledge and experience in forestry and certification to develop their software toolbox, are looking forward to scaling their EUDR solution for the benefit of the whole southern African forest industry – particularly where commercial farmers and smallholders are involved in the supply chain.
Braecroft Timbers receives top forest management award
Celebrating the award of the Bushbuck Trophy are (left to right) Jaap Van den Berg, Logistics, Fibre and Resources Manager, Sappi; Sihle Ndlovu, Forester, Braecroft & CHEP SSA; Gordon McKenzie, Senior Manager, Forestry, Braecroft & CHEP SSA; Axel Jooste, Sappi FSC Group Scheme Manager.
Braecroft Timbers (a wholly owned subsidiary of CHEP South Africa) has received the top award for sustainable forestry management practices in their South African plantations from the Sappi FSC Group Scheme.
The Bushbuck Trophy was awarded to Braecroft Timbers recently in recognition for their exemplary sustainable forestry management practises. The company operates 18 plantations in South Africa with a total of 7 500 ha planted to pine species. The timber harvested on these plantations is used to manufacture and repair CHEP pallets that are widely used in the transport and logistics sector. The farms are located in the Bulwer / Underberg district and are within 90 kms of CHEP’s Weatherboard Sawmill. They are managed by Forestry Manager Gordon McKenzie and a team of experienced foresters.
CHEP plantation in the KZN midlands.
Braecroft Timbers has been a member of the Sappi FSC Group Scheme for the past 14 years, and has been the recipient of multiple awards acknowledging the organisation’s commitment to responsible forestry management practices.
The Sappi FSC Group scheme is part of the Forest Stewardship Council’s global network, which represents thousands of individual and member organisations committed to upholding forestry practices that safeguard and promote healthy, resilient forests worldwide. The Sappi FSC Group Scheme’s annual Member of the Year Award recipients are selected based on a yearly audit which measures compliance to FSC standards, and celebrates responsible forest management.
Braecroft Timbers first received the KwaZulu-Natal Award in 2014 and claimed the Overall Winner of the Bushbuck Trophy the following year. The organisation won the KZN Award again in 2017, and this year claimed the Overall Winners award for the second time.
CHEP pallets under construction at the Weatherboard Sawmill, KZN midlands.
"Winning this prestigious award from the Sappi Group Scheme reflects the effort our teams at Braecroft Timbers and CHEP put in to maintain the highest standards of forestry management," says Gordon McKenzie, Senior Manager, Braecroft Forestry. "This award demonstrates our commitment to help transform the timber supply chain in all markets we operate in by driving demand for sustainably sourced timber and responsible, regenerative forest management."
Forest certification compliance is an integral part of CHEP’s forest management strategy, and it’s no surprise that Braecroft Timbers farms have achieved dual certification by both FSC and PEFC. CHEP’s unique pooling system epitomises the circular economy, with CHEP pallets being shared and reused (not sold) by clients in FMCG, Original Equipment Manufacturers and agricultural supply chains. Today, CHEP’s humble pine pallet underpins many of the world’s supply chains. Ownership of its own sustainable pine timber farms in South Africa has provided the company with a reliable raw material supply and eliminated the need to import timber, which is time-consuming, expensive and environmentally unsustainable.
The familiar blue CHEP pallets used to store and move goods all over the world. These pallets are never sold, they are pooled and shared and repaired and used again and again.
CMO pioneers FSC certification around the world
CMO International, a diverse forestry company founded in South Africa, is making waves internationally by successfully achieving FSC chain of custody certification for 56 smallholder rubber tree farmers in the Sabah district of Malaysia. This is the first time that smallholder rubber farmers in Malaysia have achieved FSC certification which ensures their products comply with the European Union Deforestation-free regulations as well as other similar policies and market requirements around the world.
The successful outcome of this project was made possible with extensive collaboration between FSC Malaysia’s sustainable natural rubber project, CMO International, Control Union (M) Sdn Bhd and WWF-Malaysia.
“I am happy and grateful to be part of this project and I have learned about the importance and benefits of getting certified. I hope the rubber industry is sustainable for our future generation,” said Sylvester Dani, one of the smallholders from Tuaran in the FSC group scheme.
Sabdil Bin Tanjong, the General Manager of Sabah Rubber Industry Board said: “We are in the process of obtaining FSC COC certification for two of our rubber factories, the Beaufort Latex factory and Tenom Standard Malaysia Rubber (SMR) Factory. Our aim is to produce and export FSC-certified SMR and Latex Concentrate to the international market.”
A scale-up plan is embedded in the project, where progressively more smallholders are onboarded into the FSC group scheme, held by CMO Malaysia Sdn Bhd FSC-C195423. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the FSC group scheme is expected to cover over 7,000 hectares of FSC-certified rubber plantation by the second quarter of 2024.
The CMO International team played an instrumental role in training the smallholder farmers, and ensuring they understand and conform with FSC standards. As the entity holding the FSC certificate for this group scheme, CMO uses its software (‘Empower’) to map each member on the ground, compile the necessary management documents, conduct internal audits and monitor performance of the group members, in line with the requirements of the FSC standards.
