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

Species composition of timber processed at Ikwiriri sawmills
During the period of research, three sawmills were operational in Ikwiriri. One sawmill, MI Ltd.,
specialised in Dalbergia melanoxylon whilst the other two companies, including PIC Ltd., were less
restrictive in their selection of timber species (Table 17).
Table 17
Main species processed by different sawmills in Ikwiriri, Rufiji District, 2001
Scientific name PIC Ltd. BEAE Ltd. MI Ltd.
Afzelia quanzensis Yes Yes
Amblyogonocarpus obtusangulus Yes Yes
Brachystegia spp. Yes Yes
Burkea africana
Yes
Dalbergia melanoxylon
Erythrophleum africanum
Yes
Hymenaea verrucosa Yes Yes
Julbernardia globiflora
Yes
Millettia stuhlmannii Yes Yes
Swartzia madagascariensis
Yes
Trichilia emetica Yes Yes
Yes
Sources: PIC Ltd records, 2001; Kaale et al. (2000).
Detailed records of timber processed were collected from one major sawmill in Ikwiriri, PIC Ltd., for the
year 2001. A total of around 20 species were processed by PIC Ltd. during that ỳear. Five species
constituted 96% of all processed timber by volume, with two species constituting nearly four-fifths of all
timber processed – Hymenaea verrucosa (1453 logs, 1538.5 m 3 ) and Julbernardia globiflora (311 logs,
401.3 m 3 ) (Figure 13).
Overall, three-quarters of timber processed by PIC Ltd. was Class V species, similar to records collected
from both harvest licences issued in the study area and Kibiti checkpoint records (Figure 11). On the
other hand, many more Class III species and far fewer Class II species were processed by PIC Ltd.
compared to harvest licence and Kibiti checkpoint records, largely due to the large volume of J.
globiflora processed. It is not clear whether the large quantities of J. globiflora were used locally (e.g.
bridge and jetty construction), or if they were transported undetected or misidentified, hence their
omission from Kibiti checkpoint records.
The majority of timber species processed by BEAE Ltd. were cut into sawn wood for local and export
markets, although two species, Millettia stuhlmannii and Swartzia madagascariensis, were cut into
parquet flooring tiles purely for export (Kaale et al., 2000). Table 17 shows similarity in species
processed by PIC Ltd. and BEAE Ltd.
44