{"id":6245,"date":"2025-08-03T16:22:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T16:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/?p=6245"},"modified":"2025-08-03T16:54:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T16:54:32","slug":"loggers-harvest-trees-outside-authorized-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2025\/08\/03\/loggers-harvest-trees-outside-authorized-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Loggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Top: The stump of a tree Westwood Corporation harvested outside a 450-acre authorized area in the Gba Community Forest, based on satellite imagery. The evidence also established that the firm even harvested outside the community forest. The DayLight\/James Flomo  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By Esau Farr <\/strong>and James Flomo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

SEHYI-GEH \u2013 Earlier this year, Westwood Corporation, a firm with no known logging experience, harvested timber outside its authorized area in the Gba Community Forest in Nimba\u2019s Yarmein and Sanniquillie-Mahn Districts, a DayLight investigation has found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, ArcelorMittal Liberia signed an MoU with Gba, giving the community US$150,000 to clear 450 acres of rocky forestland to construct a mine waste plant.  However, Gba misapplied the money and turned to loggers to do the job multiple times in eight years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those efforts failed until this January this year, when Gba signed the agreement with West Wood, known for roadworks<\/a>. The agreement included logs that previous companies had abandoned in the 11,538-hectare forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Westwood soon began the felling, and exported 216 logs (921.124 cubic meters) in two March shipments, according to the FDA\u2019s records. An initial DayLight investigation found<\/a> that the exports were illegal in several ways. The logs had been harvested under an agreement that did not match a legal forestry contract. The logs were exported to Europe despite not being from a legal source, violating Liberia\u2019s timber trade agreement with the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this investigation established that things were a lot worse. Geolocations of tree stumps with Westwood tags show the company harvested outside the designated area, apparently targeting expensive, first-class timber. Reporters photographed a dirt road that the company paved inside the forest to access the logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using official dataset and geolocation technology, The DayLight used coordinates fitted into pictures taken of stumps of trees Westwood harvested to draw a map, exposing the illegal harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was unclear how many logs were illegally harvested. However, DayLight estimated 250 first-class logs in the Makingo Town. Their species\u2014ekki and niangon\u2014matched those Westwood exported in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
It is unclear how many logs were harvested outside a 450-acre designated area in the Gba Community Forest. Picture credit: Anonymous
 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Westwood\u2019s activities were an open secret. Three DayLight visits found that people and the Gba leadership were aware of the illegal harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey went to Gbarpa, where they did not send them, felled logs and carried them,\u201d said Paul Gahnto, Sehyi-Geh Town\u2019s assistant youth chairman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The illegal harvesting adds to Nimba\u2019s deforestation<\/a>. Between 2002 and 2024, Nimba recorded 393,000 hectares of tree cover loss, second only to Bong (434,000 hectares), according to Global Forest Watch, which tracks countries\u2019 deforestation. A tree cover is any vegetation that is at least three meters high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

World Heritage Site<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The illegal harvest is counterproductive to a region known internationally for conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gba and its neighbors\u2014Blei, Sehyi Ko-doo and Zor\u2014serve as a buffer with East Nimba Reserve, a part of the Nimba Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, running through Guinea and the Ivory Coast. The region is home to the Nimba flycatcher, the Nimba toad and other endangered and common species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the region\u2019s importance, Gba and the other communities have an agreement with the Liberian government and ArcelorMittal to protect the forest there. As part of the agreement, the steel giant supports the communities\u2019 conservation programs, including a monthly stipend for forest guards and tree planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gba, in particular, has also received support for its conservation from other institutions. It had been established by a USAID project and continued to receive support from the United States Forest Service. Since 2023, Social Entrepreneurs for Development (SESDev) has worked with Gba\u2019s leadership to strengthen its governance mechanism.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Westwood adds to the list of companies Gba has contracted to clear the controversial 450 acres. In 2016, LTTC Thanry signed a contract with Gba but did not deliver. Later in 2021, Six S International entered the picture, but, like LTTC Thanry, it failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A map utilizing satellite imagery shows areas affected by the illegal harvest outside the Gba Community Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Rudolph Merab’s letter approving Westwood\u2019s harvest in the Gba Community Forest, bypassing forestry regulations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before those deals, Gba was among several community forests whose status the FDA\u2019s board canceled in 2014 for errors. The agency had mistakenly combined Gba with Zor and had to be split into two community forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Hereby granted\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Forestry Development Authority played a part in the illegal harvest. Managing Director Rudolph Merab ignored legal requirements and authorized West Wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In normal logging practices, the FDA counts and marks trees in a mapped area before harvest. Then, there are FDA fieldworkers who monitor the process and verify the legality of the log before export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Gba\u2019s case, a warning letter replaced that rule, even though more crucial, given the nature of the harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are obligated to ensure your operations comply with the legal framework,\u201d wrote Merab. \u201cYou are required to tag all standing trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are hereby granted approval to commence operation in the Gba Community Forest.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, Merab lowered the bar Mike Doryen, his immediate predecessor, had set for Gba. Doryen, whose administration was characterized by forestry offenses, ensured that previous companies obeyed the rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules aside, the FDA did not verify West Wood\u2019s legal documents before approving its operations in Gba. The company\u2019s article of incorporation does not list its shareholders. The document has only two articles in the legal documents: I and III. This violates the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, which mandates businesses to name the people who own them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Westwood’s illegal article of incorporation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