Commented Michal Brink, CMO International Managing Director: “CMO is very proud to be able to bring this group of rubber smallholders in Tuaran, Sabah, to FSC certification. The smallholders have been trained and put in a lot of effort to comply with FSC requirements in their daily routine.”
This is the start of a journey to propel Malaysia – the seventh biggest natural rubber producer in the world - as one of the major suppliers of sustainably-produced FSC-certified rubber in the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition to their work in the Asia-Pacific region, CMO has pioneered the certification of charcoal producers in Namibia, as well as medium and small-scale tree farmers in South Africa through their innovative FSC group schemes. They have also certified communities in the Eastern Cape that are clearing alien wattle jungles and using the cleared timber to produce charcoal for local and international markets.
Can Safcol save Pietermaritzburg’s plantations?
This is how parts of the Pietermaritzburg city plantation looks like today, where Illegal dumping and timber theft is rife.
The forests that surround Pietermaritzburg should be – could be – one of the city’s finest assets. If well managed they can yield a sustainable annual harvest of some 25 000 tons of timber and bark, provide visitors and residents with endless recreational opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, trail running and bird watching, while providing free ecological services in the form of fresh, clean water from the numerous streams that run through it.
Instead, over the past five years or so under the ‘management’ of the Msunduzi Municipality, the forest has become a major fire risk, a major alien plant infestation, an illegal dumping ground, rife with timber theft, and rapidly becoming a liability that produces little or no revenue for the city coffers. It has also lost its FSC certification, a globally recognised standard for responsible and sustainable forest management.
This scenario has been repeated in other municipal owned plantations in KwaZulu-Natal – such as Richmond – where forest assets have become seriously degraded under the management of municipal officials who appear to have little interest in sustainable forest management.
However after years of indecision, some sanity has at last prevailed and there is hope that the Msunduzi plantation forests may be salvaged. The good news is that the City has signed a three-year plantation management contract with the state-owned forestry company, Safcol, which has considerable experience in plantation management.
Whether the Safcol team has the will, the budget - and the time - to turn this plantation around, remains to be seen. Forestry is a long term business. Eucalyptus trees take eight years to reach maturity after planting, wattle trees take 10 years, and pine trees grown for sawlogs more like 25 years. So there is not a lot anybody can do in three years, unless the aim is just to extract value over the short term by harvesting standing trees.
Harvesting operation on the go back in 2012. The city plantations are located on the hills around the city with deep soils and good annual rainfall, and have the potential to be highly productive.
It would take years of work and significant capital investment to rehabilitate the plantation, fix the roads, put in fire breaks, clear the alien invasive plants encroaching on tree compartments, conservation areas and wetlands, while all the time carefully re-planting every hectare that is harvested with good quality material. This is a job for forestry professionals with a long term interest. Getting the plantation back onto a sustainable management footing would generate significant revenue for the city, boost its image and tourism potential, and create dozens of additional jobs both on-site and downstream.
It is understood that Safcol will have an option to renew the contract at the end of the three years, provided they can demonstrate an acceptable level of service. This is the rationale behind the current short-term contract, which hopefully will become a more realistic, longer term commitment after the three years is up.
According to a Safcol spokesperson, the Msunduzi plantations will be managed by Thabo Ndhlovu and his team from Safcol’s Ngome plantation in KZN.
Commenting at the signing of the service level agreement with Safcol, Msunduzi city manager Lulamile Mapholoba acknowledged the difficulties the city faced in their efforts to manage the plantations, and lauded the agreement with Safcol as a “very significant development in the history of the city”.
FSC surveillance audit on the go back in 2012 … the Pietermaritzburg plantations were part of NCT’s group certification scheme, but have subsequently lost their certification status.
Established in 1910 Pietermaritzburg’s commercial plantations were established way back in 1910 by the municipality, and originally comprised almost exclusively of wattle. Over the years some of the wattle was phased out and replaced by Eucalyptus and pine as the timber markets changed. The trees were removed entirely in some areas, to create the suburbs of Northdale and Woodlands. It currently covers an area of some 2 000 ha, 1 500 ha of which is planted to Eucalyptus, wattle and pine.
The plantation was managed by NCT Tree Farming from 1988 up until 2017. Under NCT’s management the plantation achieved FSC certification, a globally recognised standard for sustainable forest management.
During this period the NCT team, working in conjunction with the city's Parks and Recreation Department, started clearing the riparian areas inside the plantation, and embarked on a programme of planting indigenous trees. A number of local schools participated in the tree planting efforts, and the Wildlands Trust donated over 20 000 trees to the initiative.
Photo taken in 2012: Forester Rajesh Ramsamy and Steve Germishuizen of the SANBI Grasslands Programme (now with SAFAS) view a clean riparian zone between compartments where indigenous trees have been re-introduced by NCT and the City Parks Department. This zone was previously planted up with commercial trees, the stumps of which are still visible.
