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Underwater log harvesting in the Volta Lake of Ghana
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In times when the timber industry is
plagued with unsteady prices and the challenges of dwindling forest resources
is exacerbated by the woes of climate change, the value of a suitable
alternative has come to light: logs inundated through reservoirs creation for
decades and long presumed to have been lost.
Underwater logging is the process of
harvesting tree crop submerged due to activities such as artificial impoundment
of water. When artificial reservoirs and dams are built, large forests are
often inundated. Although the trees die the wood is often preserved. The trees
can then be felled using special underwater machinery and floated up to the
surface. This activity can be quite profitable, since the prime
"targets" are decades-old trees of a size and species difficult or
impossible to find in their natural habitat. Underwater logging has been
introduced in selected locations around the world, including Ghana’s Volta Lake, the largest reservoir by surface area
in the world.
While no exact count of
these resources seems to exists globally, one estimate puts it at about 200
million trees, a global supply worth about $40 billion. According to a 2004
figures, some 35,000 square kilometers (13,500 square miles) of forest
worldwide have already been submerged by dams. These inundated resources have
been preserved by water and protected from rot and insect infestation. The
resulting high-quality timber is highly sought after the world over. It is estimated that timber resources worth 2.8 billion dollars are
locked up under the Volta Lake.
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| The Volta Basin |
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| Canoe transport on the Volta |
Since the creation of
the Volta Lake in 1964, the 8,515 hectare
reservoir has
remained a major water transport system. Linking the country’s relatively more
developed south to it’s largely subsistence agrarian north. Submerged tree
stumps have over the years posed a serious threat to transportation on the lake
as several fatal boat disasters have been recorded.
Ghana has lost more than 33.7%
of forest cover since 1990 and has a rate of deforestation of 1.68% per annum
according to the Forest Resources Assessment conducted by the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2010). The forestry sector
contributes 6% to national GDP, and wood exports are the fourth highest foreign
exchange source for the country. The Forestry Commission of Ghana (2010) claims
that drivers of deforestation can be mainly attributed to agricultural
expansion (which contributes to 50%), harvesting of wood (35%), population and
development pressure (10%) and mining (5%).
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| Illegal lumbering : picture by TBI-Ghana |
Falling volumes in
timber in Ghana, coupled with rise in illegal lumbering, has compelled the former
net timber exporter to import to augment demand of the industry. The tropical forests of Ghana contain a wide range of timber species
suitable for the construction industry, decking, flooring, panels and builder's
woodwork. The country brings to the market place legal timber species that have
such attributes of intriguing grain structures, broad color palette and natural
durability fit for all architectural designs.
Inventory conducted using high resolution sonar -- a
technology used to locate objects underwater -- has identified some 100 species
of trees, including sought-after hardwoods buried in the lake bed. Logging of rot-resistant hardwoods such as Ebony, Odum, Sapele, Mahogany,
and Wawa among others will reduce pressure on Ghana’s forest. Deforestation of
tropical forests accounts for about 17% of global carbon dioxide emission. A
failure to address this source of emission will significantly compromise global
efforts to tackle climate change. Ghana’s forests contain 381 million metric
tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
This
harvesting of submerged timber is the first of its kind in Africa. The venture
which is being executed by Vancouver-based
experts, Clark Sustainable Resource Developments (CSRD) is
expected to help fight global climate change by sparing the living trees that
are needed to absorb carbon. In addition to adding to global efforts in mitigation
climate change by retaining forest cover that serves as carbon sink, the
initiative will enhance river transport; reduce accidents, and frequent loss of
life on the lake while creating employment opportunities for the youth. The
venture should rake in some 100 million dollars yearly in foreign exchange and
create 1,400 new jobs in the country.
ENOCH
OFOSU
WATER
RESOURCES SPECIALIT
