(a) Identify any four factors that favour lumbering in Democratic Republic of Congo. (b) Explain any four problems of lumbering in Democratic Republic of Co...

(a) Four factors that favour lumbering in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Extensive tropical rain forest - the vast Congo Basin forest supplies large quantities of valuable hardwoods such as mahogany, ebony and iroko.
• Hot, wet equatorial climate - heavy rainfall and high temperatures all year favour the rapid growth of the trees.
• Many navigable rivers - the River Congo and its tributaries provide cheap transport for floating logs to sawmills and ports.
• Availability of cheap labour for felling and moving the timber.
• Growing local and export demand for timber, which encourages the industry.

(b) Four problems of lumbering in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Dense, mixed forest - the valuable trees are scattered among many worthless species, making selective felling difficult and costly.
• Poor transport inland - few roads and railways, and rapids on the rivers, make it hard to move logs from the interior.
• Thick undergrowth and swampy ground that hamper access and movement.
• Hard nature of tropical hardwoods and heavy logs that do not float easily, raising extraction costs.
• Shortage of skilled labour, capital and modern equipment, and the risk of pests and diseases.

(c) Two ways the problems could be solved

• Construction of more forest roads and railways and improvement of river navigation to ease the movement of logs.
• Provision of modern machinery, capital and training of skilled workers to make felling and haulage more efficient.
• Establishment of plantations of selected commercial species to reduce the difficulty of scattered trees.