Photo taken in 2023: This conservation area is overgrown with alien invasive plants, but many of the indigenous trees planted by NCT and the City Parks Department some 12 years ago are still surviving.
This served to create a beautiful, natural environment that attracts a variety of birds and animals, and also creates a canopy that discourages the growth of invasive alien vegetation, thus making future maintenance of these areas easier and cheaper.
Unfortunately these open areas inside the plantation are now choked with weeds after the years of neglect, but the good news is that many of the indigenous trees planted during NCT’s time have survived and are still visible in between the bugweed, lantana and American bramble.
Plantation audit A report compiled by the Sustainable African Forest Assurance Scheme (SAFAS) team in 2020 following an audit highlighted the poor state of the plantations. The audit yielded 13 major non-conformances with the SAFAS standard. “This represents a drastic failure in plantation management,” stated the Report’s author, Steve Germishuizen.
The audit highlighted irregularities in the contractual arrangements regarding the silviculture operations and timber harvesting that was taking place at the time; dangerously high risk for severe fires due to poor plantation management; roads in very poor condition and getting worse; inadequate control of timber theft and the management of illegal dumping; lack of a programme to control and eradicate listed invasive plant species in conservation corridors, wetlands and buffer zones; and harvested areas not being re-established.
“It is clear from the findings that the Msunduzi plantations are in a severely degraded state and urgent action is required before the costs of restoring them become prohibitive and the plantations become a threat rather than an asset to the city,” concluded the report.
Despite the fact that the city officials had requested the audit by SAFAS in the first place in the hopes of achieving PEFC certification, they failed to respond to the Report and the SAFAS team never heard from them again.
The fact that Safcol is now managing the plantation provides a glimmer of hope that it can be rehabilitated to the point where it can once again become a productive asset and a jewel in the crown that serves the city of Pietermaritzburg and its residents.
Photo taken in 2023: Bugweed flourishing inside the plantations.
Photo taken in 2023: Erosion ravaged plantation road.
Certification Officer, Southern Africa (m-f-d)
The Mission FSC works to take care of our forests and those who rely on them: by protecting plant and animal species, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, forest workers’ safety, and much more. We achieve this through FSC certification, ensuring forests around the world are responsibly managed. For more information on FSC, visit our website at www.fsc.org.
To effectively meet the challenge of protecting the world’s forests, we are committed to ensuring we have the world’s most skilled people working with us. This commitment extends to everyone that works in FSC around the world: from those that lead the design of policies and standards, to those that roll out those same policies and standards on the ground, and to those that provide us with backbone to do our work.
We are looking for an engaged Certification Officer, Southern Africa who brings solid expertise and a passion for FSC’s mission, to work with us in a multinational environment.
The Scope To provide technical support and guidance to stakeholders starting or already in process to obtain FSC certification and, to contribute to achieving the FSC Southern Africa 2023 growth target of 120,000 hectares of certified forest area.
Main Roles and Responsibilities • Provide day to day technical guidance and expertise for forest managers and businesses to obtain FSC forest management and Chain of Custody (CoC) certification. • Support companies and governments to implement their certification roadmaps. • As guided by the FSC Coordinator, Southern Africa, participate in relevant private, government sector and industry association meetings, workshops and events. • In liaison with the PSU Manager, Africa and as guided by the FSC Coordinator Southern Africa, provide technical support to the relevant Standard Development Groups (SDGs) during revision process of the National Standards, and Interim National Standards for new countries. • Organise in-country and/or external exchange field visits to facilitate learning by staff of companies and governments involved in implementing certification pilot activities, as well as other stakeholders in the process to uptake FSC certification. • With support from the FSC Coordinator Southern Africa, conduct online and physical certification trainings. • Strengthen existing relationships and develop new links with potential partners and members to promote FSC certification in Southern Africa. • Provide certification, other technical support to the Southern Africa Marketing and Communications Manager: ◦ For relevant technical and in-field content for impact stories, and communication initiatives (social media, articles etc.). ◦ for COC certification enquiries, activities such as filed trips related to the Promotional License Agreement and Value Chain Development programs. • Perform other duties as requested by the FSC Coordinator, Southern Africa.
Qualification, Experience and Skills Education and Training: • Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in forestry, natural resources and environmental. Working Experience, Style and Skills: • At least 4 years of professional experience in the forestry or related sector with excellent knowledge and wide understanding of forest certification, and COC certification, preferably in the FSC certification system. • Experience working with and engaging governments, forest companies, forest product companies, environmental non-governmental organizations and smallholders and communities in forestry, and strong ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships. • Strong interest in promoting responsible forest management and sustainability within the forestry, environment disciplines and related sectors. • Ability to work independently under minimal supervision. • Good time management and ability to perform well while handling simultaneous tasks. • Networking, influencing, planning and facilitation. Languages: • Fluency in English (spoken and written). • Knowledge of another Southern African language/Portuguese will be advantageous but not essential. • Excellent writing and communication skills. Computer Skills – good skills in the use of/experience with: • Standard software packages (MS Office).
