Zambia forest resource assessment 2004

Executive Summary

1. Based on 40 satellite images over Zambian land area, on total of 1908 new sample plots spread over all Zambian provinces, and on latest gazetted forest produce fees and prices, a new estimate for Zambian forest resource was produced.

2. The forest lands proper were stratified in the satellite images into High Density Forest, Medium Density Forest and Low Density Forest. They cover altogether 30.1 mill. ha, 40 per cent of the Zambian land area. Trees growing outside forests, mainly as agroforests, cover additional 3.4 mill. ha. The total forested and wooded area is 33.5 mill. ha (45 %).

3. The tree stocking varied from 325 trees / ha (Eastern Province) to 885 trees / ha (Northern Province). The most commonly encountered species was Brachystegia boehmii (for instance 98 trees / ha in Northwestern Province). The occurrence of high-valued species like Pterocarpus angolensis, Baikiae plurijuga and Guibourtia coleosperma was low, especially in the large diameter classes 30-40 cm and over 40 cm. Pterocarpus angolensis was found in all provinces except Lusaka, but its occurrence in the large diameter classes was only 1-2 trees / ha. This limits practical forest management possibilities in the near future.

4. The mean woody biomass volume in the forest sample plots varied from 36.1 m3/ha (Low Density Forest in Eastern Province) to 157.3 m3/ha (High Density Forest in Copperbelt Province). Sampling intensity was low (on average 0.0004 per cent). Variation in the sample plot data was on average high. The standard error of the mean volume varied from 3.6 per cent to 46.3 per cent.

5. Based on provincial forest areas and provincial mean wood volumes, the total wood volume in Zambian forests proper was calculated at 2683 mill. m3. The low wood volume (95 % statistical probability) is 1738 mill. m3 and the corresponding high wood volume 3634 mill. m3. The wood volume in agroforest lands was estimated at additional 17 mill. m3. The total woody biomass resource in Zambian forests and wooded lands was estimated at 2700 mill. m3.

6. The wood volume in the forest lands proper (2683 mill. m3) divides into boles (749 mill. m3), poles (399 mill. m3) and other assortments, mainly fuelwood (1535 mill. m3). Using gazetted 2003 forest produce fees and prices for various wood assortments, the total value of all trees in the Zambian forest resource was estimated at 102 trillion Zambian kwachas. The corresponding average value of forest hectare is 3.40 million kwachas per hectare, or 563 euro or 715 USD per hectare.

7. The total wood volume of the gazetted high-valued trees is 1105 million m3, out of which the share of boles is 294 million m3. Assuming that a) sustained annual takeover of boles can be one per cent, b) low volume (based on 95 % low mean) is used, c) national parks and other protected areas are left out, and d) all the licence fees for high-valued bole wood are annually collected, the estimate for the potential annual wood resource revenue is about 100 billion kwachas per year, or about 20 million USD per year.

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