STC to setup four new mills to meet the demand

by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

Importing of timber for the construction and furniture industries have increased sharply during the last few years.

This trend has resulted in an increase of prices and out flow of valuable foreign exchange. Timber imports are mainly handled by the private sector. They import timber mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia.

The forest resource in Sri Lanka has deteriorated due to the major development projects such as Galoya and Mahaweli projects. Another reason was the illicit felling of valuable trees by the timber merchants.

The natural environment and the annual rainfall have been badly affected by the deterioration of forests. Forest resource has reduced from 50% to 20.4% during the last 55 years.

State Timber Corporation which comes under the ministry of environment launched the four million commercially valuable tree planting campaign recently. The main objective of the campaign is to protect the environment and also to improve the timber resource for the future generation.

According to the chairman of the State Timber Corporation (STC) S. A. Premaratna the commercially valuable timber such as Buruta (Chloroxylon Switenia) Nadun (Petircopsis Mooniana) Mahogani (Swietenia Macrophylla) Kumbuk (Terminalia Arjuna) Kaluwara (Diospyros Ebenum) Milla (Vitex Pinnata) may not be available in Sri Lanka unless a farsighted program is introduced to the masses to cultivate the commercially valuable trees.

'State Timber Corporation was established in 1968 authorising ten main responsibilities related to timber, state forests and the environment.'

Now the time has come to plan and implement a serious program to conserve the healthy and sustainable environment which was unfortunately forgotten by some of the Ex-STC authorities, he said.

"The great Sri Lankan," Arthur V. Dias - Kosmama of Moratuwa motivated people to cultivate jack plantation in Sri Lanka several decades ago. He distributed "Jack seeds" among the school children and requested them to cultivate them in their lands. He brought those seeds in his car boot and waited near school gates to meet the children. Children is our future generation. STC tree planting campaign is also aiming at school children and youth, he said.

STC has already made arrangements to maintain nurseries, islandwide under the STC regional offices, having commercially valuable plants.

"Timber is one of the basic requirements of the people. For Building Construction, Railway Road development and electricity transmission activities need sawn timber, sleepers, and electricity transmission poles.

The transmission poles and sleepers required by CEB and the Government Railways are manufactured and supplied according to technical specification of the buyers.

Those products are pressure treated at impregnation plants in Kalemulla, Boossa, Orugodawatta and Keppetipola.

At present STC has drawn more attention to supply high quality timber at reasonable prices. Four saw mills at Ratnapura, Keppetipola, Talawa and Kandy will be set up in the near future in addition to the saw mills in operation to meet the high demand for sawn timber.

STC annually receive forest plantation areas from the Forest Department under the forestry management plan, and the government institutions.