TEAK CONTROVERSY IN THE NETHERLANDS

• To: Multiple recipients of list FOREST <FOREST@LISTSERV.FUNET.FI>
• Subject: TEAK CONTROVERSY IN THE NETHERLANDS
• From: Paul Romeijn <treemail@VR.NL>
• Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 23:27:27 +0100
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Dear colleagues,

Treemail informs, translates, and disclaims fully everything:

We have learned today that OHRA/Flor y Fauna/WWF-NL growth projections have
come down once again.

End of November 1995 OHRA adjunct director Janssen reported to NOVA
television that: "According to our forestry experts the timber yields from
the various Flor y Fauna plantations will "without doubt" [quotation marks
by Janssen] lie within the range of 400 m3 to 850 m3." This was already a
reduction to original OHRA projections.

Treemail asks: scientists without doubt?

Today we learn from press announcement that, based on figures provided by
F&F,  the Costa Rican Centro Cientifico Tropical research demonstrates: "the
expected yield figures within a reach from some 400 m3 to 800 m3, are in
accordance with the present growth developments." Again lower.

Also we learn that on F&F provided data the CCT reports that: "The Company
has reported data on teak volume yields and increments higher than those
reported for teak in Costa Rica and other countries."

During all this time OHRA brochures have maintained same bandwith of
diameter growth projections as only parameter on yield. Therefor, height of
trees appears to be falling without change to diameters.

Meanwhile, world records for teak growth still have to be broken to obtain
the reduced yield projections by OHRA. Such a forestry opreation could
therefor be considered experimental. However, no investor was ever informed
of this. Some, such as the Code of Ethics Commission for Advertisement in
NL, could well argue that such advertising is misleading.

Remains that WWF-NL in end of 1995 brochure claims that Flor y Fauna have
been certified by FSC, and adorn this brochure with 15 cm new FSC logo on
cover. And FSC strictly avoids any experession as would they NOT have
certified timber from plantations, even if Flor y Fauna are not on their 21
February listing of FSC timber production areas.

If projections for Flor y Fauna yields continue to fall at present rate we
may still live to see Centeno and OHRA projections meet; and all of us can
agree and live hapily ever after.

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