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Commodities > Timber Background
Information West African Wood Species Abogo Common Names: Abogo Doka Kosau Vuba Regions of Origin Africa Countries of Origin Guinea Benin Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Ghana Ivory Coast Mali Niger Nigeria Sudan Togo Uganda Zaire Burkina Faso Species: Isoberlinia doka Profile: This species is classified as generally secure within its growth range in most areas including Cameroon, but its current environmental status in Uganda is reported to be Rare. Its status is unknown because of inadequate information in several areas within its range including: Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Togo. Distribution: The distribution of the species is reported to extend from Guinea to Uganda, Sudan and norther Zaire, but it does not occur south of the Equator. It grows in the savannah forests within its range, and is reported to be locally very abundant. The species is reported to occur often in groups and is also reported to regenerate profusely in the west Nile region. Tree: The tree is reported to mature to a height of only about 60 feet (18 m), with a trunk diameter of 12 inches (30 cm). Stem is often short and hollow, and is reported to be usually forked at 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m) above the ground. Sapwood Color: The sapwood is silver in color, and is tinged with red. Heartwood Color The heartwood is red to light brown in color. Grain: The grain is usually interlocked, and uneven. Texture: The wood is coarse in texture. Odor: There is no characteristic odor or taste. Durability: The timber is susceptible to termite, marine borer, and pinhole borer attack. Resistance to Impregnation The heartwood is reported to be resistant to impregnation. The sapwood is moderately resistant. Afzelia Common Names: Afzelia Aligna Apa Azza Beyo Bolengo Doussie Kpendei Lingue M'banga Meli Mkola Mussacosa N'kokongo Papao Pauconta Uvala Regions of Origin Species: Afzelia africana Profile: This species is reported to be relatively safe, and its population is currently secure within its natural growth range, with little or no threat to its survival in the near future. Distribution: The species is reported be widespread, and occurs in West, Central and East Africa in dense evergreen forests from Senegal to Sudan and south to Uganda and Zaire. It is also common in the savannah and coastal forests of East Africa. Africa Countries of Origin: Benin Guinea Bissau Ivory Coast Congo Ghana Angola Mozambique Sierra Leone Senegal Nigeria Zaire Tanzania Tree: The tree is smaller than other Afzelias, and is sometimes of poorer stem form. It attains a height of up to 100 feet (30 m), but is usually 40 feet (12 m) in the drier regions within its range. Boles are reported to seldom be longer than 30 feet (15 m). Sapwood Colour: The sapwood is pale straw or pale yellow to whitish in color, and is sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Sapwood averages about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) in width. Heartwood Colour: The heartwood is light brown in color, turning reddish-brown upon exposure, and is sharply demarcated from the sapwood. Grain: The grain is straight to moderately interlocked, or irregular. Texture: The wood has a moderately coarse, even texture. Odor: Odor and taste are usually indistinct. Durability: The heartwood is very durable. it is moderately resistant to attack by termites, but is susceptible to attack by powder post beetles. Resistance to Impregnation The heartwood is extremely resistant to impregnation or preservative treatment. The sapwood is moderately treatable. Strength: The species has very high bending strength, and is much stronger than Teak in the air-dry condition (about 12 percent moisture content). It has exceptionally high maximum crushing strength (compression parallel to grain) in the air-dry condition. It is hard - harder than Hard maple or Teak. It is quite resistant to denting. It is a very heavy wood. The species has very high density. Bubinga Common Names: Akume Bubinga Essingang Kevazingo Kevazingu Ovang Waka Species: Guibourtia pellegriniana Profile: This species is reported to be relatively secure within its natural habitat in most regions in its range