Apr 04, 2013

AMMAN -- The government has banned the import of silent chainsaws in a bid to combat illegal logging, Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said on Thursday.

With the number of violations on the country's limited forests on the rise over the past year, the ministry's rangers have recorded scores of illegal logging cases, during which silent chainsaws were used to avoid attracting the attention of the authorities, Haddadin said.

"Following deliberations with the Prime Ministry and the Jordan Customs Department, a new decision banning the import of silent chainsaws was drafted," Haddadin told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The official noted that illegal logging cases increased during winter.

"The fact that fuel prices increased has contributed to the rise in illegal logging. However, many violators are cutting down trees and attacking our rangers because illegal logging became their profession," he noted.

The spokesperson said there were several alternatives to using wood as a source of heating, such as dry branches.

"Every year, thousands of trees need trimming to get rid of their dry branches. The ministry allows this under its supervision. Also, There are over 20 million olive trees which are trimmed every season and their twigs can be sold legally," Haddadin added.

Environment and agriculture experts have said that the condition of the country's forests is worsening due to continuous violations and recurrent years of drought, which has led to the loss of thousands of dunums of woodlands over the past four decades.

Illegal logging during winter, fires in summer and insufficient rain due to climate change are the main threats to Jordan's shrinking green cover, estimated at less than 1 per cent of the Kingdom's terrain, according to experts.

Under environmental regulations, those who cut down forest trees without a licence face a three-month prison term, a JD100 fine for each tree chopped down from state-owned land and a JD50 fine for each one from private land. Their equipment is also confiscated.

© Jordan Times 2013