(a) Describe the methods of lumbering used in either Zaire or Nigeria (b) Discuss the problems associated with the exploitation of timber in the area (c) Us...

Lumbering in Nigeria

(a) Methods of lumbering

• Selective felling: only mature and commercially valuable trees such as mahogany, iroko, obeche and opepe are cut; young trees are left to grow.
• Felling: trees are cut down with axes, cutlasses, hand-saws and, increasingly, power chain-saws.
• Trimming and cross-cutting: the felled trunk is trimmed of branches and cut into logs of manageable length.
• Log haulage: logs are dragged out of the forest by tractors, caterpillars or human/animal power to a collecting point or roadside.
• Transport to sawmills: logs are moved by lorries, or floated down rivers such as the Niger and Cross rivers, to sawmills and ports.
• Sawing and seasoning: at the sawmill logs are sawn into planks and seasoned (dried) before sale or export.

(b) Problems associated with the exploitation of timber

• Difficult accessibility: dense undergrowth, swamps and lack of roads make it hard to reach and remove timber.
• Heavy weight of logs: hardwood logs are very heavy and some do not float, raising transport costs.
• Scattered occurrence of valuable trees makes selective felling slow and costly.
• Pests and diseases attack the timber and standing trees.
• Rapid deforestation without adequate replanting depletes the forest.
• Shortage of capital and modern machinery, and of skilled labour.
• Poor transport network and bad weather (heavy rains) disrupt operations.

(c) Economic importance of lumbering in Equatorial Africa

• Foreign exchange: export of timber and wood products (e.g. from Nigeria, Zaire/DR Congo, Gabon) earns foreign currency.
• Employment: provides jobs for fellers, sawmill workers, transporters and traders.
• Raw material for industries: supplies timber for construction, furniture, plywood, paper and matches.
• Government revenue through royalties, licences and taxes.
• Development of infrastructure: roads and railways built for logging open up the interior.
• Local needs: supplies fuel-wood, building poles and materials for the local population.
• It stimulates the growth of allied industries such as furniture-making and paper-milling.