Terms and Conditions • Location: South Africa. • Working Hours: Full time (220 working days per calendar year). • Type of contract and duration: 1 year consultancy contract. • Starting Date: As soon as possible. • Travel: Frequent travel.
How to Apply • Please apply via our website by submitting your CV in English • Please do not send any photos of yourself. • The deadline for applications is 29 March 2023.
We will confirm receipt of your application. However, only candidates shortlisted for an interview will be further contacted and will receive notice of the outcome of the selection process. Should you not receive a confirmation of receipt please check your spam filter and if you cannot find it there contact us at recruitment@fsc.org
For FSC, inclusiveness and diversity are important values. As such, we welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds and are entirely committed to consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age and disability.
Please be informed, that by applying for this position you automatically accept our Data Protection Information on processing your personal data.
Marking timber harvested from the Ogooué concession in southern Gabon.
Gabon Advanced Wood Sarl (GAW) is a company in Gabon which holds a timber concession. It recently obtained a new Forest Stewardship Council™ forest management certificate for its Ogooué concession in the south of Gabon, located in the Haut Ogooué and Ogooué Lolo provinces.
The company’s operations are located in the town of Moanda and supply certified logs to processing industries established in the Nkok Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a 1126 ha multi-sectoral industrial park located 27 km from Libreville. It includes industrial, commercial and residential zones. In its entirety, it brings together 144 companies from 19 countries operating in 22 industrial sectors, including a cluster of 84 companies dedicated to wood processing. (https://www.gsez.com/).
The Ogooué concession covers 179 861 hectares of forests, including 25 996 hectares of strictly conservation area. The concession includes about 309 inventoried tree species and iconic and threatened mammalian species such as elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas.
The Ogooué concession in southern Gabon, which harvests tropical timber that is processed at a nearby special economic zone, has achieved FSC certification. The Ogooué concession covers 179 861 hectares of forests, and includes 25 996 hectares of strictly conservation area which is home to threatened species including forest elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas.
This is the first FSC forest management certificate in Gabon since 2014 and an important milestone for Gabon's ambition to have all their forest concessions certified by 2025. With this certificate, the total area of natural forest responsibly managed in Gabon under FSC certification reaches 2 241 051 hectares. There are now more than 5.5 million hectares of FSC certified forest in three countries of the Congo Basin: Cameroon (341 708 ha), Gabon (2 241 051 ha) and the Republic of Congo (2 989 168 ha).
Covered 85% by forest, on 22 million hectares, Gabon has a stock of exploitable wood of 130 million m3 of Okoumé and 270 million m3 of other species. GSEZ has enabled the country to develop and modernise a wood sector that was previously not very promising by relying on specialisation, one-stop services and alignment with the national development strategy. With 3.4 million m3 produced each year, Gabon has become Africa’s leading producer and exporter of tropical plywood, and the world’s second largest exporter. The country intends to go further in adding value to its wood products by transforming GSEZ into a centre for the manufacture of "Made in Gabon" furniture by 2025.
Plywood plant at the Nkok Special Economic Zone in Gabon. The Gabon government has committed to getting all forest concessions in the central African country certified by 2025.
Faced with growing demand, GSEZ has made sustainability, traceability and certification of wood sourced in Gabon and processed at its facilities one of its priorities. All of Gabon’s forest concessions are operated according to the sustainable forest management practices prescribed by the Gabonese Forest Code. In terms of traceability, since October 2018, GSEZ has benefited from the services of the Tracer-Nkok agency, which filters the logs entering the zone in order to limit the risk of illegal timber as much as possible. By 2022, all the country’s forest concessions will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or PEFC Gabon in order to improve the traceability of the wood and ensure respect for communities and workers.
Forest workers prepare for their shift, Gabon.
Integrating wildlife management and forestry in Zambia
Trees are carefully selected for sustainable harvesting from the Mbizi woodlands. Felled by chainsaw, the roundlogs are extracted with a tractor trailer combo that has minimal impact on the local environment.
Mbizi Farm in Eastern Zambia is one of those rare businesses that successfully integrates wildlife management with commercial forestry management objectives.
The 17 000ha estate, which employs nearly 50 people from surrounding communities, provides a personalised safari experience to visitors from around the world.
The mixed Mopani woodlands in which the farm is situated contains many tree species that are of significant importance to local communities for their fuel and other needs. Many of these tree species also have significant commercial value and about 2 400 m3 of Mopani, Kiaat, Pod Mahogany and Mukosa timber is harvested annually and processed at the Mbizi Sawmill for the production of export planks and other timber products.
The farm is FSC certified and as such provides assurance that it is managed in a responsible and sustainable manner.
This is a first for the Mopani ecoregion which covers extensive areas in Eastern Africa, and is home to an abundance of wildlife including elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and many other species.
Mbizi elephants, Eastern Zambia.
New machines and technologies have been introduced at Mbizi to ensure low impact selective harvesting of the trees is conducted in terms of forest management plans that allow for the sustainable use of the woodlands and forests. Mbizi is also serving as a model for other local operations to opt for sustainable forest certification through the Afzelia Group Scheme.
