Forestry Confirms Illegal Logging Beyond Expired Concession

Well, tonight we can put the rumors to rest. The Forest Department has confirmed to News Five that the logging operation in question was, in fact, illegal. Here’s what happened: the forestry officer in charge of Orange Walk discovered that the loggers kept cutting trees even after their concession expired at the end of July. And it doesn’t stop there; they were also working outside the boundaries of that concession. Deputy Chief Forest Officer John Pinelo told us that when his team inspected the site last week, they warned the loggers that their time was almost up. But things escalated quickly after complaints started pouring in yesterday. That’s when the department stepped in more forcefully. So, while the loggers may have had permission at one point, it’s clear they crossed the line.

 

John Pinelo, Deputy Chief Forest Officer, Forest Department

“We got the complaint yesterday evening and early this morning we responded. We went into the area and this morning officer in charge did an inspection and found out that the licensee moved out of the area and was moving operating outside of his logging concession, which was the first infraction. We found a number of logs that were not stamped. Some were stamped, about fifty-three, which my officer had stamped last week when they were still in the duration they worked, but it seems they were still continuing to pull logs out and cutting trees down after we told them to wrap up. This is an ongoing investigation, and the officers are crow footing, as we say in forestry language, we put a three-prong stamp on the tree, which means it cannot be touched or moved by anybody except us. So the officer will go in next week and o a thorough assessment and we will determine what charges will be laid on the person that continued to do the logging outside of the logging season.”