GFC hides massive 2012 fire on BaiShanlin’s concession

Jul 10, 2016 News

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– company never reported incident
– burned areas equal to 10,000 larger house lots

A report into a massive forest fire in the Berbice forest concession of Chinese-owned BaiShanLin International Forest Development Inc. is pointing to a major cover-up by authorities and the company.
The fire, discovered by forestry inspectors during a routine inspection in May 2013, was from all indications never officially reported by BaiShanLin.
The fire investigation and the absence of evidence that the company was even penalized would continue to not only raise questions about the operations at the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFA) as regulator, but also highlight the amount of influence this one investor has in the country.
BaiShanLin is under fire after widespread criticisms of its activities here, spanning logging, gold mining, housing, ship building, and river transportation. It ran into financial problems after spreading itself thin, expanding in the different sectors. It owes the government and local businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.
It has been granted billions of dollars in tax breaks and duty free concessions.
The forest fire destroyed an area of around 906 hectares at the Haimorakabra Logging Company Inc., Upper Berbice River area, Region Ten.

The fire burned an area equivalent to 10,000 large house lots. It is controlled by BaiShanLin.
According to the report leaked to Kaieteur News, in May 2013 GFC’s Forest Monitoring Division carried out a routine audit of the concession which had been approved for Timber Sales Agreement (TSA) and Wood Cutting Lease (WCL).
What they found was highly alarming with local forestry experts now deeming it as probably the biggest forest fire in a concession that is being operated.
Whether the fire was deliberately set or accidental was not determined but GFC inspectors were convinced that a fire of that magnitude should “have been reported as soon as it had occurred or was noticed or at the earliest possible time with all the necessary actions taken to reduce damage.”
Who knew about it!
The report was sent to Keith Austin, an Assistant Commission of Forests of the Legality Monitoring and Extension Unit and copied to Commissioner James Singh. Copies were sent to other officials.
The report explained that GFC usually conducts audits of large scale concessions, with the visit on Haimorakabra, Upper Berbice, a routine one conducted between May 16- May 19, 2013.

BaiShanlin’s main logging operation centre was located between the right bank Berbice River and left bank, Corentyne Region Six covering an area of 52,896 hectares.
According to the findings of the report, on May 16 and May 17, 2013, an audit inspection was conducted in the said BaiShanLin concession where there was an extensive tract of burnt forested land at two different locations along two different roads.
During the exercise, forestry officials said they noticed BaiShanLin’s Admin Assistant, Cong Yu (Jerry), smoked a cigarette while walking in the block. He was warned about it.
”Mr. Cong Yu threw the lighted portion of the cigarette on the forest floor, which he was ordered to put out immediately. After this incident, Mr. Cong Yu turned around and went back to our waiting vehicle with only the GFC personnel completing the day set task. His callous action nearly caused another forest fire, knowingly.
“He was reprimanded on the spot by the Forest Officer- Mr. Eron Bourne— for his uncaring action. This evidence suggests that such careless action by the company’s forest workers may have been the likely cause of the massive forest fire, previously,” the report said.
According to the report, the GFC team used Global Positioning System (GPS), interviews with staffers and others, maps, and the company’s and GFC’s to aid in the investigations.
However, the investigations faced difficulties from language barriers as BaiShanLin’s officers had little understanding of English. The team also had limited time to conduct a proper assessment of the fire areas.
NO report made?
A major worry was the absence of reports on the fire. “No written report was made by the company to GFC or no records were available at GFC about the forest fire.”
As a matter of fact, it appeared there was reluctance by BaiShanLin’s officials to assist the GFC’s team to participate in the entire exercise all day.
From dated overhead shots taken of the area, investigators concluded that the fire would have occurred between September 8 and November 26, 2012, or at least six months before the visit by the GFC team.
Shockingly, there was little evidence of the fire being reported and nobody took blame, including GFC officials who are stationed onsite. “Questions were asked and internal records sought/checked for any report on the forest fire, but none was made available, maybe, because none was ever made in writing in the first place.
Forest Officer, Mr. Eron Bourne claimed he would have made a verbal report in late November or early December 2013 to Mr. Ganram Manoo – ACF Large Concession Management Unit then, about the forest fire after we had asked the question. Mr. G. Manoo – ACF informed us he never received any report verbal or otherwise from Forest Officer Mr. E. Bourne.”
It could not be that BaiShanLin or the GFC officials stationed in the area were unaware of their responsibility to report the fire.
Their Forest Management Plan spelt out all too clearly the procedures or actions that should be followed in a case.
“On the ground and further investigations suggested otherwise and different,” the GFC officials said, with no “fire management plans…in place to deal with forest fires nor were any other relevant agency Informed of this eventuality.”
Deliberate?
According to the report, the team was particularly alarmed at the extent of the forest fire and whether it was accidental or deliberate.
”If it was deliberate, was it done to hide or conceal facts or incriminating evidence and other major breaches of the Forest Act Chapter 67:01…contractual/procedural breaches etc?”
The report noted that fire has been a useful human tool for decades but has caused grave economic loss and intolerable harm to the environment. Despite the development on advanced techniques, particularly in fire detection and suppression, the incidence of ecosystem damage from forest fire appears to be increasing.
The report, in its conclusions, made it clear that someone must be held accountable for the massive forest fire within Haimorakabra Logging Co. Inc. concession TSA # 01/11.
“A fire that extensive must have been reported in writing immediately to all relevant stakeholders.”
BaiShanLin should pay
The investigators recommended that the company be made to pay compensation to GFC for breaches committed against the Forest Act Chapter 67:01 Sect. 15. (1) paragraph I which states- No person shall in any state forest negligently light or throw down any match or other lighted or inflammable material, or light or leave any fire without taking due precautions against the fire spreading or causing injury, or do anything in consequence of which any forest produce may be burnt or injured, or may be in danger of being burnt or injured.
The report highlighted procedural breaches and noted that there are penalties for deliberately causing forest fire and failure to assist in fighting forests fire. “Nature of offence is considered procedural and attracts compensations for breaches.
Forest fire management strategies should be incorporated in the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and all large concessions holders’ guidelines for the preparation of forest/fire management plans. The management strategy should include a clear statement of objectives, and should also include information on threatening assets, degree of fire risk, fire history, and fire management measures. Specific guidelines must be incorporated in the GFC Code of Practice to deal with high risk during periods of extremely dry weather.”

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