Mbizi Farm is traversed by the Luangwa river which is an important water resource for farms and villages across eastern Zambia. Responsible management of this farm ensures that it will continue to provide valuable ecosystem services to surrounding communities.
Mbizi Farm is managed and owned by two Swedes, Michael de Gre-Dejestam and Lennart Packendorff. It is one of the first FSC certificates in Africa, and probably the world, where the management of wildlife is fully integrated with commercial forest management objectives.
Finished lumber ready for shipment at Mbizi.
Mbizi sawmill produces beautiful hardwood lumber from a recently harvested log.
The first cut.
Prime roundlogs destined for the Mbizi sawmill.
FSC gets behind climate change mitigation efforts
Restoration of degraded landscapes in Namibia will restore healthy grasslands capable of supporting wildlife and livestock farming.
As the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and its supporters celebrate FSC Friday, on 24 September, FSC reconfirms its support for international climate change initiatives and highlights the important contribution responsible forestry makes to these efforts.
Forests play an essential role in climate regulation. Together with oceans, forests are the key ecosystems the planet uses to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) – the most important greenhouse gas – from the atmosphere. Nearly 2.6 billion tonnes, or one-third of all CO2 released from fossil fuels is absorbed by forests every year. Even with forestry operations and processing, forests function as net-removers of CO2. The Paris Agreement (COP 21) highlighted the importance of forests in responding to climate change, calling on all countries to conserve carbon sinks in forests.
Bearing in mind an average hardwood tree can store as much as 21kgs of CO2 every year, the role of forests in helping to stabilise the climate cannot be overstated. Halting the loss and degradation of natural systems such as forests, and promoting their restoration, has the potential to contribute over one-third of efforts to mitigate climate change.
In addition, 1.6 billion people rely on forests for their livelihood, and forest products account for US$ 244 billion in international trade. Forests are also home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity.
What role does FSC play in the fight against climate change? FSC is a nature-based solution for sustainable forest management, including biodiversity protection, nature conservation and forest landscape restoration.
FSC’s standards play an important role in maintaining forest cover, preventing deforestation and forest degradation, which are vital elements in the global climate change agenda to prevent the planet passing the 1,50C temperature increase (danger point) for dangerous climate change.
FSC believes in the importance of nurturing responsible forestry to protect healthy and resilient forests that sustain life on earth. Therefore it designed FSC-specific ecosystem services claims. Showing the full value of forest ecosystems by measuring the impact of forest management practices - and fostering partnerships that reward them - is fundamental to climate action and sustainability. Ecosystem services claims provide nature-based information through the measurement of impacts such as carbon sequestration and storage, biodiversity conservation, watershed services, soil conservation and recreational services.
FSC believes markets should work for the ecosystems they are part of, and the ecosystem services claims are the tool to show the true value of forests to markets. With them, FSC connects forest stewards and committed stakeholders fostering partnerships that promote the protection of ecosystems.
FSC has fostered a partnership with a corporate company in Durango, Mexico, to assist in the protection of the watersheds in these forests which surround the town of Topia.
There are a growing number of success stories. For example, in Mexico, FSC connected a community with outstanding forest management practices with a tomato company interested in a more sustainable value chain. This partnership enables the community to continue to protect the watersheds of their forests. FSC has also promoted partnerships for the protection of biodiversity in France, where a lottery company has partnered with a forest steward in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, promoting the restoration of the natural characteristics of their forests. Closer to home in Namibia, restoration of degraded forest landscapes has allowed grass to come back to allow a more natural ecosystem for fauna and flora. This biodiversity conservation ecosystem claim has resulted from collaboration between local Namibian FSC certificate holders, NGOs and a leading international retail chain. Join us in celebrating FSC Friday and continue to support forestry as a nature-based solution to climate change.
CMO to market certified forest products via global trading platform
This way please … CMO founder Michal Brink is taking certified forest products to market via a worldwide trading platform called IcePik.
The South African-based CMO Group has secured investment from venture capital fund E4E Africa to grow its forest-based operations and establish a global trading platform for certified forest products.
“The funding will be used to further enhance the company’s existing software, as well as to build a trading platform to provide market access for responsibly produced forest products in the mainstream global market, especially in the northern hemisphere,” says Michal Brink, CEO and founder of the CMO Group.
Michal says that the main driver of the development is to create and guarantee supply chain security all along the value chain. To achieve this goal the CMO model hinges on three pillars: • The establishment of Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified Group Schemes using its in-house developed PerForm software – enabling digital management and auditing of forest operators, with the emphasis on small to medium growers who have been largely excluded from the certification process, as a result of complexity and cost. • Providing technical support services such as training and consulting to FSC certified Group Schemes and forestry companies and using this expertise to beef up technical compliance of CMO Group Schemes. • The development of an online, worldwide trading portal for FSC certified forest products, named IcePik.
