Press Release Detail

Timber is one of the most common and important material when it comes to building a house. It is renewable and is also much easier and lighter to work with.  It is visually appealing and has very little carbon footprint. These properties make timber much more climate-friendly than other commonly-used construction materials. 
However, because it is a natural material, the timber is also vulnerable to fungus and insect damage, requiring careful selection of species quality, and treatment. In addition, it will also require proper handling and storage, and the use of appropriate house designs, to ensure the most effective use of timber and to gain the material’s full benefit.
Lately, it has been observed that the forest industry is increasingly under pressure to meet the demand for timber for new housing developments. As a result, the Ministry of Forestry has noted an increase in the supply of sub-standard quality timber, taking advantage of the lack of knowledge by the retailers and consumers in regards to timber, as a building material. 
Over the years, the Consumer Council of Fiji and our Ministry have recorded complaints relating to the sale of poor quality timber, which causes financial loss to the customers who have to spend extra. In fact there have been cases where consumers have already bought and used the products only to find it later that the timber was of inferior quality, evident by insect infestation and fungal growth, within just a few days of installation. 
In light of this, the Ministry of Forestry, through its Forest Products, Trade and Training Division (FPTTD), embarked on an education and awareness campaign around the country, targeting all timber retailers with the main aim of enhancing their knowledge and understanding on timber grades and timber treatment standards.
The campaign was also supported by the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) through their Offices located in the Central Eastern, Western and Northern divisions. 
Our trainers, including Forestry Officer Timber Preservation, Sainiana Naura, and Senior Timber Inspector, Ulita Nailumu, led the awareness campaign. 
The main objective of the campaign was to educate and build the knowledge of our timber retailers who will then be in a better position to address the issue of the trading of substandard timber with their suppliers. 
The timber retailers were taught on the different timber grades and timber treatment standards for different end uses, and also on how to quickly and easily assess if a timber has been treated through a process known as spot testing. 
However, further determinations to assess the level of treatment, for example, will require the samples to be analysed at the FPTTD’s laboratory at Nasinu.
"For all samples that do not meet the treatment standards, the suppliers replace timber or compensate the customers. Suppliers who do not adhere to treatment standards are given improvement notice to comply with proper treatment procedures," Acting Director FPTTD Mr Taniela Whippy said.
The Division has identified the gaps and specific areas of concern that must be addressed to prevent the occurrence of the ongoing preservative substandard treatment issues.
"Previously, awareness programmes were typically delivered at major forestry offices such as Nasinu, Lautoka and Labasa. As a result, most of the small timber yards and retailers were not able to participate as it was not possible for them to leave their businesses and travel to the training venue," Mr Whippy said.
"It was because of this that we have decided to change our approach and to conduct our awareness in the population centres where the timber yards and retailers are operating," he said.
Permanent Secretary for Forestry, Pene Baleinabuli, said the FPTT team ensured that traders were educated on the quality treatment procedures and guidelines that must be followed and observed when receiving and selling timber and timber products.
"On the other hand, conducting awareness and establishing close relationships with the traders will enable the Ministry to track down and identify the licensed treatment plants (suppliers) carrying out treatments and supplying treated products to various timber yards and retailers," Mr Baleinabuli said. 

Why timber treatment is important 
Timber treatment is a process by which the susceptibility of timber to insect damage and fungal decay is significantly reduced such that the integrity of timber in buildings is maintained for considerably long periods of time, often outlasting the economic life of the building.
The most common timber issues are an infestation of wood-boring insects such as powder post beetle and termites, and fungal decay, including both dry rot and soft rot. If left untreated, and after exposure to soil, moisture and the elements, the timber can deteriorate within a few years. 
However, when properly treated by professionals to the required standards, the timber can maintain its integrity for many years. 
Mr Whippy said that timber treatment is a relatively low cost and effective solution to what could be an extremely costly problem further down the line; it is always a worthwhile insurance against the cost of subsequent repairs.  

Plan for new pledge
Following the nationwide education and awareness campaign, the Ministry is currently working on launching a "Say No to Receiving or Selling Substandard Treated Timber Pledge". This is the ultimate goal of the awareness process.
Mr Baleinabuli said involving timber yards and timber retailers to pledge saying no to the selling and receiving of substandard treated products would instill a sense of responsibility to stop the trading of substandard materials. In terms of treated timber, this means that all products received and sold by retailers, have met the required treatment standards.
"Saying no to the receiving and selling of substandard products pledge is a process that FPTT has embarked on as an initial stage of developing a consumer protection policy," he said.
The participants commended the Ministry's efforts to teach them at their doorstep the value of quality inspections so they may offer their clients a better service.
"Feedback from participants was remarkable and there were lots of discussions and questions posed during the presentations on the tests available to detect whether timbers are treated and determine treatment percentage for all treatment levels," Mr Whippy said.
All participants were interested and were actively involved during the discussions and they acknowledged the Ministry's initiatives in bringing to them, and conducting awareness in, the various towns and districts where the businesses are operating from. Most of the participants attended the awareness for the first time and they requested the Ministry to conduct the same training awareness and refreshers in the future," he added.