Increased utilisation of lesser-used species - social and economic impact

Harvesting of trees for commercial and industrial purposes is 100 years old. One hundred years ago the axe and the platform were in use and it took days to fell a mahogany tree. There were no crawlers, skidders or wheeled tractors; no motorised chain saws; there were no sawmills, veneer mills, furniture and joinery outfits; no electricity and the road network was hardly developed. In short, our people looked to the forests for supply of dead wood as fire wood, and somehow manufactured small diameter trees and species into shingles, building members and household furniture. From small beginnings involving the export of round logs of Mahogany and Edinam, Ghana now boasts of an export industry producing lumber and lumber products, sliced veneers, plywood, furniture and flooring parts. At the national level, we can claim that through proper allocation of logs, timber utilisation can be optimised. This means that sawlogs, logs for peeling and logs for slicing can be directed to appropriate processing plants. From two (2) to three (3) species, the Industry is now felling 60-65 species annually, with the sawmills taking in 30 to 40 species; slicers, 31 species, rotary or peeled veneers 18 species.