including Congo, but it is currently classified as either Extinct, Endangered, Rare, or Vulnerable in Gabon. Its environmental status in the wild is listed as unknown because of insufficient information in Angola, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Distribution: The geographical distribution of the species is reported to be in West Africa, primarily in Gabon, but its range overlaps with two other closely allied Guibourtia species, G. demeusei which is reported to be more widely distributed from southeastern Nigeria through Cameroon and Gabon to the Congo Basin, and G. tessmannii which grows prinicipally in Cameroon. Regions of Origin: Cameroon Ghana Zaire Gabon Equatorial Guinea Angola Congo Nigeria Tree: Guibourtia trees are reported to be fairly large in size, reaching heights of 100 feet (30 m) or more, with trunk diameters of 36 to 48 inches (90 to 120 cm). Boles are reported to be straight, with merchantable lengths of 30 to 60 feet (9 to 18 m). Sapwood Color: The sapwood is usually white in color. Heartwood Color: The heartwood is pink or red brown with purple streaks. Grain: The grain is straight, but may be interlocked. Irregular grain in some logs is reported to produce highly decorative figure to rotary-cut veneer. Texture: Texture is typically fine and even. Odor: Freshly-milled wood is reported to have an unpleasant odor, but the odor disappears upon drying. Durability: The timber is reported to have some natural resistance to decay, but is readily attacked by pinhole borers. It is reported to be rarely attacked by termites or marine borers. Ekki Common Names: Aba, Akoga, Azobe, Bakundu, Bankile, Bongossi, Bonkole, Eba, Ekki, Endwi, Esore, Hendui, Kaku, Ozobe The Wood: Color: The wide sapwood is pale pink in color, and is well demarcated from the heartwood. The heartwood is dark red or deep chocolate brown, sometimes with purple highlights. Grain: The grain is usually interlocked, which yields a ribbon figure on radial surfaces. Conspicuous white deposits in pores, give tangential surfaces a speckled appearance. Texture: Texture is usually coarse and uneven. Luster is described as low. Distribution: The species is reported to be native to west central Africa, from the Ivory Coast to Zaire, and eastward into the Congo Basin. It is reported to grow in evergreen and moist deciduous forests, in freshwater swamp forests and near riverbanks. Profile: Ekki is reported to be secure within its natural growth range in the Ivory Coast and the Congo, but it is officially classified as Vulnerable in Cameroon. Its status in the wild is currently listed as unknown because of insufficient information in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Zaire. Uses: Bridge construction, Domestic flooring, Harbor work, Railroad ties, Truck bodies, Bridge beams, Bridge joists, Crossties, Dockwork, Flooring, Marine construction, Parquet flooring, Sub-flooring, Vehicle parts, Wharf construction Emien Species: Alstonia congensis Profile: This species is reported to be rather secure within its natural habitat in most areas in its range including Cameroon, Congo, and Sierra Leone, but it has officially been classified as Endangered in Benin. This means that the species is known to be in imminent danger of extinction due to drastic reduction in its numbers. Its status in the wild in Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria is currently listed as unknown because of inadequate information. Distribution: Most members in the Alstonia genus are reported to occur in Asia. Two species, A. congensis and A. boonei are reported to be distributed throughout West and Central Africa from south-western Nigeria to Zaire and Angola. They are reported to be found in abundance especially in the humid forests in Cameroon. Common Names: Ahun Alstonia Awun Basong Bokuk Dita Duku Ekouk Emien Kaiwi Mergalang Milkwood Milky pine Mo cua Mujwa Patternwood Pulai Shaitan wood Sindru Stolwood Tsongutti White cheesewood Yung Africa Countries of Origin: Cameroon Uganda Nigeria Zaire Ghana Benin Tanzania Sierra Leone Gabon Equatorial Guinea Tree: The trees attain a height of 130 feet (40 m), and develop boles that are often well-formed and clear to about 80 feet (24 m). Trunk diameter is usually18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm), but