Timber iQ December 2019 - January 2020 // Issue: 47 | Page 35

FEATURES
Another challenge associated with timber construction in
Africa is that it contributes to deforestation. Adding to
Boshoff’s views, Onyegiri and Ugochukwu explain that there
is a prevailing problem of deforestation in Africa caused by
harvesting timber which is used for construction. They further
add that in instances where trees are replanted, the
replacement rate outweighs that of consumption. The
knock-on effect of deforestation is that there is a supply
shortage of timber used for construction.
In their book, Bah, Faye and Geh also mention technology as
a contributing factor towards the challenges of timber
construction on the continent. They explain that
manufacturing units are required for transforming raw timber
materials into finished panels suitable for construction. As a
developing continent, not all the countries on the continent
have access to the latest technological innovations used by
countries in Europe and America – who are also far more
advanced in terms of timber construction.
Lodges being built on an African island.
continent is slowly getting there. “The market for timber
construction as in cladding, decking, flooring and poles for
thatching is ever increasing,” Boshoff concludes.
REFERENCES:
1. E
l-hadj M. Bah, Issa Faye and Zekebweliwai F. Geh, Housing
Market Dynamics in Africa.
2. P
rofessor Ikechukwu Onyegiri & Iwuagwu Ben Ugochukwu,
Traditional Building Materials as a Sustainable Resource and
Material for Low Cost Housing in Nigeria: Advantages,
Challenges and the Way Forward.
3. Yomi Michael D. Adedeji and Professor Olu Ola Ogunsote,
Modern Techniques of Using Timber in Building Structures and
Components in Nigeria.
Despite all the challenges, there is still huge potential for
timber construction in Africa. It will take time, but the
world makes more use of timber because they have more,”
says Boshoff. He explains that some plantations in Africa are
not sustainable because there is no replanting of trees after
they have been cut down and harvested for construction. “For
a tree farmer, as soon as he cuts down a block, he has to
replant. With indigenous species, very little gets replanted,”
he says. He does mention that only a few countries such as
Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi still
replant trees after they have been harvested.
Timber being transported by boat for a project in Africa.
www.timberiq.co.za
// DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020
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