Commercial Forestry in Mufindi Highlands

Mufindi Highlands original vegetation was most likely grassland and miombo forests.  At present most land has been converted to agriculture (92%) and forest plantations of exotic species including Pinus patula, P. elliotii and Eucalyptus saligna, E. camadulensis, and E. grandis covering (8%).  The major operator in the area is Sao Hill Industries Ltd a subsidiary of Green Resources AS a Norwegian company that started with Norwegian development aid in the 1970s.  There are 86,000 ha of exotic tree plantations in Iringa Region owned by forest industry, the government of Tanzania and small private landowners.  Industrial and government plantations are large and relatively well managed. There are abundant nonindustrial forest plantations of small size mixed with agricultural crops.

Sao Hill Industries Ltd. owns several thousand ha of forest plantation along the TANZAM highway A104 (Tanzania to Zambia). It owns and operates the mill at the center of the photo (the white area among the forest plantations).  It is the largest saw mill in East Africa and produces utility poles, sawn timber, chemically treated timber, briquettes made from pine sawdust, fencing posts, treated fencing posts, standard doors, glue laminated sheets, carbon credits, and wood pallets. Our village is four miles to the south of this image.

The landscape is a mix of agricultural crops and small forest plantations.

A rather large private nursery far from a road. There are many small nurseries. They grow mostly pine, as eucalyptus can be managed by coppicing, stump sprouts.

Eucalyptus grows very rapidly to become tall straight and free of lower branches.

Much timber on small plots is felled and cut immediately into lumber in the forest. The gasoline powered table saw in middle of the photo makes a very characteristic sound that can be heard for long distances. It seems one can hear a sawing operation nearby nearly everyday.

The lumber is not the same standard sizes with which Americans are familiar. The lumber is cut to large dimensions, likely because they do not have equipment with small tolerances. The cut lumber is transported to a central location in town.

I watched a man cut these eight feet long boards by eye with a chainsaw and no guides. Very skilled.

Lumber cut in the forest is brought here to dry in the open and combine with other loads to ship to far away sites.

The lumber is shipped by truck to faraway locations in Tanzania and even exported.

Houses with very high metal roofs have become the style and require large amounts of lumber. This is a one story house, so most of the space under the high roof is not used for any purpose.

Mufindi Paper Mills Limited is a 60,000 tons per year integrated pulp and paper mill manufacturing virgin natural sack Kraft from plantation pine.

This shop where the furniture in the above photo was made is across the street from the show room. I see a planner and a table saw. Every carpenter shop I see looks just like this with mountains of wood chips.

To build a wall around your yard you have a choice of brick or wood slabs from the forest lumber cutting operations. Piles of slabs from pine and eucalyptus are ubiquitous and they are very cheap.

New house with a pile of slabs for the fence. His and hers drop-hole pit toilet.

Fences can be built with horizontal slabs or vertical slabs. And vertical slabs do not need to be cut to length.

Many houses have enormous piles of wood just outside the door for cooking.

Not sure these slabs are for cooking, as pine is not a good fuel wood.

Eucalyptus is an excellence fuel wood due to its high density and energy content.

The kitchen for cooking is often in a separate building outback. The smoke from cooking indoors creates a very unhealthy work environment.

Cooking outdoors is also an option. When preparing food for a party there are never too many cooks.