Congo, Democratic Republic of the (DROC) - Forestry



Forests cover 60% of the total land area. There are vast timber resources, and commercial development of the country's 61 million ha (150 million acres) of exploitable wooded area is only beginning. For a long time, the Mayumbe area of Lower Zaire was the major center of timber exploitation, but this area is in the process of total depletion. In recent years, the far more extensive forest regions of the central cuvette and of the Ubangi River Valley have increasingly been tapped. Roundwood removals were estimated at 68,663,000 cu m in 2000, about 95% for fuel. Some 14 species are presently being harvested. Exports of forest products in 2000 totaled $11.1 million. Foreign capital is necessary in order for forestry to expand, and the government recognizes that changes in tax structure and export procedures will be needed to facilitate economic growth.

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