{"id":11212,"date":"2014-02-06T15:57:54","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T15:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/2014\/02\/06\/the-facts-behind-aprils-sustainable-forest-management-policy\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T07:19:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T07:19:29","slug":"the-facts-behind-aprils-sustainable-forest-management-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/articles\/the-facts-behind-aprils-sustainable-forest-management-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"The facts behind APRIL\u2019s Sustainable Forest Management Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Forestry is an emotional topic. \u00a0We\u2019ve been reminded of that since APRIL announced its Sustainable Forest Management Policy on 28 January<a href=\"http:\/\/aprilasia.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"> www.aprilasia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_751\" style=\"width: 615px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/forest-photo.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-751\" class=\"size-full wp-image-751\" src=\"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/forest-photo.jpg\" alt=\"APRIL\u2019s Sustainable Forest Management Policy commits the company to protecting forest with High Conservation Value.  Under the Policy, APRIL has conserved more than 250,000 hectares of prime forest.\" width=\"605\" height=\"403\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-751\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">APRIL\u2019s Sustainable Forest Management Policy commits the company to protecting forest with High Conservation Value. Under the Policy, APRIL has conserved more than 250,000 hectares of prime forest.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Influential supporters from Indonesia\u2019s Forestry Minister to the conservationist have welcomed the policy. But a few critics loudly opposed to natural resources development have criticized it. That was to be expected. We\u2019ve heard their complaints before.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately some of those opponents are purposefully confusing the issue to undermine policies supporting Indonesia\u2019s production forest industry.<\/p>\n<p>Our policy is clear on these points:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sustainable Forest Management is the guiding principle for APRIL and all of its fibre suppliers\u2019 operations. APRIL renews degraded forests to improve productivity of the land and preserves High Conservation Value areas to conserve biodiversity, environmental services, and community use.<\/li>\n<li>APRIL commits to protect, manage, and enhance forest areas with High Conservation Value and High Carbon Stock.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But to eliminate any misunderstanding, here are the facts behind APRIL\u2019s Sustainable Forest Management Policy to dispel deceptions created by critics.<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\"><b>The fiction<\/b><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\"><b>The fact<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">APRIL\u2019s policy is a license to clear natural forest.<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">Under the policy, APRIL cannot develop forest identified by independent experts as High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF).\u00a0 APRIL establishes renewable plantations in secondary forest areas thereby renewing degraded land.\u00a0 In this way APRIL is reforesting Indonesia\u2019s degraded forests and enhancing land productivity.\u00a0 We conserve more than 250,000 hectares of HCV forest.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">APRIL will expand land holdings this year for future forest clearance<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">APRIL and its long-term supply partners will complete the establishment of new plantations by the end of 2014.\u00a0 We have no more plans for establishing additional plantations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">The policy doesn\u2019t protect forests in supplier concessions<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">The policy mandates that all wood suppliers employ APRIL\u2019s HCVF principles in establishing plantations. There is a moratorium (which means no new development) in all concessions where independent HCVF assessments have not been completed, including supplier concessions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">The policy has gaps regarding forest preservation and restoration<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">APRIL commits in the policy to doubling the size of our existing forest restoration program from 20,000 to 40,000 hectares.\u00a0 We conserve more than 250,000 hectares of HCV forest.\u00a0 We also state that we will strive to support conservation areas equal in size to our plantation areas.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">The 2019 deadline for plantation self-sufficiency can\u2019t be trusted; previous targets were missed<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">APRIL is 95% done with the establishment of new plantations.\u00a0 Since 2005, APRIL\u2019s policy has been to do HCVF assessment before development or plantation establishment at new concessions.\u00a0 It took time for us to complete plantation establishments. By 2019 all of APRIL\u2019s and its long term supplier concessions will be fully matured plantations.<b>\u00a0 <\/b>About two-thirds of the wood used in our mill already comes from plantations.\u00a0 APRIL will meet its 2019 target date for relying entirely on plantation wood.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">APRIL\u2019s policy doesn\u2019t cover sister companies in the RGE Group<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">The second paragraph of the policy commits APRIL to engage with sister pulp and paper companies to adopt the principles underlying the policy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">APRIL\u2019s policy was developed only because its membership in WBCSD is under review<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">APRIL is always committed to Sustainable Forest Development and one of the major steps was taken in 2005 when we adopted HCVF principles for development of new concessions. The Sustainable Forest Management Policy was months in preparation, starting long before the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) commenced a review of APRIL\u2019s membership.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">APRIL\u2019s policy falls far short of its competitor APP<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">The APRIL policy is stronger.\u00a0 It is based on HCV assessments that began in 2005.\u00a0 APP began HCV assessments in late 2013 after nearly all its concessions had been developed.\u00a0 APP will resume operations in new concessions after assessments are completed.\u00a0 APRIL will become entirely reliant on plantation wood in 2019; APP not until 2020.\u00a0 APRIL conserves more than 250,000 hectares of HCV forest and is restoring another 40,000 hectares.\u00a0 APRIL will strive to support conservation areas equal in size to APRIL\u2019s plantation areas. APP\u2019s Forest Conservation Policy makes no mention of conservation area size or restoration.\u00a0 APRIL will not expand its pulp mill until it is entirely reliant on a plantation wood supply.\u00a0 APP puts no limits on mill capacity.\u00a0 APRIL will be monitored by an independent Stakeholder Advisory Committee.\u00a0 APP is monitored by a consultant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">APRIL\u2019s restoration project is greenwash<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">APRIL launched a 10-year, $17 million restoration project in RiauProvince in 2013.\u00a0 It is already producing tangible results including: 1) the production of native species for replanting, 2) improved forest protection from a 32-person Ranger patrol, 3) prevention of illegal logging and burning; 4) auditing and monitoring of endangered plants and animals.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"139\">In 2012 APRIL planned to clear 60,000 hectares of land<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"451\">In 2012 APRIL prepared only 6,500 hectares of degraded land for new plantation establishment.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forestry is an emotional topic. \u00a0We\u2019ve been reminded of that since APRIL announced its Sustainable Forest Management Policy on 28 January www.aprilasia.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[82,264,289],"class_list":{"0":"post-11212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-archives","8":"tag-april","9":"tag-sustainable-forest-management","10":"tag-sustainable-forest-management-policy"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11212"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11214,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11212\/revisions\/11214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/april.hellopomelo.space\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}