Timber is the main product harvested from the KS teak forests. Timber harvesting is selective, concentrating on species such as Baikiaea plurijuga, Pterocarpus angolensis, Guibourtia coleosperma and Afzelia quanzensis. Quantities of the latter two species are considered low due to the inherent low densities of the species per unit area. Pterocarpus angolensis has been heavily exploited in the past, due to its being highly favoured for furniture making. Sustainability of the species is questionable. The species is perceived not to be regenerating successfully under the current management prescription, although Mushove (1996) disputes this perception. The main products from these commercial species for internal and external markets are sawn timber for furniture, sleepers and flooring parquets and veneer. There are currently seven timber concessions operating in five different forest reserves and 13 formal indigenous hardwood firms in western Zimbabwe. The main tree species whose products go on to the export market are Baikiaea plurijuga and Pterocarpus angolensis.
After the establishment of the FC in 1954 wildlife production within the protected forests became one of the major activities. The production and utilisation of wildlife for ecotourism activities (consumptive and non-consumptive tourism) has gained increasing importance in protected forests during the last five decades. The forests are rich in populations of the big five, i.e. elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino and the larger and smaller antelopes. Game is also hunted by local people for meat although the practice is often illegal. Where forests, with large populations of wildlife species, border on communal areas there are formal arrangements with local communities to engage in the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in which the locals benefit from utilisation of wildlife. In 2004 the FC took a policy decision that allows indigenous black entrepreneurs to participate in the eco-tourism activities in the protected forests. Currently there are 10 hunting safari camps in nine protected forests and six non-consumptive enterprises in three forests operated by black indigenous people.
KS teak forests also provide a wide range of non-wood products and services to adjacent rural forest communities. These goods and services contribute substantially to the economic and social welfare of rural and peri-urban households. In studies in three protected forests firewood, thatch grass, construction poles and wild fruits were the most important products collected from the forests (Vermeulen, 1993; Forestry Commission, 1994; Mufandaedza, 2004; Mudekwe, 2006). Other products include plant medicines, edible caterpillars, broom grass, honey, mushrooms and wood for curios. The sale of firewood, wild fruits, thatch grass and curios is an important economic activity for harvesters living adjacent to the forests. In the past decade the FC has recognised the critical and potential value of the KS teak forest resources to the livelihood strategies of rural communities as well as the country’s economy. The FC currently encourages the active involvement of local people in the management of the forests as a means of ensuring sustainable forest resource use. Observations are that the success of this involvement by the local people in the management of the resources is dependent on the existence of tangible benefits.
Forests provide grazing resources for domestic stock, predominantly cattle. Three ways of managing domestic stock are available in protected forests. There are commercial rancher-leased cattle grazing schemes in selected forests and currently there are eight grazing leases in six protected forests. Most forests are surrounded by communal and resettlement areas and therefore domestic stockowners in these surrounding areas graze their cattle in the forests. In most cases the practice of grazing cattle in protected areas is considered illegal by forest managers unless prior arrangements are made. During drought years protected forests are used for drought relief grazing under some arrangements between cattle owners in the region and the FC. Livestock grazing is a valuable tool that is used to reduce fuel loads in protected forests. However, if long-term management objectives are to be attained, the practice requires knowledge of the structure and understanding of the ecology of the plant community.
