Masurina Ltd Timber Exports
Smallholder Eco-timber
Masurina Ltd Timber Mill
In the Milne Bay Province the two most valuable natural resources are the sea and reefs, and the forests. Increasingly these resources are becoming more valuable and under ever growing threat from outside interests who have no particular sympathy for either the resource owners, or the principles of sustainability and environmental responsibility.
For some years now, Masurina has been encouraging village forest owners to preserve and protect their forests and engage in selective harvesting themselves. To help facilitate this, we offer buying and marketing services, assistance with acquiring small scale equipment such as chainsaws and small mobile sawmills, freighting and other general services. Depending on skill levels, people produce flitches or baulks, and planks of timber. After grading, tallying and buying, we then further process the product to export standard if this is necessary, and then ship to buyers overseas.
For village smallholders to embrace this vital concept of sustainability and environmental responsibility, it is necessary that they recognize an economic benefit for themselves. As with us all, they have needs for cash for school and hospital fees, and basic consumer items. Once they realize the value of their trees, and obtain the means to convert a tree into a saleable commodity, the concept of sustainability and protection of the resource becomes a meaningful idea, and one that can be embraced and practiced.
The Masurina support and assistance for the development of the development of the smallholder village based forestry sector is based on commercial principles. The financing is through private capital and borrowings, the success of the operation depends on profits being made through attention to normal business practice, and the desired expansion and ongoing development is funded through retained earnings.
Masurina acknowledges and pays tribute to the Woodmizer Corporation of the United States of America, who have recognized Masurina's endeavours within the context of community development and Christian motives, and who have thus provided discounted mills and parts to assist with the program. We also highlight the support of our overseas buyers, in particular Moxon Timbers of Brisbane, Queensland, for their technical assistance and financial support.
With the gradual improvement in Masurina's capacity to assist and provide meaningful services to the forestry smallholder sector, more and more forest owners are seeking to become involved. To be able to accommodate the growing number of participants, Masurina needs the continued support of its commercial partners and those interested in small scale village based development activities. At the same time, the importance of seeking to increase the value adding aspect of the whole operation is emphasised. This is underway, starting with drying and dressing product prior to sale and then moving towards basic manufacturing.
Masurina believes that the overall future for the smallholder village based timber industry is very bright and that the example being provided in Milne Bay will gradually become the norm for a responsible National timber policy. Large scale logging using heavy machinery needs to be replaced with numbers of small operations using more environmentally friendly systems.
For more information on our Timber Exports please contact Jeff Abel or Chris Abel.