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Nigeria¿s natural vegetation is broadly divided into four main zones running across the country. From south to north, these are: lowland rain forest, Guinea savannah, Sudan savannah and Sahel savannah. In addition, there are also small areas of montane forest in the centre of the country and mangrove forests along the coastline. Forests cover approximately 15 percent of the land area (with other wooded land covering a further 10 percent), but Nigeria has one of the highest rates of deforestation in Africa, at 2.6 percent per year.

Forest administration in Nigeria started in 1887, and by 1970 about 10 percent of total land area had been constituted as forest reserves. The National Forest Policy (1988) provides for an increase of this figure to 20 percent. Nigeria has 693 000 ha of forest plantations.

Products and trade
Forests and trees outside forests contribute between 1.3 and 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) as well as major proportions of domestic energy, food and medicinal supply, which are not fully reflected in formal national statistics. Nigeria is gradually becoming a wood-deficient country because of urban and rural population pressure, which has greatly increased the demand for wood and wood products. The wood deficit situation is worsened by livestock grazing, soil erosion, drought and desertification, as well as by a growing demand for cropland. These factors have collectively placed the forest estate of Nigeria under great threat.

Nigeria is Africa¿s largest wood producer, with an annual harvest estimated at more than 100 million cubic metres. The vast majority of production is burned as fuel. The industrial forestry sector is also relatively large and produces sawntimber, plywood, particleboard and paper almost exclusively for local consumption. The Nigerian industrial forestry sector comprises about 1 300 sawmills, ten plymills, two functional papermills (a third is under construction), eight safety match factories and four particleboard mills. The sector is producing between 30 and 40 percent of installed capacity. The rate of recovery in the sawmilling sector is lower than 40 percent, partly because of the use of old and obsolete machines which were hitherto meant for conversion of large-diameter logs. Most sawmill owners are unable to replace their machines.

Small quantities of sawn timber are exported. Forest product exports in 1999 were US$33.4 million, while imports were US$172.3 million (mainly paper and paperboard, but also sawnwood).

Bushmeat, fruits, nuts, wild vegetables, gum, medicinal plants, and edible oil are important non-wood forest products in Nigeria. Nigeria has also developed appropriate agroforestry technologies and activities related to sustainable food production in drylands as well in humid areas.

Last updated: March 2004