I.   Mandate

The Department of Forest Research and Development (commonly referred to cross-cutting) is charged with the following responsibilities:

• Plan and implement research programs for natural and artificial forest stands

• Formulate, with other Departments, national forest policies

• Conduct inventories, market/socio-economic surveys and advise Management appropriately

• Supervise five (5) Divisions and support staff within the Department.

• Maintain forest production/export database

• Liaise with other research institutions in developing and implementing forest policies

II.   The Department has the following Divisions:

1.      Scientific Research
2. Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing;
3. National Reforestation
4. Statistics and Data-base Management; and
5. Social-economic.

III.   Achievements

During the Fiscal Year (2007) in retrospect, the Department successfully implemented following:

1. Prepared and submitted proposal on Integrated Forest Research in the Krahn/Bassa National Forest

2. Submitted proposal to AFRONET/FFI on Non-Timber Forest Products Research

3. Participated in the nationwide vetting of the first ten (10) core regulations of the FDA consistent with the New Forestry  Reform Law of 2006

4. Facilitated Training in Reduced Impact Logging (RIL)

5. Allocated areas and prepared maps for the 3 Cs namely: - Commercial, Conservation and Community

6. Conducted forest inventory for six (6) Timber Sale Contracts (TSC) areas each containing 5000 ha in Grand Bassa, Bong, Gbarpolu and Cape Mount Counties and three (3) Forest Management Contract areas 119, 240 ha in Lofa, 57, 262 ha and  59, 374 ha in Rivercess Counties respectively

7. Chaired the sub-committee on Boundary lines for the proposed Lake Piso Multi-purpose project and represented Management at the NIMAC administrative boundary line exercise

8. Made series of visits to Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County to carry out GPS survey of towns in and around the Lake Piso Nature Reserve

9. Planned and executed appropriate programs for the 4th Anniversary of National Tree Planting Day

10. Prepared the Draft National Reforestation Policy to be vetted

11. Prepared a post-harvest work plan and Budget for the Glaro, Cavalla and the Trial Industrial Pulpwood Plantations

12. Prepared the Revenue Forecasts  of  Non-timber products, log production, log export and processed wood export for 2007-2008

13. Collected, up dated and stored monthly statistical data of timber and non-timber forest products

14. Conducted Social-economic surveys in the proposed Timber Sale Contracts (TSCs) and Forest Management Contract (FMC) areas

15. Submitted proposal for establishment of the Monrovia Central Nursery to raise assorted tree seedlings for National Tree Planting Day

16.  Assessed abandoned teak logs in Cavalla, Grand Gedeh County

17.  Conducted investigation into farming activities in TIPP, Grand Cape Mount County
          
18. Received and analyzed documents relative to deeded forest land claims covering 9,428,895 acres and submitted same through Management to the GRC for action

19. Analyzed TSC inventory results and prepared composition of bid justification document for six (6) Timber Sales Contract areas

20. Provided technical support to Governance Reform Commission (GRC) in connection to redefining agriculture, forestry and mining areas

21. Trained employees of the Ministry of Agriculture in fundamentals of Global Positioning System (GPS) to establish GPS Laboratory within the Ministry

22. Conducted Diagnostic Trade Integration Study on timber industries in Liberia (sponsored by World Bank

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