Michal said that the CMO team has been innovating and researching in this field for many years. He said the funding from E4E Africa presents a great opportunity to secure critical market access for sustainably produced forest products, and a means to introduce small forest producers to international markets.
“CMO has the full support of the FSC International Center GmbH in Bonn, as well as other key stakeholders including the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) and the Namibian Charcoal Association (NCA).”
The trading platform will be launched in Namibia and South Africa in the last quarter of this year, focussing initially on sales of FSC certified charcoal. Michal said that commodities traded across IcePik would expand to include a wide range of forest products derived from sustainably managed forests, including roundlogs, lumber, treated poles, chips for pulp as well as non-forest products.”
Charcoal produced on the Sidi farm in the Eastern Cape will be FSC certified, providing access to international markets at premium prices. Sidi is the second community managed invasive alien plant clearing operation in SA to be certified under the CMO Group Scheme. The cleared wattle provides the feedstock for the charcoal kilns, while also restoring degraded rangeland for community owned livestock.
According to Bas Hochstenbach, co-founder and partner at E4E Africa, the partnership hinges on the fact that CMO is a South African company with real intellectual property that is operating in a huge global industry. E4E Africa has taken a 10% stake in CMO.
Bas added that the group scheme certification methodology and trading platform create access to global markets for sustainable forestry products for parties like smallholder farmers and smaller processors – parties that traditionally had difficulty fulfilling the administrative requirements of FSC certification, disqualifying them to trade on the more lucrative markets where certification is required.
“CMO touches many aspects: significant environmental impact due to sustainable production processes and social impact through job creation, better worker conditions and a higher price for the small producer through direct access to international markets.
“CMO is a great example of the type of businesses that we seek to invest in: entrepreneurial teams leveraging technology to address real societal challenges at scale, combining a highly scalable business model with a high impact,” he said.
CMO has positioned itself to set up group certification schemes in 44 countries over the next five years, whilst selling the FSC certified products through IcePik across the globe. CMO’s FSC group scheme has certified around 35 forestry operations in South Africa, the majority of which are small-scale tree farmers operating on communal land.
Michal Brink of CMO busy with an FSC Group audit at Colona tribal authority near Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. It is a community managed operation that removes alien invader vegetation – mainly black wattle – and turns it into charcoal.
Paraquat - widely used in South African forestry to prepare tracer belts before burning firebreaks - is facing world-wide bans, forcing foresters to reach for the old-fashioned hoe. GAYNOR LAWSON reports.
It sounds so benign: “A non-selective herbicide - an aqueous solution contact herbicide for the control of annual grasses and annual broadleaf weeds in crops as listed and as a sugarcane desiccant. Inactivated on contact with the soil.” But this listed herbicide that contains Paraquat, “could have killed 2000 people” when maliciously used by a disgruntled employee to poison a tank of milk in the Cape in 2017, according to a News24 article. It is highly toxic.
Locally, Paraquat is extensively used to create tracer-belts as part of a fire management programme to prevent fires running out of control during the burning of firebreaks. The herbicide creates a boundary area devoid of vegetation before burning takes place. It is considered cost-effective, efficient and useful as it only desiccates the above-ground part of the vegetation (it leaves the root stock below ground unharmed), allowing for regeneration with the rainy season and thus preventing erosion or invasion by alien plants.
First produced for commercial purposes in 1961, Paraquat remains one of the world’s most commonly used herbicides, despite its potentially lethal impact on humans, either through deliberate poisoning or simply by working irresponsibly with it. It may be airborne when applied as a fine spray and can be spread through contact with clothing so it requires special training to ensure safe handling by users.
China reportedly experiences 5,000 deaths from Paraquat poisoning annually, although whether this is through accidental or deliberate poisoning is unconfirmed - Paraquat is known to be used in suicide attempts. It reputedly doubles the risk of Parkinson’s disease in those who come into contact with it, and the Michael J Fox Foundation issued an anti-Paraquat appeal on its website in October last year (the popular actor’s much-publicised battle with Parkinson’s has brought about heightened awareness of the disease): “Take action today to ban Paraquat. Your support can help protect people from environmental exposure to a known pesticide that increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease. We need your help to educate your Senators and Representatives…”
The appeal was posted in response to the reapproval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of several pesticides (including Paraquat) for use in the United States. The EPA reviews all herbicides and pesticides every 15 years to confirm they are safe for use, based on “assessments of human and environmental impact”. Despite its “well-documented harms”, the use of Paraquat in the United States “is at an all-time high, and it is one of only two pesticides still used in the United States that is either banned or being phased out in the European Union, China and Brazil”, according to the website.
Measures have indeed been put in place to control its availability. It cannot be bought or used in the UK (although, ironically, it is legally manufactured there), Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the European Union (where it has been banned since 2007). It has been banned in Switzerland since 1989 because it is deemed too dangerous for use even when wearing protective clothing and equipment. In the USA, only commercially licensed users have access to it.
