Since an idea of the sampling frame of forest industries exists in Nigeria, part of the problem has been solved. The details of the distribution and location of the respective mills can be obtained from the various States Forestry Departments and the Ministry of Industries.
The Planning Cell of the Federal Department of Forestry should be properly equipped to undertake major sector surveys every five year and back up surveys in the intervening years.
Since the sample frame is known, a random sample can be used to select mills in a stratified manner. Since the survey will be an integrated one, in order for the results to be reliable, within available resource constraint, a 1% sampling intensity will be adequate for the major surveys and thereafter a random selection of mills from those surveyed in the major survey can be visited in subsequent years in order to update the data for the intervening years between sample surveys.
It is suggested that since pulp and paper Mills are few, a 100% enumeration is feasible. The same consideration applies for particleboard and partly for plywood. The sawmills can be stratified into large, medium and small mills. The large mills are few and can be surveyed along with plywood and particleboard to which they are integrated, so that even 100% enumeration is feasible. The area of difficulties is in regard to small and medium sawmills and it is only for these that we require a 1-% sampling intensity.
The FDF field officers can be integrated into the survey with a little bit of training in enumeration and survey methods. They will also be required to brush up their basic statistics but the success will depend on the removal of existing constraints.
4.1. Constraints in Data Collection in Nigeria
Many constraints still exist in Nigeria as far as forest sector statistics goes and they include the following:
4.1.1. Funding and Appropriate Infrastructure:
Funding is the singular problem facing forestry data collection in Nigeria. A lot of lip service is still being paid to this very important issue in Nigeria. Allocation is piece meal and not adequate. Means of transport which are very crucial to the successful collection of information are conspicuously absent while equipment (computers) necessary for data processing are yet to be provided.
4.1.2. Public Attitude:
Public attitude is also a constraint. As in most cases, the public views Government statisticians with suspicion and hostility. They are usually not receptive to the idea of furnishing information about their concerns because more often than not, such requests are misconstrued for taxation purposes. This general poor attitude on the part of the public needs to be improved if forest sector statistics will be successfully collected and disseminated.
4.1.3. Dissipation of efforts
Funding has been listed as the main constraints but perhaps if there had been greater co-ordination among the various institutions collecting forestry statistics may be more should have been achieved. Presently, a lot of effort is being dissipated by various interested organisations with very little results to show for it.