can be as high as 40 inches (100 cm). Deeply fluted buttresses are common. Sapwood Color: The sapwood is not distinct from the heartwood, and is white to yellowish white in color. Heartwood Color: The heartwood is yellowish white in color. exposure. Grain: The grain is typically straight. Texture: The wood has a fine to medium texture. Odor : There is no distinctive odor or taste. Durability: The wood is reported to have extremely low resistance to decay and should be processed soon after felling, or should be chemically protected against stain. The material is also vulnerable to attack by termites and powder-post beetles. Guarea Common Names: Guarea Bosasa Bosse clair Guano blanco Guarea bosse Kwabohuro Light bosse Obobo nofua Scented guarea Regions of Origin Africa Countries of Origin Ivory Coast Nigeria Ghana Zaire Cameroon Congo Liberia Sierra Leone Uganda Species: Guarea cedrata Profile: This species is reported to be secure, with very little threat to its environment within its natural habitat in most areas in its range, including Cameroon, Congo, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, but it is officially classified as Endangered in Liberia and Vulnerable in the Ivory Coast. Its status in the wild is currently listed as unknown due to lack of information in Ghana, Nigeria, and Zaire. Distribution: The species is reported to occur in West Africa, and is found primarily in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and southern Nigeria. Tree: The mature tree attains a height of about 160 feet (48 m), with a trunk diameter that may be up to 60 inches (150 cm), but are commonly 36 to 48 inches (90 to120 inches). It develops long and cylindrical boles, and is buttressed. Sapwood Color: The sapwood is somewhat lighter and paler than the heartwood color, which is a pale pink brown when freshly cut, darkening on exposure. Heartwood Color: The heartwood initially has a pale pinkish-brown mahogany color, but it darkens with age. Grain: The grain is straight, but occasionally curly or wavy. Plain-cut material is reported to often show a small zig-zag figure. Texture: The wood is medium-textured. Odor: The wood has no distinct odor or taste. Durability: Timber is moderately resistant to termites, and only occasionally attacked by pinhole borers. Resistance to white rot is variable.
Idigbo Local Name: Terminalia or roble marfil Botanical Name: Terminalia ivorensis Family: Combretaceae The Tree: Idigbo grows rapidly and reaches a height of 120 to 150 feet in the natural forest, with a straight and clear bole up to 70 feet. It's trunk is frequently buttressed and fluted, with diameters of 3 to 5 feet. Status: Idigbo was first brought to Costa Rica from Africa in the 1980's because of its fast growth and beautiful wood. The Wood: Idigbo is yellow brown to light pink brown with a straight to slightly irregular grain. It has a moderate luster and is easy to work with hand and machine tools. Idigbo glues well and takes a good finish. The wood is rated as durable. Uses: Idigbo is used for its attractive appearance and ease of working in the making of furniture, cabinetry, joinery, decorative paneling, veneers, and flooring. Ipe Common Name: Ipe, lapacho, cortez Local Name: Corteza, corteza amarilla Botanical Name: Tabebuia spp. Family: Bignoniaceae The Tree: Ipe is a large canopy tree, growing to a height of 120 feet in the natural rainforest, with trunk diameter up to 3 feet and a clear bole of 60 feet. Some specimens grow to 150 feet with a 6 foot diameter trunk. Status: Ipe has been exploited for years and is becoming increasingly rare outside of national parks and reserves. The Wood: Ipe heartwood is light to dark olive brown, often with attractive lighter or darker striping and striking contrasts with the lighter color sapwood. It has a fine texture, medium luster, and a somewhat oily appearance. Ipe is very hard (two to three times as hard as oak), very strong and very heavy. It weighs approximately 70 pounds per cubic foot and sinks in water. Ipe is rated as extremely durable. Uses: Ipe is prized for quality furniture and decorative veneers, and because of its strength and durability, is used in boardwalks, tool handles, turnery, industrial flooring, and textile mill items. Iroko Common Names: Abang