The VPA Support Unit-2 program continues to support efforts geared toward sustainable management of the Liberian forest. Between January 31 and February 05, 2022, the VPA-SU2 facilitated a forest inspection involving the Ministry of Labour (MoL), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Forestry Development Authority (FDA). The joint inspection had the key purpose of assessing the operations of the Liberian Timber & Trading Company (LTTC) in line with performance requirements of the Code of Forest Harvesting Practices (CFHP). The CFHP has all prescribed standards a logging operator should implement while carrying out logging activities in Liberia. These performance requirements cut across health and safety of employees, environmental and waste managements, productivity and quality, among others.

LTTC is the operator of the Gbi Community Forest in Lower Nimba County. The company hired two sub-contractors to assist in implementing its forest operations: Stadium and Next View. Next View is contracted primarily to fell and scale logs, while Stadium is responsible for transportation and road building. LTTC as the mother company provides oversight of these sub-operators. Despite this, the inspections covered LTTC, Stadium, and Next View activities.

The assessments utilized the Revised Liberian Code of Forest Harvesting Practices, the CFHP Inspection Checklists (specific to FDA, EPA, and MoL), and the Non-Compliance Register (NCR).

Overall logistical, financial, and technical support for the inspections was made possible by the VPA Support Unit-2 program under its activities Output Area 2.2: “Assistance to FDA Inspections”.

Written by James Kollie