Afforestation of Marginal Lands for Commercial Timber Production and to Meet the Needs of the Rural Community in Swaziland

Abstract

SUMMARY The forestry industry predominantly depends on privately-owned forests which are foreign-owned, capital intensive and export oriented. The man-made forests cover 102 000 ha, about 6% of the total area of Swaziland. The two largest plantations, Usutu and Peak Timbers, account for 71% of the total plantation area in the Kingdom. Pines and eucalypts are the two main genera planted for pulp, mining timber, sawtimber and droppers. There are nine companies engaged in the processing of wood into various products. The land classified as marginal in Swaziland on account of low rainfall (less than 600 mm) occurs in low-veld, with characteristic tree species like Acacia nigrescens (umkhaya), Acacia tortilis (sitfwetfwe) and a fruit tree Sclerocarya caffra (umganu). In this region, plantation agriculture of citrus trees and sugar cane is only possible under irrigation. In terms of low inherent soil fertility in the highveld, plantation forests are grown on acidic granite and gneiss and also on land whose aver...