Paper manufacturing company, China Paper Corporation, proposes to invest US$205 million in a tree plantation in the intermediate savannahs and has applied to the Envir-onmental Protection Agency (EPA) for authorization.
Earlier this month, the EPA said that Standard Agro-Forestry Inc. – which is wholly owned by China Paper – submitted an application for Environmental Authorization to develop a Tree Plantation and Agricultural project on 52,995 hectares of intermediate savannahs situated west of the Berbice River.
“This development will entail cultivating fast-growing trees of the Acacia species which will be harvested to produce pellets for export. The site will also require the construction of houses and roads, felling of trees and the development of a Landing on the west bank of the Berbice River. Tree logs will be transported down the Berbice River to New Amsterdam where they will be processed into pellets,” the EPA said in an ad. The agency said that an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is required for the project before any decision to approve or reject it since the development may have significant impacts on the environment.
In a document, ‘Com-prehensive development and business plan for fast growing tree plantation and agricultural project,’ Standard Agroforestry Inc. said that its primary objective is to establish and develop a high-yield forest plantation as a stable source of raw materials for wood-based industries. It said that in meeting this objective,
