Forestry is as important as agriculture.
The forest contributes to food security and provides goods and services
for man. We are all linked to the forest because right from childhood,
the pencils and exercise books we use in schools are made from wood.
Wood, a product of the forest, is used in construction of houses,
bridges and so on and of all the materials that could be used for doors,
wood still provides the most aesthetically appealing alternative. It is
used by the pulp and paper industry to produce newsprint, bond and
other types of paper. Pulpwood is also used by the textile industry to
produce rayon. Pulpwood is currently a viable export product.
The Director General of the Forestry
Research Institute of Nigeria, Professor Solomon Badejo, says, “There is
hardly any economic wood specie that is not available within the
ecological zones of this country. Besides, modern technology now enables
us to treat woods and make them appear like the more exotic species.”
Forestry development is therefore a wise
investment choice. Apart from its economic benefits, there are also
numerous health and environmental benefits to reap. Most trees have
medicinal applications. A forestry developer also leaves an enduring
legacy for his own offspring and for all of mankind.
Wood is a very valuable and affordable
resource for housing development if the wood is properly processed
before use. The construction industry is still one area where we have
not really deployed our wood resources. Some of the wood houses built by
the colonialists are still standing. We have to do away with the
mentality that we can only use cement and blocks to build. Wood can be
well treated to prevent attack by insects and to reduce vulnerability to
fire outbreaks. Badejo says that there is ongoing research at FRIN to
localise the technology for wood processing to make it safe and
convenient for use in the construction industry.
Agro-forestry is one of the very
feasible approaches to forestry development. Entrepreneurs and banks
find it difficult to fund forestry development because some trees can
take up to 20 years to attain full maturity, but with agro-forestry, the
farmer can earn income while waiting for the trees to mature.
The government or large-scale forestry
developers or development agencies sometimes use this system to engage
farmers who have difficulty with access to farmlands. The farmers help
to develop forest areas while benefiting from the food crops they plant
alongside the trees. After about 3-5 years, the farmers would go
elsewhere to farm, leaving the budding forest to mature. Some of the
food crops that can grow well under this system are yam, short rotation
(6months) cassava, maize and millet, groundnuts.
Another creative approach to
agro-forestry, where there is a large piece of land, is to divide the
land into compartments. For example, if you are interested in planting
trees that would take 15 years to mature, you divide your farmland into
15 compartments to avoid long periods of waiting and you take up
forestry development on that land in phases. This technique is called
couping.
In the first year, you could plant your
trees on one piece of land while food crops take the rest; the following
year, you extend the trees to the second piece of land while subsisting
with income from the rest of the farmland. This would go on until all
15 compartments have trees on them. By the 15th year, when food cropping
would stop, the first harvest from the trees would begin and this
ensures that the farmer has a harvest every year.
Many people complain about poor revenue
from forestry development but this is only because they do not take
advantage of current trends in forestry management and they do not
engage professionals to assist them. Management is a key word in
forestry.
Forestry would deliver unbelievable
rewards in goods and services if efficient and prudent management
techniques are deployed. There is a guaranteed market for quality
timber, especially for electrical and telegraphic purposes, furniture
making and so on; not only in Nigeria but in the West African sub-region
as well- even wood wastes are useful raw materials for the production
of valuable goods like ceiling boards, non-ceramic floor tiles and so
on.
Production of wood products that utilize
wood particles as raw materials present an opportunity for commercial
forestry developers; by giving the developers a chance to grow trees
with shorter gestation. Trees grown for production of particleboards can
be harvested within 7-10 years of planting.
Would-be investors who seek professional
advice while developing their tree plantations would get impressive
returns on their investments. There are modern practices that have been
developed over time that will lead to increased yield.
Even time of maturity can now be
manipulated with good management techniques and biotechnology to half of
the conventional period. Some Agencies like FRIN and Cocoa Research
Institute, both in Ibadan have done a lot of research in the area of
forestry management that will be of immense benefit to plantation owners
or entrepreneurs who wish to invest in forestry development.
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