A complete international ban is apparently blocked by the US and developing nations whenever this is proposed. According to an article, “Poison on a plate”, which appeared in The Daily Maverick on 26 January this year, “It’s a shocking display of global north hypocrisy, allowing dangerous agrochemical companies to flood low- and middle-income countries for the financial gain and profit of European nations.”
The situation in South Africa In South Africa, plantations certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) may not use Paraquat in any formulation that is available on the market. Gerrit Marais of the FSC Southern Africa Office, says: “Paraquat has been on the FSC Highly Hazardous list since the first pesticide policy was published way back in 2006. The figure below provides information on the reasons why this is done i.e., acute toxicity. Use of the product is thus not limited but prohibited unless it is approved, via a formal FSC process, for temporary emergency use. The South African forestry industry used to have a special derogation (exemption) for the use of this active ingredient and product, but this expired in 2020…Traditionally, the only alternative (to Paraquat) was to hoe the tracers by hand. This is, however, not ideal from an environmental perspective as hoeing often leads to erosion and thus this option – especially on steep slopes - is most undesirable. Some certificate holders have used other systemic herbicides (such as Glyphosate), but here too, the entire plant is killed and the risk of erosion is increased. The South African forestry industry is looking at other options…”
The stance of the Sustainable African Forest Assurance Scheme (SAFAS) – which has been endorsed by the other global certification body, PEFC - is that Paraquat can be used for tracer belt preparation, providing strict control/mitigation measures are in place. Steven Germishuizen, SAFAS general manager, says: “SAFAS supports the use of Paraquat from an environmental perspective because it is the best solution for fire management in grasslands. However, we acknowledge that it is highly toxic, so in accordance with our risk-based approach, we insist on strict precautions as far as training, use of PPE and application methods go.”
Craig Norris, NCT Forest Technology Manager, adds: “In addition to what Steve has said, we encourage an integrated approach to chemical use. In other words, the use of agrochemicals is the last choice of action and must be defendable. Agrochemicals can be detrimental to human and environmental health and will only be used after due consideration is given to other options/mitigation measures: • Chemical control must be used in combination with above methods to minimise quantities used. • Strategy for reduction of chemical use must be implemented. • Chemical label specifications must be followed. • Recommended safety, training, application procedures must be adhered to.
Steven comments: “We also encourage the use of technology, such as drones, to keep people away from the chemical. We strongly encourage exploration into environmentally suitable alternatives that are less toxic.” There is some experimentation with drone spraying currently underway in an attempt to cut humans out of the Paraquat-handling process almost completely.
What is the history behind Paraquat use in SA? According to Dr John Scotcher of ForestLore Consulting in a report written for the FSC in 2014: “Burning green grass is not possible and, in any event, adversely affects biodiversity. In order to improve the safety aspects of burning firebreaks, a system of fire tracer lines was introduced which entailed the hoeing or ploughing of two parallel strips of vegetation approximately one metre wide (the fire tracer line) and 30 metres apart during the late summer to early autumn. These tracer lines are now devoid of vegetation and are used as lines from which to burn the intervening 30 metres (the firebreak) during winter when the grass is dry.”
The report continues: “Approximately 30 years ago, the use of chemicals was introduced as an approach that could be used where mechanical methods such as hoeing, ploughing or use of a brush-cutter was impractical and dangerous to use … normally on steep and mountainous terrain. Paraquat was first used in South Africa in 1982 by the nature conservation agencies responsible for the management of high-altitude grasslands in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, which is a registered World Heritage Site. The use of Paraquat in this mountainous region enabled the elimination of the historic use of hoed or ploughed tracer lines that resulted in soil loss and scars across the landscape, which even after 100 years are still visible to this day. Paraquat was soon adopted by the agriculture and forestry industry. Paraquat was ideal for use in conservation areas and later in no-till systems such as forestry and grazing lands since it only affects the foliage part of the sprayed plants, thus promoting intact root systems and preventing soil erosion. It also does not leach into groundwater since it is absorbed into clay particles and neutralised when it comes into contact with the soil … In the forestry industry, the use of Paraquat was seen as a best management practice because there was no need to continue with the damaging practice of hoeing or ploughing.”
The Forestry South Africa Environmental Guidelines for Commercial Plantations in South Africa (Version 4 2020, chapter 4) proposes the following approach to the preparation of firebreaks:
Mowing
Slashing
Burning
Desiccant chemicals (Paraquat) – on slopes greater than 20 per cent
Manual hoeing – now discontinued
Mechanical methods (ploughing) – now discontinued
The Wildland Fire Management Handbook for sub-Saharan Africa provides detailed advice on fire protection and advocates the use of ‘chemical surface sprays’ for the preparation of tracer lines i.e. Paraquat.
Paraquat may still be used by the man in the street, although a global shortage because of it being discontinued in many countries has sent prices rocketing. Is there an alternative?
