FORESTRY IN ZAMBIA

 Define “Forest” and “Forestry”.

 Classify forests of indigenous and exotic species.
 Discuss the importance of forests and woodlands to Zambia.
 Describe factors limiting commercial exploitation of indigenous trees.
 Describe the problems affecting forests.
 Explain the effects of invasive plant species on the forests.
 Discuss issues associated with diminishing forests.
 Describe the various uses indigenous and exotic trees.
 Outline the aims and function of the forestry department.
 Identify the market and agencies for timber and forest products in Zambia.

What is a Forest and Forestry?

Forest: is a land covered with trees, shrubs and grass. A forest may contain trees of the same kind e.g.
a large area planted with exotic tree species.
Forestry: Involves taking care of forests, planting new forests in areas they have never existed, and
utilizing forests for their products. Forestry also involves managing and conserving existing forests
through careful harvesting of trees and planting where they have been cut.
About 70% of Zambia’s land area is covered with forest cover. The natural vegetation of Zambia is
Savanna, which is generally characterized by scattered trees, tall grass and deciduous trees.
Rural provinces such as Luapula, Northern, North-Western and Western have extensive forests and
woodlands.
Vegetation in Zambia follow changes in the altitude. The following are the altitudes on which
different vegetation types are found;
a) Highland areas: e.g. plateaus (cooler and wetter) have woodland savanna.
b) The lower-middle veld areas have Acacia woodland of scattered trees and grass.
c) The low altitude, hot and Dry River valleys are covered with Mopane vegetation.
d) The deciduous and dry-evergreen forests of some parts of Western and North-Western
provinces which are endowed with timber yielding trees such as Mukusi, Mukwa,
Mubanga, and Mulombwa.
e) The lowland grass plains and swamps.
There are six (6) distinct vegetation types in Zambia, and these include;

 Savanna woodlands
 Mopane
 Acacia Savanna
 Grassland
 Swamp
 Deciduous and Dry-Evergreen forests.
a) Savanna woodlands
 This vegetation covers greater part of Zambia. It mainly covers highland areas (e.g. plateaus)
which lie between 1,200 to 1,500 metres above sea level.

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  These areas have annual temperatures of 15˚C to 20˚C and annual rainfall between 1,000 to
1,500 mm (receive a lot of rainfall).
 Main trees are Miombo, Muchenga and the Musuku.
 There is short grass where there are a lot of trees.
 Soils in the highland areas are generally poor, shallow and slightly acidic.
b) Acacia Savanna woodland
 It is found in limited extent (areas) and it is found between Lusaka and Kabwe. This
vegetation type is also in Luapula and Western Provinces.
 Constitute tall grass with scattered trees.
 Common tree species are the hook thorn, umbrella thorn and Combretum varieties.
 It is associated with fertile soils.
 Useful timbre trees are mukwa, mukusi and mubanga (extensively used in the carving and
curio industries).
c) The Deciduous and dry-evergreen forest
 Deciduous forests are forests with trees that shed their leaves in cool dry season to prevent
excessive loss of water through transpiration and lying dormant during the long drought.
 Vegetation is evergreen because the trees (deciduous and evergreen) have access to large
quantities of underground water as in Western Province and higher rainfall as in North-
Western province.
 Forests in Western province are dry-evergreen while those in North-Western are deciduous
forests.
 The dry-evergreen and deciduous forests are both rich in timber yielding trees such as
mukusi, mukwa, mubanga and mulombwa.
d) Mopane Savanna
 Mopane means a butterfly (describes the shape of the leaves, which in an effort to reduce
transpiration, turns the edge of its leaves upwards towards the sun when it’s hot).
 Mopane is a deciduous and fire resistant tree.
 This vegetation is found in the hot and dry low-lying areas of the Luangwa and Gwembe
valleys.
 Other tree species are baobab, pod mahogany and the sausage tree.
e) Lowland Grass Plains
 This vegetation zone is found along river valleys and plains such as upper Zambezi, Kafue
and Chambeshi flats.
 Lake Bangweulu has also extensive lowland grass plains. This type of vegetation is attributed
to poor drainage (poor draining of excess water).
f) The Swamps
 Covers areas around Lake Bangweulu, Mweru-Wantipa and along rivers at Lukanga, Kafue
flats and the Barotse plain.
 Papyus grass is the main variety found in these swamps.
Classify forests of indigenous and exotic species.
1) Indigenous trees
These are trees that grow naturally in a given area which is covered with natural forests e.g. Acacia
trees. These trees take long to grow (local tree species are all hardwoods) and produce hard wood
timber.
2) Exotic trees

