2. Current Status of National Forestry Statistics related to Wood-products

At national level, The Forestry Commission is a corporate body wholly owned by the government and responsible for forestry. One of its functions is to collect data on plantation areas, afforested areas, sawlog out for processing and sawn timber output. The reports with the above data were three or so years out of date. Recently, the Forestry Commission (without any clear explanation) has stopped sending out the questionnaire to the industry and is therefore no longer collecting data and producing the reports.

The Timbers Producers Federation (TPF) is the main and the only authentic source of data and information on production from industrial plantations. The TPF is a non-government organisation formed by timber producers to safeguard and promote their interests. Membership of the TPF is voluntary and it is funded by levies from its members. It sends out detailed data form on production every monthly to its members. In turn members fill in and submit details of production output.

The data on industrial timber production is based on details filled in on standard TPF forms that are filled in each month. Timber companies who are the members are expected to provide accurate and update information. The data is obtained from forests and processing plants. At these places the cantos are measured and checked at various stages in the product realisation process as part of the management process

Pulpwood is stacked in cords. The net volume of each cord is calculated by multiplying the length, height and width of each and multiplying by a factor between 0.65 and 0.75 depending on the species and the organisation.

The volume of sawlogs and poles is obtained by measuring the length and tip diameter of each piece. The volume is then interpolated from volume table issued by the Forestry Commission. Only one forest estate calculates volume by converting weight to volume.

Output from sawmills and other processing plants is obtained by multiplying the usual three dimensions. Accuracy is paramount due to the high value of the product.

The TPF validates data by comparison with past records and the budgeted targets for each processing plant. If the submitted figure is either too high or too low, the TPF usually requests for an explanation.

Every year, the TPF produces the basic facts and figures of plantation forestry production in Zimbabwe. The pamphlets are available not only to members of the TPF but also to the public on request and free of charge.

Company level quantities of timber produced in stands and delivered at processing plants are physically measured in order to quantify the resource for costing and production management purposes. For sawlogs, tip diameter and length are measured; then, volume is calculated from locally developed volume tables. At processing plants, the volume output boards and lumber is calculated by measuring length, width, breadth and length of each product.

Organisations involved in the collection, analysis and dissemination of data related to wood products are:

The Timber Producers Federation (an independent association of timber producers).

The Forestry Commission (a corporate body owned by the government that is responsible for forestry matters).

Central Statistics Office (a government department responsible for compiling all vital national statistics for records and planning purpose. It also collects data on imports and exports of wood products).

Firewood is the most important wood product in Zimbabwe. Firewood is used as fuel for cooking and heating. It is increasingly also being used by the urban poor mostly for cooking.

After firewood, plantation grown softwood is probably the second most important wood product since it is the country’s only local major source of industrial timber. Zimbabwe is self sufficient in most of its industrial softwood requirements.

The export of wood products is based mostly on down streaming processing of plantation timber. The main wood products exported are sawn timber, furniture and other timber related products (e.g. fibreboard, engineered blocks, doors and wood components).

The types of wood based industries in Zimbabwe are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Types of Wood Industries (1999)