Roger Poole, chairman of the Timber Industry Pesticide Working Group or TIPWG, says: “The forestry industry in collaboration with Professor Keith Little of Nelson Mandela University (NMU) has been researching and testing alternatives for the past nine years since the FSC first indicated that Paraquat would be prohibited. One alternative, pelargonic acid, has shown results similar to Paraquat as a desiccant and was heading for registration under Act 36 of 1947. Unfortunately, the manufacturer was involved with a company buy-out and the new owners changed the formulation of the original product that had been tested. Bridging trials were done to compare the new formulation to the original pelargonic acid; sadly the new formulation did not show favourable results and could not be registered. Glufosinate-ammonium is an active ingredient that is used in agriculture, classed as a partly systemic contact herbicide that is an alternative for tracer preparation - but supervision is imperative as over-application could result in it being more systemic than contact and grass root systems could be severely damaged. TIPWG has stated that Glyphosate formulations should not be used for tracer preparation as this active ingredient could result in a complete kill and thus erosion will occur, especially on steep terrain.”
Dr Scotcher adds in another factor - the human element of the spraying process: “When terrain is steep, the person spraying naturally slows down to navigate safely up or down the hillside, resulting in a higher application rate per unit area.”
Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, Operations and Stewardship Manager for CropLife SA, comments: “There is currently no herbicide with the properties of Paraquat apart from diquat which is also a bipyridinium compound with high toxicity. It is not registered for the purposes of industrial vegetation management like Paraquat is. A possibility is pelargonic acid but the dosage rates required to desiccate plants is much higher than what was originally anticipated and that makes it a very costly option. Furthermore, it is not registered in South Africa. Attempts with many other herbicides have all failed to emulate the effects of Paraquat. Glyphosate is registered for such purposes as making firebreaks but due to its systemicity, it kills plants completely which leads to terrible erosion.”
When asked about the slower progress of workers on steep slopes leading to over-application, he disagrees, saying: “Glyphosate is super-systemic and even with a low dosage (lower than label directions) it will kill plants completely, especially broad-leaved plants. Some of the tough monocotyledons like Cynodon will survive but most of the softer grass species are wiped out completely. Another issue is the problem of resistance development when sub-optimal dosages of Glyphosate are used for chemical mowing; although it is on labels of some Glyphosate-containing herbicides, it is the best catalyst for resistance development I have ever heard of and the crop sector is currently battling with Glyphosate resistance (Amaranthus palmeri, Amaranthus hybridus, Conyza bonariensis, etc).”
A desiccated tracer break ready for burning.
Is a total ban an over-reaction? “People are very quick to point fingers at the use of pesticides but are sadly ignorant of potentially toxic products they use daily at home and, which, if used incorrectly, can be fatal,” says Roger Poole. “Everyone loves coffee, but do they know that the caffeine in coffee's LD50 is 150-200 mg/kg?” {LD50 is the amount of a substance, given all at once, that causes the death of 50% of a group of test subjects; it is a way of determining the short-term poisoning potential or acute toxicity of a substance}.
“So why has no one died from coffee? Simply put, the risk of consuming lethal quantities in your morning cup of java is not possible so the risk of poisoning is reduced. Consider household cleaning detergents, has anyone ever read the label or safety data sheet of the detergents they have in their home? Are these locked away so the uninformed cannot access them? Are certain products kept separately so that they cannot react with each other? Bleach is one of the most commonly used products found in households throughout South Africa, but did you know that if bleach and vinegar come into contact with each other their reaction can cause chlorine gas? Whatever product you are using at home or in the workplace, be it a pesticide or a detergent, they can all be toxic if used or applied incorrectly.” His message is loud and clear - use Paraquat correctly to minimise potential risks!
Is a total ban on Paraquat likely in the near future? The Rotterdam Convention is scheduled to take place this year, although with the global COVID-19 pandemic, whether it goes ahead is uncertain. Poole says: “Paraquat is one of the many listed active ingredients for consideration to be banned worldwide and has been listed numerous times but never seems to be banned due to pressure from the large world economies. We wait in anticipation for the outcome, as we've done in the past.”
A year later on… It’s a year since an article entitled 'Weaning the forestry industry from its paraquat reliance' by Jacqui Meyer appeared in SA Forestry magazine. According to the article, “the next step is applying for an Emergency Registration under Act 36 of 1947, which Dr Gerhard Verdoorn of CropLife SA is currently assisting TIPWG with. With CropLife’s support and the information obtained from the bridging trials, we hope to have pelargonic acid available for the 2021 summer rainfall area fire season.”
Well, that was in March 2020, and in April 2021, Dr Verdoorn was doubtful about the predictions - for this fire season at least. “I am not sure this is going to materialise… if we are able to get our hands on pelargonic acid. It is quite expensive … and I wonder if it will make the grade for the timber industry.”
In the meantime, creating tracer belts using mechanical methods such as brush-cutters and tractor-operated grass-slashers is the norm, with some landowners and companies using Glufosinate-ammonium. “It’s been very difficult, with manual clearing and a return to traditional hoeing on flat terrain,” says Simon Thomas, Operations Manager for KZN FPA. So, what will the situation be by next year’s fire season? Is a total switch to drone-spraying a feasible option? Only time will tell.