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Types of trees that are not found in their natural environment. They are imported mainly from Canada
and planted in Zambia. Exotic tree species include: eucalyptus, gmelina and tropical pine. Exotic tree
plantations are mainly located on the Copperbelt at Chati, Chichele, Mufulira, Choma, Samfya,
Kabwe and Chisamba, Lusaka and Chipata.
Discuss the importance of forests and woodlands to Zambia.
 Construction materials for homes and public buildings like schools and hospitals.
 Wood timber for railway sleepers, furniture, telegraph and electricity poles.
 Grass and fibres for making ropes, mats and baskets, building houses and shelters.
 Firewood for cooking and heating.
 Protection of the catchment areas from soil erosion.
 Protection of the soil from drying up.
 Reliable water supply by acting like a sponge which holds water and releases it gradually
throughout the year.
 Food for both human beings and wildlife.
 Shelter to wildlife.
 Source of medicines.
 Good scenery especially in highland areas.
 Raw materials for industries such as saw mills, pulp and paper, boat building and floor tiles.
 Water vapour which contributes to the formation of rain.
 Purified air by absorbing carbon dioxide during the day and releasing oxygen. Forests
therefore act as ‘lungs of nature’.
Describe factors limiting commercial exploitation of indigenous trees.
Factors limiting commercial exploitation of indigenous trees include;
(i) Difficulties in accessing forests
Natural forests are usually thick and have different tree species of which some are not valuable. This
makes it very difficult to access trees that are of commercial value.
(ii) Low demand
Wooden products made from highly valuable trees are expensive. Since Zambia’s population consists
of people whose incomes are low, the local demand for forests products are low.
(iii) Inadequate capital
Construction of roads into forests, clearing forest in order to reach valuable trees, buying of tree
cutting machines, pay lumberjacks and transportation of heavy logs from the forests require large
amounts of money. Lack of funds limit exploitation of trees.
(iv) Insufficient Pure stands.
Pure tree stand is an area covered with only type of tree. Indigenous trees appear in a mixed stand.
This makes exploitation expensive because one has to move from one part of the forests to another
searching for a particular tree of commercial value.
(v) Weak laws in forest management
Despite the presence of forestry offices in each district and province, the laws are not strictly observed
and as result people cut trees in the forest illegally without getting arrested. This lead to
overexploitation of the valuable trees.

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Describe the problems affecting forests.
Poorly conserved and managed forests become overexploited by unauthorized people. Natural factors
also affect forests. These problems may lead to extinction of forests and valuable tree species as well
as destruction of animal habitats. The following are some problems affecting forests;
(i) Drought
Prolonged droughts slow down the growth of trees and other plants found in the forest areas dry up.
(ii) Wild Fires
Young and old trees are adversely affected by bush fires; most dangerous forest fires are started in the
months of September and October when the vegetation is dry.
(iii) Human activities
The increasing population has led to clearing of forests to create room for agriculture and settlement
as well as overexploitation of trees for firewood, charcoal, timber production etc. Ultimately,
deforestation, soil erosion and depletion of wild life are the end results.
(iv) Pests and diseases
Trees in the forest may dry when attacked by pests like aphids which suck the sap of trees. Some
diseases such as root-rot deform trees causing retarded growth.
(v) Poor management
Poor harvesting methods lead to cutting down of other tree species that are not required for use. Such
methods wastes trees. On the other hand, cutting trees without replacement leads to deforestation.
(vi) Thunderstorms
Some trees get damaged or fell down when they are stricken by thunderstorms. Such trees go to waste
as they are often not utilised.

INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES

These are plant species which displaces the indigenous tree species. They spread rapidly over an
area and endanger animals by producing toxins as well as deplete oxygen needed by aquatic life.
Invasive plant species
Invasive plant species include the following;
 Lantana Camara
 Kafue Weed
 Kafubu Weed

Effects of invasive plant species (Lantana Camara and Kafue Weed)

a) Lantana Camara
A flowering plant of shrub family that grows up to two metres high. It grows rapidly mostly in
abandoned fields to form thick bushes that are impenetrable. Its effects include;
(i) Displacing of indigenous plant species: rapid spread of the shrub reduces germination of
other plants.

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(ii) Endangers animals: Grass cannot grow well as the plant spreads over the environment.
This causes shortage of pasture needed by livestock and wild animals by which may force
them to migrate to other areas.
(iii) Produce toxins which endanger, fish, animals and other living organism: The
leaves and seeds of Lantana Camara are toxic and when animals feed on them, they get
sick and some may die. The plant also create conducive environment for the breeding of
Tsetse flies which attack both the livestock and wildlife, thus transmitting diseases such
as Nagana among others.
b) Kafue Weed