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Harvesting Wood, Building Jobs
With the cooperation of Alcoa’s Suriname Aluminum Company (Suralco), an entrepreneurial venture to harvest hardwood trees from Van Blommestein Lake has the potential to create 150 full-time jobs and help meet hardwood demand without encroaching on virgin Surinamese forest.
Van Blommestein Lake was formed when the Afobaka hydro facility was built in the early 1960s to supply power to Suralco’s Paranam smelter. Most of the soft-wood trees are long gone, but the hardwood trees are still standing in the lake. Reclaiming this previously lost timber offers substantial volumes of high quality products with minimal environmental impact.
Since the operation of the hydro facility is the responsibility of Suralco, the Suriname government turned to the company for advice. Working with Brokopondo Watra Wood International—the company formed to manage the harvesting operation—Suralco identified a suitable location for a harvesting concession and provided access for a pilot project that employed 34 people full time and included a small sawmill. Suralco also assisted the operation with environmental, health, and safety audits. Brazilian divers, who have experience in underwater tree cutting from a similar operation in Tucurui, Brazil, trained local employees.
“Suralco has been very open and constructive with both general and practical support, including allowing us to use roads, gates, and other infrastructure,” said Orlando Lee On, director of Brokopondo Watra Wood International.
The pilot project was successfully completed in October 2004, and commercial operations began two months later. Brokopondo Watra Wood International estimates that it can harvest 80 cubic meters (105 cubic yards) of hardwood per hectare, with 160,000 hectares (618 square miles) of the lake available for potential harvesting.
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