Timber iQ October - November 2017 // Issue: 34 | Page 9

EVENTS
Unspoilt tropical forests frame the wide Congo River as it flows past Mbandaka in the DRC’s Equateur Province.
river. It links Equateur to the outside world with riverboats
that ply the river ferrying goods to and from Kinshasa.
Logs that are felled during the dry season in the forest,
also rely on the river’s increased water levels during the
rainy season to float out of the forests and down to
Kinshasa where they are processed into sawn timber or
exported in raw log form.
However, outdated sawmilling equipment, together with
distant timber markets that can only be reached by water,
has produced a pedestrian local timber economy that does
not reflect the true timber wealth that Equateur holds.
The few logs that are channelled to Mbandaka’s
shipyards for boat-building applications, are painstakingly
sawn into boards using chainsaws. Sawmillers say that it
can take up to four months to cut 10m³ of sawn timber
from the hardwood logs that are harvested nearby.
The poor-quality board that is measured by eye for size
also results in huge wastage. A 25 to 30% recovery rate is
an accepted norm and sawmillers make up for it by cutting
down more trees.
Add a slow river journey to distant markets with logs
often hijacked midway together with the unpredictability
of the weather that prevents logs from being moved from
the forest to understand why Mbandaka’s timber economy
has languished in the doldrums for so long.
Wood-Mizer’s introduction to Mbandaka holds the
promise of better fortunes for the town, its people and
the region.
ConneX Forestry, Wood-Mizer’s authorised dealer in
Kinshasa, arranged the two-day event at the local port in
Mbandaka from where riverboats arrive and depart that ply
the river.
The aim of the event was to introduce Wood-Mizer to
sawmillers in Equateur, with ConneX Forestry also securing
premises that will house Wood-Mizer’s operations
in Mbandaka.
A readily available after sale service centre, spare parts
and technical back-up close to the sawmillers, is a proven
route to sawmilling success.
Wood-Mizer’s premises in Mbandaka provides the
backup that sawmillers need to start a sawmilling
business and keep it running for the full duration of the
mill’s lifespan.
The availability of modern, dependable and regularly
serviced sawmilling equipment that sawmillers can use to
cut high quality, accurately sawn timber in a fast and
productive way with a +70% recovery rate, is also the
key to unlocking the timber wealth that lies on
Mbandaka’s doorstep.
The Wood-Mizer LT15Wide Diesel demo mill that ran
sporadically during the event two-day event, produced
4m³ of accurately sawn, high value timber. Measured
against the four-month period required to cut 10m³ of
sawn timber with a chainsaw, this represents a huge leap
forward in productivity that the sawmillers in Equateur
now have access to.
The ability to send high quality sawn timber to market
instead of raw logs, ensure higher returns for sawmillers
and Mbandaka in the long term. How this fresh inflow of
cash will impact on the lives of everyone involved in the
timber supply chain is an open question?
The mobility of the portable mill also boosts
productivity and the income potential of sawmillers.
Instead of relying on an unpredictable four-month rainy
season to float the log out to a sawmilling site, sawn timber
can now be produced throughout the year and transported
directly to local, national or even international markets.
It will also be easier, quicker and less risky to transport
harvested timber to market.
Round logs that are felled and floated from the forest if
rainfall permits, and which then arrive at market after
avoiding thieves and spending three weeks in the river and
// OC TOBER / NOVEMBER 2017
7