In Botswana, forest type vegetation is confined to the Miombo grouping in the Chobe area, the wetland and alluvial forests in and around the Okavango and Linyanti swamps, and a number of relatively small areas of the Mopane (Colophospermum mophane) belt where a higher vegetation density occurs (Botswana Energy Master Plan, 1992).
Gazetted Forest Reserves account for 4,555km2 (0.8% of the total land area). The growing stock of all woodlands in the country is approximately 1,277.4 million tonnes. The gazetted forest reserves have an estimated standing stock of 10 million m3. The annual increment in the region is of 40.8 million tonnes per year (CSO, 2000). These figures represent a national extensive biomass resource.
In as country-wide context, there is generally a lack of inventory data on the indigenous woodlands on which to base any utilisation analysis. This statement is supported by Zieroth, (1992) who indicated that reliable quantitative data on Botswana’s wood resources are scanty. The majority of timber is cut and utilised for fuelwood and poles. Sekhwela, 1997 reported that scarcity of poles and fuelwood in some parts of the country is due to felling of trees for the purpose of expanding arable land.
There is little or no industrial use of indigenous woodlands in Botswana (Simons et al, 1994). In Botswana, wood resources in the forest reserves are only harvested when the government grants permission. However, it was reported that timber concessions were suspended by the government in 1991 (Sekgopo, pers. comm.). The timber concessions were suspended pending a comprehensive Forest Inventory with prudent management plans. This implies that there is currently no saw milling industry using indigenous timber resources in the country. The country imports most of the raw materials and exports secondary processed timber products. The timber manufacturing industry employs on average approximately 3000 people (CSO, 2000).
Most of the tree species harvested when government granted concessions were Baikiaea. plurijuga and Pterocarpus angolensis. B. plurijuga timber was originally mainly used for railway sleepers but its use changed with time to parquet (flooring), veneers and furniture. P.angolenosis supplied raw materials for furniture and veneers. Over 90% of the products were exported to Zimbabwe and Republic of South Africa. It was feared (Wegge, 1992) that the trees were not sustainably harvested and that the harvesters were not observing the rules which were set in the agreement, especially regarding the tree sizes to harvest. This was further exacerbated by lack of capacity in the forestry sector to do the monitoring and pressure from high elephant populations and veld fires. Veld fires which ravage the forest reserves annually and debarking of trees by elephants are a major course of depletion of the forest resources in the forest reserves. The selective harvesting of the two species removed 10% of the overstress (> 30cm dbh) in the forest reserves. The Chobe Forest Inventory and Management Plan revealed that genetically superior stems were exploited.
Plantation Forestry in Botswana was initiated in the 70s through the Rural Afforestation Programme (Seopane, 1997). The most important plantation species is eucalyptus, but efforts are being made to explore indigenous species in plantation establishments. Due to high establishment and operation costs and due to a low productivity in the order of 6m3 per hectare per year, tree production costs in these plantations are high (Botswana Energy Master Plan, 1992).
Although plantation establishments and woodlots establishments have been an ongoing process these initiatives made no significant impact on reducing the utilisation of natural woodlands or for providing poles or timber products. These few plantations, approximately 1080 hectares, are not even harvested to their potential because of lack of capacity (Central Statistics Office, 2000). The Forestry Sector has not been able to develop resource use plans and resources inventories. The major constraints limiting the development of the sector are manpower resources and lack of financial means. Keapoletswe (1999) indicated that shortage of technical staff in forestry research and inventory is a major obstacle towards establishment of research and resource management programs.
1.1 Production, Consumption and Trade
In Botswana, the Forest Sector does not constitute a major sub-sector of the national economy because Botswana is not endowed with sufficient timber resources (Crickmay et al, 1996). It is also not possible to express the role of the Forestry Sector in a certain
% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) because it is grouped together with Agriculture. The contribution of Agriculture to the national economy is about 4% of GDP.
Since Botswana has no major timber resources and milling capacity, the country imports almost all of its sawn wood, wood based panels, while paper and paper products are mainly imported from the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Consumption of sawn timber averages about 50, 000 m3/annum while that for wood based panels is about 6,000m3 per year (Crickmay et al, 1996).
Since Botswana does not have the capability to supply timber products locally, its contribution in the Southern African Development Community timber industry is insignificant.
Sekgopo, pers. comm. reported that no detailed research has been undertaken on wood product consumption and production in Botswana. However, surveys on industrial production of wood products were first launched in Botswana in July 1986 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The reason for launching such surveys was generally to collect information on the quantities and values of output of goods produced in the industrial sector of the economy (CSO, 2000).
The data collected is used mainly for planning purposes and to supplement production information collected through the Census of Production and Distribution (CPD) which is carried out by the National Accounts Unit of the CSO.
The data collected on Industrial Production of wood products since launching of surveys on Industrial Production indicates that wood products are the least contributors to the manufacturing sector of the economy. However in the 1993 – 1996 surveys wood products surpassed tanning and leather. It should however be noted that the surveys treated paper and paper products separately from wood products.
The Industrial Statistics reports indicate that Wood Products are produced and imported in small quantities. It is assumed that the demand may be low. The reports also stipulate that between 1993 – 1995, the wood and wood products industry was the least exported of all manufactured goods in the manufacturing sector of the economy (refer to annex 1)
However, exports of manufactured goods of wood and wooden products increased by up to 200% in 1996. This did not elevate the relative contribution of wood and wooden products in the manufacturing sector because exports for all industries increased dramatically during the same period. The manufacturing sector is the 2nd contributor to the Gross Domestic Product after the mining sector.
Wood products traded in Botswana are Industrial round wood, sawn wood, Veneers, wood based panels, wood chips, fuelwood and charcoal, paper and cardboard.
1.2 Non Industrial Uses of Wood Products
Natural Woodlands in Botswana are often harvested for non-industrial uses. According to the 1994/95 National Energy estimates /Energy Statistics, Ministry of Minerals Energy Water Affairs, 80% of the wood produced is used as fuelwood, mostly in rural house holds. In view of the fact that there are several other uses of wood, this observation indicates that the major use of woodlands in Botswana is the provision of energy. CSO (2000) reported that wood fuel is the dominant source of energy at all levels. During the 1994/95 financial year, it represented 59% of Primary energy Supply, 69% of Net Energy Supply and 48% of Final Energy Demand.
Other non-industrial uses are fencing and fence poles, construction timber for rural housing, handicrafts, medicines, traditional furniture by individual artisans, and household utensils. These non-industrial uses are mainly uncontrolled and unrecorded.
