In Brief

The forest offers enormous potential for the regional ecosystem and stands as a real economic asset for Gabon.

It covers 200,000 km², in other words 85% of the country, representing the second largest forest potential in Africa.

It is home to more than 400 species of tree. Its ecological value is priceless and its market potential remains to be developed. Today, it is estimated at 400 million m³ (including 130 million m³ of okoumé).

Forest cover: 22 million hectares
Logging potential: 12.5 million hectares

Production of boules, dressed timber and by-products: 3 350 670 m³ in 2007
Exports: 3,4 millions de m³ in 2007

2% of the world market for tropical timber.

This forestry production is almost entirely exported in the form of rough timber. The law stipulates that by 2012, 75% of these logs should be transformed in Gabon: the analyses show that only 25 to 35% are transformed, just two years ahead of the deadline. This is why the government has decided to ban the export of logs from 1st January 2010. This measure is aimed at encouraging the local transformation of wood, which would make it possible to create high value added on the products originating from this sector, large numbers of qualified jobs and would showcase the skills of Gabonese forestry operators and industrialists in the valorisation of raw materials by an innovative, leading edge industry. This opens up new opportunities for the sector and for the country, giving it a head start on the countries in the Congo Basin by becoming the major wood transformation site in the subregion and therefore a potentially larger market. This decision is part of the ideal of the “Green Gabon” and "Industrial Gabon" promised by President Ali Bongo Ondimba.


Resources

Three quarters of the forest is exploitable.

The main species used is okoumé, which is renowned all over the world in the manufacture of plywood. It represents more than a quarter of the resources (approximately 110 million m³).
In 2007, 1,007,949 m³ of okoumé were exported. This represents 52% of total timber exports

80 other species are also used.
Since 1st January 2006, SNBG (Société Nationale des Bois du Gabon) has no longer had a monopoly over the export of okoumé.

Annual domestic production (formal sector) of timber from 2005 to 2007 Domestic timber production (m3) 2005 2006 2007 Okoumé/ozigo 1 772 737 2 061 412 2 144 434 Diverse types of wood 997 165 1 159 544 1 206 244 Total production 2 769 902 3 220 957 3 350 678 Fraction entering mills 1 183 875 1 104 989 1 131 566 Source : MEFEPPN-FORAF, 2008

The principal species of wood: total volume entering mills in 2007 (in m3) Okoumé 931 473 Azobe 37 700 Okan 20 522 Mouvingui 18 713 Ozigo 14 903 Izombe 9 253 Bahia 9 174 Moabi 9 144 Iroko 8 564 Agba 5 440 Other species 66 679 Total entering mills 1 131 566 Source : MEFEPPN-FORAF, 2008

Geographical Breakdown

Three exploited areas:

1. Along the coast - area reserved for Gabonese operators.
   
   
2. Nyanga, Ngounié basin, Moyen-Ogooué and Haut-Ogooué, Ogooué-Lolo, and part of Ogooué-Ivindo and Woleu-Ntem. This area is currently home to the main forestry concerns. It benefits from its link to the railway line.
   
   
3. The east-north-east quarter of the country is exploited to a lesser extent. It includes a protected reserve (Minkébé) and large forest-free savannahs (Batéké plateaus).