Theory question 114
Geography of Africa(a) Describe the methods of lumbering used in either Zaire or Nigeria
(b) Discuss the problems associated with the exploitation of timber in the area
(c) Using relevant examples, discuss the economic importance of lumbering in Equatorial Africa.
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(a) Nigeria: concessions surveyed for valuable trees; undergrowth cleared; trees felled with power saws/axes above the buttresses; logs trimmed and hauled by tractors to roads; carried by lorries or floated down rivers (e.g. through the lagoons to Sapele and Lagos); sawn at sawmills
(b) Valuable trees scattered among others; buttresses and very hard wood; thick undergrowth and swampy ground; poor roads; heavy rains; rapids on rivers; high cost; deforestation and lack of regeneration
(c) Foreign exchange from timber exports (Gabon, Cameroun, Zaire, Côte d'Ivoire); employment; raw materials for sawmills, plywood, furniture and paper industries; building materials; fuel; government revenue; opening up of remote areas
Give named examples of countries, towns and timbers.