The Patronage of Bamboo and Rattan Furniture Products – A Relief of Pressure on Wood use in Ghana

Abstract

The natural high forest of Ghana has depleted greatly due partly to timber logging for primarily furniture and building construction. Almost all the traditional tree species that are solely harvested for furniture production have grown extinct even in the forest reserves. The lesser used species that are in use as replacement are also gradually becoming scarce, its main source of supply to the timber markets being the ‘bush cut.’ Should there be an implementation of the outright ban on the illegal chain saw operation which unarguably, is behind the dominance of the ‘bush cut’ sources, on the timber markets, acquisition of wood would be very difficult to come by. It is anticipated that if the taste for bamboo and cane products is enhanced  and the manufacturing processes made very efficient, the demand for timber (exploitation and depletion) will decline and therefore the supply of timber would also see a corresponding decrease, a very good “omen” for the country to manage the forests at the socially “optimal” level of timber exploitation and trade. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the level of interest of residents of Accra and its environs in furniture products manufactured from local materials other than wood. Using the convenience sampling method 200 people were interviewed using questionnaires. The study revealed that even though the respondents were aware of the negative impacts of wooden furniture production on the environment, more especially on the natural high forest, it is not time yet to develop taste for furniture produced with the other alternative naturally occurring materials such as bamboo and cane.

Keywords : traditional tree species, dominance, manufacturing, environment, Rattan, Bamboo,