That rule does not only apply when registering a business. It is also a forestry requirement. The Regulation on Bidder Qualifications requires a company\u2019s owners or \u201csignificant individuals\u201d to be scrutinized. It curtails conflicts of interest involving public officials and prevents forest resources from being placed into the hands of broke or dishonest individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FDA and Samuel Cooper, owner of Westwood, did not respond to requests for comments.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Forestry Development Authority investigated the harvest following the initial DayLight publication, but has not released any report months on.  Logging outside an authorized area is a crime, punishable by a fine, imprisonment and penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nyan Flomo, a Gba leader, fears locals will bear the brunt of West Wood\u2019s actions. Flomo now runs Gba\u2019s affairs due to the death of Samuel Johnson, Gba\u2019s leadership head, in March.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we heard is that the FDA will investigate, declare the logs abandoned, auction [them] and give the community its benefits,\u201d said Flomo, who initially supported Westwood and was critical of The DayLight investigation. \u201cWe are still looking up to the FDA to give us the [official] outcomes of the investigation they carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story was produced by the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists (CoFE<\/em><\/strong>J).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top: The stump of a tree Westwood Corporation harvested outside a 450-acre authorized area in the Gba Community Forest, based on satellite imagery. The evidence also established that the firm even harvested outside the community forest. The DayLight\/James Flomo   By Esau Farr and James Flomo SEHYI-GEH \u2013 Earlier this year, Westwood Corporation, a firm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[123,2934,107,1485,2728,2935],"class_list":["post-6245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-investigations","tag-forestry-development-authority","tag-gba-community-forest","tag-liberia","tag-nimba-county","tag-rudolph-merab","tag-westwood-corporation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Loggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area - The DayLight","description":"Earlier this year, Westwood Corporation, a firm with no known logging experience, harvested timber outside its authorized area in the Gba Community Forest in .","canonical_url":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2025\/08\/03\/loggers-harvest-trees-outside-authorized-area\/","robots":"noindex, nofollow, max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"msvalidate.01":"CA6BD2F84653EA44942A55ABC0B35372","miscellaneous":""},"schema":null,"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"The DayLight - The DayLight is a nonprofit, environmental news website. Our evidence-based, independent and quality news contents tell you all the happenings across nature\u2019s frontiers and the extractive sector in Liberia. From forestry and fisheries to wildlife conservation and climate change, from renewable energy and land rights to oil\/gas and oil palm, we bring you news on everything about the environment you need to know. The DayLight is published by The DayLight Incorporated in Vahnwin Community, Congo Town.","og:type":"article","og:title":"Loggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area - The DayLight","og:description":"Earlier this year, Westwood Corporation, a firm with no known logging experience, harvested timber outside its authorized area in the Gba Community Forest in .","og:url":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2025\/08\/03\/loggers-harvest-trees-outside-authorized-area\/","og:image":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tree-Stump1_Gba_20250626_155920_840-scaled.jpg","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Tree-Stump1_Gba_20250626_155920_840-scaled.jpg","og:image:width":2560,"og:image:height":1152,"article:published_time":"2025-08-03T16:22:12+00:00","article:modified_time":"2025-08-03T16:54:32+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/news.thedaylight","twitter:card":"summary","twitter:title":"Loggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area - The DayLight","twitter:description":"Earlier this year, Westwood Corporation, a firm with no known logging experience, harvested timber outside its authorized area in the Gba Community Forest in .","twitter:image":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/cropped-site-identity.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"6245","title":null,"description":"Earlier this year, Westwood Corporation, a firm with no known logging experience, harvested timber outside its authorized area in the Gba Community Forest in .","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2025-08-15 00:58:49","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":"0","ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":[],"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2025-08-03 15:57:29","updated":"2025-08-15 00:58:49"},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"

\n\t\t\tHome<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span>\u00bb<\/span>\n\t\t\tInvestigations<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span>\u00bb<\/span>\n\t\t\tLoggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68"},{"label":"Investigations","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/category\/investigations\/"},{"label":"Loggers Harvest Trees Outside Authorized Area","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2025\/08\/03\/loggers-harvest-trees-outside-authorized-area\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6245"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6252,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245\/revisions\/6252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}