The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has issued an invitation to small and medium private sector forest companies in ITTO member countries, to participate in pilot schemes to test the feasibility of adopting timber tracking systems as a means of strengthening forest law governance and enforcement and promoting the production and trade of timber from legally and sustainably managed forests.
The ITTO initiative is being coordinated by the Committee on Economic Information and Market Intelligence.
In July 2007, PT. Gema Hutani Lestari (GHL), a forest concession in South Maluku with a plywood industry in Makassar, South Sulawesi, was one of the first companies to be awarded a grant to implement a timber tracking project with ITTO funding.
GHL is partnered with TFF-Indonesia, who will facilitate the implementation of the project by providing base-line assessments, training, technical guidance and management support.