Prime Minister’s Order No. 15/PM on Strengthening Strictness of Timber Harvest Management and Inspection, Timber Transport and Business.

This Order, based on the Forestry Law No. 06/NA of 24 December 2007, aims at strengthening the implementation of forest management, in particular timber business, harvest, processing and trade by strictly respecting laws and regulations established by the Government to prevent and eliminate drawback within forestry sector. The Prime Minister establishes the following: 1. Strengthening the emphasis and responsibilities in implementing ministerial duties and responsibilities in accordance with legislation related to forest governance, timber harvest, transport and business. 2. Suspend the export of logs, big size sawed timbers, sawn timbers, spited wood, roots, stumps, knots, branches and standing trees or decorative trees that are harvested from natural forest in any cases, including the timbers approved by Government that have not yet been implemented; logs must be processed to create value-added based on the standard set by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (according to the Decision No. 2005/MOIC.DoIH, of 28/9/2015) prior to granting approvals for export.
3. Prohibiting imports of illegal forest products and exporting those products to third countries. 4. Continuously implement the Prime Minister’s Order No. 31/PM, dated 5 November 2013 regarding the Temporary Suspension of Logging in Production Forest and carry on the development of production forest management plan and report to the Government for consideration. 5. In infrastructure development areas, mining sites and potential food production areas that are not yet approved by the Government, it is strictly prohibited to conduct surveys and timber harvest. 6. Halt proposals and approvals to collect, accumulate branches, logs short in length, dried logs on the ground, and it is not permitted to grant timber in response to any special request to any party. 7. Assign the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to be the focal agency to collaborate with relevant sectors and local authorities to inspect and collect detailed information.