Bridging the Gap: linking timber trade with infrastructural ...

SPECIES COMPOSITION OF ROUND WOOD IN TRADE
The species composition of round wood in trade was determined from comparison of records from timber
harvest licences, Kibiti natural resource checkpoint, sawmills and forest stump surveys. Tree species
belong to one of five different classes (I-V) according to their value. Log fees in 2002 ranged from TZS
70 000/m 3 (USD 68.29/m 3 ) for class I species, to TZS 10 000/m 3 (USD 9.76/m 3 ) for Class V species
(refer to Annex 2).
Timber harvest records
Harvesting licences were issued for a total of 27 hardwood timber species in the study area during 2000
and 2001 (Table 15). During 2001, the two most popular species by harvest volume were Class V
species, Hymenaea verrucosa (41%) and Trichilia emetica (21%), with licences issued almost exclusively
for harvest within Rufiji District. Other popular species during 2001 included Class II Pterocarpus
angolensis (11%), Swartzia madagascarensis (7%) and Afzelia quanzensis (7%). In fact, Class V and II
species constituted the majority by volume during 2001, at 66% and 28% respectively. According to
official harvest licence records, the single Class I species, Dalbergia melanoxylon¸ constituted a relatively
low volume at just 107 m 3 . As shown in Figure 10, four species comprised 80% of the harvest licences
by volume during 2001.
Figure 10
Relative volume of harvests licensed for timber species, 2001
Milicia ex elsa
Ery throphleum africanum
1%
3%
Afromosia angolensis
3%
Millettia stuhlmanii
3%
Afzelia quanzensis
7%
Dalbergia melanox y lon
1%
Maeopsis eminii
1%
Other
1%
Sw artzia
madagascarensis
7%
Hy menaea v errucosa
41%
Pterocarpus angolensis
11%
Source: District licence statistics, 2001.
Trichilia emetica
21%
40