Opportunities within the forestry sector exist for producers but they must ensure quality to maintain international export markets.

This was the view of James Singh, Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), speaking to the Government Information Agency recently.

The GFC and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) have developed a code of standards for lumber exporters which caters for kiln drying and preservation of lumber. Singh said that kiln drying provides a better product and producers get a better price. This code of practice sets minimum operating standards including requirements to plan for the selection of trees, tree fall direction, skid trail layouts and the sub-division of concessions into blocks which are managed on 40 to 60-year cutting cycles.

He said many small producers do not use kiln drying but the larger producers have the facilities to do so. He added that a system of log tagging has been introduced so that quotas for concessions are not exceeded. Among the countries that Guyana exports to are the United Kingdom, the United States, Anguilla, St Lucia, St Vincent, Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, China, Puerto Rico and Suriname. Guyana's forestry exports include greenheart, purpleheart, locust, kabakalli.