Impact of Small-Scale Logging in Semi Deciduous Forest of Togo (West Africa)

Impact of Small-Scale Logging in Semi Deciduous Forest of Togo (West Africa)

In Togo, small-sale or artisanal logging is undergoing much processing with the use of mobile saws. This study is conducted to provide an overview of the supply chain of timber in Litimé (Southwest Togo) and to show the performance of the local enterprise of timber exploitation. In this regard, felling and cut up of forty logs of seventeen species belonging to nine Angiosperm families were followed up in the forest. The influence of the diameters and the heights of the logs are the parameters observed on diverse forms of the products. Results reveal that many species which were not processed before are actively undergoing today. A relationship was established between the low yield, the diameters and the heights of the logs. Results also show that the rate of wastes is important. Consequently, there is a rapid depletion of forest cover and biodiversity, with a considerable negative impact on the Litimé environment.