Logging concession refers to an area allocated by a government for logging in a public forest. Logging concessions are distinct from wood fiber concessions, where plantation forests are established for the production of pulp and paper products. Concession is used as a general term for licenses, permits, or other contracts that confer rights to private companies to manage and extract timber from public forests; terminology varies at the national level, however, and includes "forest permits," "tenures," "licenses," and other terms.The logging concession data on GFW, while displayed as a single layer, is assembled on a country-by-country basis from multiple sources.Logging concession data displayed on the GFW website vary from country to country by date and data sources. Data may come from government agencies, NGOs, or other organizations.See the Data page for details on specific data sets.If you are aware of concession data for additional countries, please email us here.Liberia logging concessionsThe Liberia logging concessions data set combines the boundaries of forest management contracts, timber sale contracts, and private use permits, compiled by Global Witness from available government and contractual maps. Due to a lack of quality data, this data set should be used for demonstration purposes only and not for land use planning purposes. Forests in Liberia are managed by the state under the National Forestry Reform Law, enacted in October 2006. Following the enactment of this law, UN Security Council timber export sanctions against Liberia were lifted, permitting commercial forestry activities to resume. Forest management contracts include concession areas of 50,000 hectares to 400,000 hectares and are open for bids from qualified bidders that demonstrate at least 51% ownership by Liberian citizens; concessions of more than 100,000 hectares are open for bidding from international investors. Timber sale contracts are established through a bidding process for areas up to 5,000 hectares; bidders must demonstrate at least 51% ownership by Liberian citizens. Private Use Permits are licenses issued to private landowners to extract wood and lack sustainability regulations. Global Witness compiled the logging concession data as part of the report Signing Their Lives Away: Liberia?s Private Use Permits and the Destruction of Community Owned Rainforest (Global Witness, 2012).Canada forest tenuresThis data set provides the boundaries of forest areas licensed to companies for forestry and is a compilation of provincial forest tenure data sets across Canada. Tenures for Nova Scotia are not provided, due to changes underway in forest management in that province, and will be added to this data set when available. Much of Canada?s logging activity occurs on Crown (often referred to as ?public?) land and is regulated by various provincial commercial forest tenure systems that allocate cutting rights to and confer obligations on recipients of the tenures. It is these tenure systems on Crown forest land that are the focus of this data product. The information in this data set was gathered in order to continue to develop an understanding of how much of Canada?s forest area is under commercial forest tenures, where these tenures (including the operating areas of major forest companies) are located, and who is most likely to control them. This information and these data sets are important because of the extent of tenures and the resulting logging activity over vast areas of Canada?s Crown forest land.Indonesia logging concessionsThis data set, produced by the Indonesia Ministry of Forestry, provides the boundaries of logging concessions for the selective logging of natural forests in Indonesia. According to this data set, there are 557 active logging concessions in Indonesia.Central African Republic logging permitsThis data set provides the permit boundaries for selective logging in the Central African Republic?s production forests. This data set was produced through a collaboration between the CAR Ministry of Water, Forests, Hunting, and Fishing (MEFCP) and WRI. For more information, see the Interactive Forest Atlas for the Central African Republic.Democratic Republic of the Congo forest titlesForest concession data for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) represent geographic areas permitted for exploitation of timber by selective logging. This data set was produced through a collaboration between the DRC Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Tourism (MECNT) and WRI. For more information, see the Interactive Forest Atlas for the Democratic Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo logging concessionsForest concession data for the Republic of the Congo provide the boundaries of areas permitted for selective logging. These areas, also called Forest Exploitation Units, are managed in accordance with the national Forest Code. This data set was produced through a collaboration between the Republic of the Congo Ministry of Forest Economy and WRI. For more information, see the Interactive Forest Atlas for the Republic of the Congo.Cameroon production forestsLogging in Cameroon?s forests is permitted within Forest Management Units (FMUs). This data set displays the FMUs within Cameroon?s permanent forest estate. Selective logging is permitted in Cameroon?s FMUs, which are further divided into logging concessions called annual allowable cuts (AACs). These logging permits require owners and operators to maintain permanent forest cover. This data set was produced in collaboration between the Cameroon Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and WRI. For more information and data sets, see the Interactive Forest Atlas for Cameroon.Gabon forest licensesThis data set provides the boundaries for forest licenses in Gabon. The licenses cover areas permitted for selective logging. This data set was produced in a collaboration between the Gabon Ministry of Forest Economy, Water, Fisheries, and Aquaculture (MEFEPA) and WRI. For more information, see the Interactive Forest Atlas for Gabon.Equatorial Guinea logging concessionsThis data set provides the boundaries for logging concessions for Equatorial Guinea, where commercial forestry is permitted. The Equatorial Guinea Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and the World Resources Institute produced this information in a collaboration for the Interactive Forest Atlas of Equatorial Guinea. Information provided in the data set includes the boundaries of concessions, the operating company, the ownership group, documentation on the permit process, and other information.
