ABSTRACT The capacity to promote sustainable use of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and facilitate increased financial benefits to local users as incentives for forest conservation is low due to neglect by governments particularly in Nigeria. Such capacity is however imperative to stemming rural poverty and can be enhanced by incorporating NTFP collection and commercialization research into forest management development programs. But sustainable production and conservation of forest produ...
ABSTRACT The study was undertaken to investigate the influences of flake thickness on physical and mechanical properties of wood cement panel produce from mixed hardwoods species. The properties investigated are modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), water absorption (WA), thickness swelling (TS) and linear expansion (LE) of the experimental cement-bonded particleboards. Both the moduli MOR and MOE of specimens were calculated as specified in 'the ASTM Standard No D-1037 of 1...
Abstract Forests are assets that can promote community development and improve household livelihood if sustainably managed. The foremost constraint to sustainable forest management however, is land and in Nigeria, the southeastern (SE) region which is the dominant geographical location of Igboland has the lowest forest cover and available land area for development. This paper therefore reports the prospect of land grant for forestry development activities in the region. Multi-stage sampling ...
ABSTRACT The influences of water pre-treatment temperature and cement/wood mixing ratios on static and moisture response properties of cement-bonded particleboards produced from mixed Nigerian hardwood species were assessed in this study. The process variables for board fabrication were pre-treatment temperature (5 levels) and wood/ cement mixing ratios (5 levels) resulting in 25 treatment combinations in a factorial experiment. The examined properties are modulus of rupture (MaR), modulus of...
ABSTRACT Logging induced damages associated with two different ,harvesting systerns (Conventional Timber Harvesting and Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL» were investigated in 19.84 compartment of Gmelina arborea plantation in Omo Forest Reserve. The same equipment and felling crew were used for both methods. Felling was done using heavy chainsaw (Stihl 070) and skidding was carried out with crawler tractor. The types and severity of damage to the residual stand were determined for felling and sk...
Abstract Vegetables are grown for human consumption all over the world. Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (ILV), both wild and domesticated species make important contributions to household improvement in Nigeria. However, information on availability of these species in the market and the consumption level at household is limited. Therefore, ILV species in southeastern Nigeria were investigated in order to determine their availability and consumption level. Multi-stage random sampling procedure w...
ABSTRACT Implementing sustainable development and meeting the food needs of world's increasing population demand national and international investment in research and extension. Before fruitful investment can be guaranteed, inventoly of the present status of the object of investment is imperative. This study examined the present status of public extension network in southwestern Nigeria with a view to ascertain its readiness as a learning organization for forest conservation information. Purp...
ABSTRACT Clash of interests between custodians of government Forest Reserves (FRs) in Ogun State and farmers operating within them, often results in conflicts causing disruption of socio-economic activities and sometimes loss of lives. Information on the causes and effects of these clashes would better inform policy makers and forestry professionals on workable and sustainable land-use practice. Therefore, factors responsible for such conflicts and their effects were investigated. Seven hund...
Abstract Uncontrolled harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) poses a serious risk of extermination to several of these species in Nigeria. Yet, there is a paucity of information on the distribution, population status and sustainable management of NTFPs in most of the tropical lowland rainforests. We, therefore, assessed the population, distribution and threats to sustainable management of NTFPs within the tropical lowland rainforests of Omo and Shasha Forest Reserves, south western...
ABSTRACT Triplochiton scleroxylon, Tectona grandis, Gmelina arborea, Nauclea diderichii and Teminalia ivorensis wood blocks were biodegraded in situ in the laboratory by Lenzites palisoti a white rot fungus. The test blocks were cut into 10xlOx20 mm and exposed into the infection region of pure culture of Lenzitespalisoti for 16 weeks. The test blocks were examined for weight loss at 4 weeks interval. The percentages of weight loss obtained after 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks of incubation of the t...
ABSTRACT Rural population is the highest in developing countries with pathetic living condition and lack of resources to cope with ecological perturbations apart from not having social opportunities to cushion the impacts of extreme events. This paper reports the impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of forest dependent rural populations in Ondo State, a forest rich southwestern part of Nigeria, with the view to identifying possible adaptation strategies. Stratified multistage simple r...
ABSTRACT Development of empirical models provides ample prospects of exploring established mathematical theories and relationships among tree growth variables for sustainable forest management options. However, there is inadequate information on modelling growth characteristics and productivity potentials of Pinus caribaea, a pulpwood species which is now being proposed for timber production in Nigeria. Hence, models for growth characteristics and their applications in yield studies for Pinu...
Abstract Forests play many diverse and multifaceted roles in our life. However, there is an emerging nexus between forest and national security in many countries, especially within the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Contrary to the noble objectives for which they were constituted, many forest reserves have become a source of security concern both at the local and national scale. In the light of this, we examined the relationship between forest and national security in Nigeria, with a view to ...
ABTRACT This study investigates the technical performance efficiency (TPE) of twenty seven sawmills purposely selected and grouped into three classes :small1001ft3 /day based on their production capacities. 243 logs obtained from 20 species of wood sourced from Southwestern Nigeria were examined in 27 selected sawmills using the variables such as wood species, log sizes, shapes and sawkerf, which have direct impact on waste generated from sawn logs and log conversion efficiency. Whereas 135 s...
ABSTRACT Despite their importance, the forest resource base in most African countries has continued to dwindle. This continuous decline in Africa forest cover and the inability to stem the tide of deforestation indicate among other things the failure of the classically structured resource management institutions established during colonial administration. Consequently, there has been a paradigm shift in forestry practices throughout the world from the classical management approach to managing...