Part I
REGIONAL SYNTHESIS (continued)

Chapter III
FOREST RESOURCES OF TROPICAL AFRICA (continued)

2. PRESENT TRENDS (continued)

TABLE 7e - Areas of natural woody vegetation estimated at end 1985
Open broadleaved forests (NHc/NHO)
(in thousand ha)

¹ Undetermined

TABLE 7f - Areas of natural woody vegetation estimated at end 1985
All formations
(in thousand ha)

¹ Undetermined

2.2 Plantations (table 8)

Projections of area estimates of the various forest plantations to be established between 1981 and 1985, have been made by selecting among the programmes indicated in the national forestry plans, those projects which are already financed through a national reforestation fund (as for instance in Cameroon, Nigeria and Tanzania) or through financial agreements with development assistance organizations. Furthermore, estimates of likely survival/success rates have been applied. Estimates made are therefore reasonable and realistic. The analysis of tables 8a, 8b and 8c provides the following indications.

● Total area planted for industrial purposes during the period 1981–85 (around 320 000 ha) will be 20% higher than that of the period 1976–80. This increase will mainly correspond to plantations of hardwood species other than fast-growing ones, which enlarge by 77% (120 700 ha for period 1981–85 as against 68 100 ha only for period 1976–80). Two countries are mainly responsible for this increase: Ivory Coast, which should plant 28 000 ha of mediumrotation timber species and Nigeria, which has a state financed national programme of 50 000 ha of Terminalia ivorensis and other medium rotation broadleaved species. Areas of fast-growing hardwood plantations (essentially Gmelina and eucalypts) will increase by 69 700 ha, that is 37% more than during period 1976–80 (50 600 ha): Nigeria will be mainly responsible for this increase with its Gmelina plantation programme (40 000 ha for 1981–85) and its Eucalyptus plantations.

No account has been taken in these estimates of industrial plantations with fast-growing hardwood species (PHH1) of the projects in Congo associated with the setting-up of a pulp and paper mill, for which the funding decisions seem to have been made very recently, with a forecast of 23 000 ha established in 1986 (18 000 ha at the end of 1985).

Industrial softwood plantations will be established at more or less the same pace as during the previous period (131 900 ha projected for 1981–85 as against 143 500 ha established in 1976–80). Nigeria and Liberia will have new programmes while Malawi and Tanzania should reduce their plantation activities. Madagascar and Kenya should continue establishing areas of softwood plantations at an annual rate of 6 to 7 000 ha per year.

● As far as non-industrial plantations are concerned, the global overall reforestation effort will increase by 52% (308 300 ha projected for period 1981–85 against 203 100 ha established during the period 1976–80). This corresponds mostly to fast-growing hardwood plantations, the implementation of which will increase by 77% (180 800 ha projected for 1981–85 against 101 800 ha established furing 1976–80). Kenya, and, to a lesser extent, Rwanda and Senegal, will launch new reforestation programmes, whereas Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sudan and Tanzania will continue the previous ones. Non-industrial plantations of hardwood species other than fast-growing ones established during 1981–85 should cover 114 700 ha as against 97 700 ha in 1976–80, i.e., an increase of 17% due to the strengthening of plantation efforts in Ghana and Sudan.

The average annual rate of establishment of non-industrial plantations projected for the period 1981–85 (61 700 ha/year) is not commensurate with country needs. If an average annual production of these plantations of 10 steres/ha/year of fuelwood is assumed, the resulting total annual potential production will be 620 000 steres, whereas annual needs of tropical Africa are estimated at some 700 million steres. These figures show that plantations will never replace natural forests in Africa for the production of fuelwood. It appears necessary to concentrate these plantations in countries and regions where forest areas have almost disappeared and around the large urban centres with critical fuelwood supply situation.

● As a whole (industrial and non-industrial plantations) total reforestation will amount to 630 700 ha for the period 1981–85, i.e. an increase of 35% compared to 1976–80. In 1985, 1 097 000 ha out of 2 411 000 ha of existing plantations (45.5%) will be less than ten years old.

TABLE 8a - Areas of established plantations estimated at end 1985 (projections)
Industrial plantations
(in thousand ha)