Hardwood Shortage Disrupts Belize Construction Sector

A reported shortage of hardwood across Belize is raising concerns among builders and contractors, particularly in the Spanish Lookout community. Home builders say the scarcity of mahogany and other prime woods is already disrupting projects, with some unable to source materials needed to meet deadlines. The issue has been linked, in part, to a five-year government moratorium on logging permits for national lands, introduced in December 2025 to protect forest resources. While many in the industry say they support conservation efforts, they argue the restrictions are placing significant strain on livelihoods and the housing sector. Today, we spoke with home builders in Spanish Lookout about how this shortage is impacting their work and their clients.

 

Scott Varro, Manager, Linda Vista Lumber Yard

“They instituted a five-year ban. The Ministry of, of Natural Resources, um, I guess namely Minister Orlando Habbet, uh, in December 2025, I understand, instituted a five-year ban on, on national land logging. And without consulting lumberyards, without consulting loggers, without consulting, uh, the public at large, they decided that this was needed to prevent deforestation and instituted a five-year ban. And this is just the beginning of year one, and already, immediately we’re feeling extreme shortage, scarcity, and how can this continue for another four years?”

 

 

 

Ronny Plett, Manager, Plett’s Home Builders

“The reality is we’re actually big supporters of these new some of these new initiatives. Actually, a lot of them were on the books for a long time some of these replanting and sustainable logging practices, but they were never being enforced properly. I think our biggest concern as, is that the solution to improper enforcement is to shut down the whole industry. We don’t believe that’s the correct response.”

 

 

 

Minister Habet Says Government Ensuring Sustainable Logging

And as concerns grow over a hardwood shortage, the government is now pushing back. Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet says the five-year moratorium on logging concessions was overdue. He argues the move aims to stop abuse in the system, protect Belize’s forests, and crack down on illegal logging. But with builders warning the shortage is hurting projects, Habet says the industry had time to prepare, and insists legal alternatives are still on the table. Tonight, the debate intensifies over conservation, construction, and the true cost of protecting Belize’s natural resources.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“We recognize the concern of the logging industry, but if we take it from this standpoint, that way back in 2021 we had informed the people who do the logging that we would be cutting down on a yearly basis ten to fifteen percent of those yearly logging concessions, and so by now, five years later, they should have been prepared. In addition, we had informed them that if there was a deficit in local hardwood logs for lumber, that they would be given permission or licenses to import some of that lumber, type of lumber that they needed. Up to now, as far as I know, I think two companies imported some. One, they can buy lumber from those concessions that are sustainable yearly concessions. Two, they can also purchase logs from those people who are getting licenses and permits for cutting down the logs in their private – private lands because we have not stopped the issuance of permits and licenses for the cutting of logs in private lands. I think what is happening currently, and I want to make certain that the public understands this, that there was a lot, and when I speak of thousands of acres of logs that were logged illegally in the past. And because we have put down our feet on trying to, as much as possible, stop this illegal activity, some of these companies were accessing a lot of these illegal logs, and I think that is where they are seeing that they are not getting the opportunity to get these logs which were illegally cut from the inception.”

 

Habet maintains supply challenges may be linked to the loss of access to timber that was previously harvested illegally, saying the government’s enforcement efforts are now exposing the true state of the country’s legal hardwood supply.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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