Iroko Kambala Lusanga Mandji Mokongo Molundu Moreira Mvule Mvuli Odum Rokko Semli Tule mufala Species: Chlorophora excelsa Profile: This species is reported to be very secure within most of its natural growth range, but is classified as Vulnerable in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. It has also been classified as Endangered in Benin and Congo. Distributon: Chlorophora excelsa and C. regia are reported to be distributed across the width of tropical Africa. Iroko (C. excelsa ) is reported to be found prinicipally in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Cameroons. Tree: The tree is reported to attain heights of up to 160 feet (49 m) and trunk diameters of up to 120 inches (300 cm). The boles are reported to be found occasionally over small buttresses and are straight, cylindrical, and clear to about 80 feet (24 m). Africa Countries of Origin: Congo Zaire Ivory Coast Angola Gambia Ghana Benin Cameroon Gabon Kenya Nigeria Sierra Leone Uganda Zimbabwe Sapwood Color: The sapwood is yellowish-white in color. Heartwood Color: The heartwood is golden-orange to brown in color. Lighter vessel lines are conspicuous on flat sawn surfaces. Large deposits of calcium carbonate, with darker colored surrounding material are usually present. Yellow bands of soft tissue are reported to form a zig-zag pattern on all surfaces. Grain: The grain is moderately interlocked. Texture: Texture is reported to be moderately coarse and even. Durability: The heartwood is reported to be naturally resistant to decay, but is susceptible to attack by dry-wood insects. The sapwood is susceptible to attack by powder-post beetle, but has been reported to be highly resistant to termite attack in Africa. Lati Common Names: Asanfran Bliagl Bokanga Edjin Edjin edzil Edzil Edzui Lati Muizi Ogiya Va tue Vahn chu Yaya Species: Amphimas pterocarpioides Profile: The population of this species within most of its natural growth range is reported to be currently secure, with little threat to its survival in the immediate future. Distribution: The species is reported to grow in the high forests in West and Central Africa, from Guinea to Zaire. Africa Countries of Origin: Ivory Coast Gabon Zaire Cameroon Congo Equatorial Guinea Angola Ghana Nigeria Togo Tree: The tree is reported to reach a height of up to 150 feet (45 m), with a trunk diameter that is commonly 35 inches (88 cm), but may be 48 to 72 inches (120 to 180 cm) above small, blunt buttresses. Sapwood Color: The sapwood is yellowish white or pale-brown, and is sharply demarcated from the heartwood. Heartwood Color: The heartwood is initially orange and darkens to orange-brown upon exposure. Grain: The wood is straight-grained. Ripple marks are often present. Texture: The wood is moderately coarse in texture. Odor: There is no distinct odor or taste. Durability: The wood is reported to have moderate resistance to decay, but is susceptible to attack by powder post or common furniture beetle. Mahogany Other Names: True or genuine mahogany, bigleaf mahogany, Honduras mahogany Local Name: Caoba Botanical Name: Swietenia macrophylla Family: Meliaceae The Tree: In the natural rainforest, Mahogany is a very large canopy tree, sometimes reaching over 150 feet in height, with trunks sometimes more than 6 feet in diameter above a large basal buttress. It is a generally open-crowned tree, with gray to brownish-red fissured bark. Status: Mahogany is perhaps the most valuable timber tree in the whole of Latin America and has been heavily exploited for most of this century. Mahogany is becoming increasingly rare, and is already extinct in parts of its original range. The Wood: Mahogany varies from yellowish, reddish, pinkish, or salmon colored when freshly cut, to a deep rich red, to reddish brown as the wood matures with age. Mahogany is fine to medium texture, with uniform to interlocking grain, ranging from straight to wavy or curly. Irregularities in the grain often produce highly attractive figures such as fiddleback or mottle. Mahogany polishes to a high luster, with excellent working and finishing characteristics. It responds well to hand and machine tools, has good nailing and screwing properties, and turns and carves superbly. Uses: Mahogany is regarded by many as the world's premier wood for fine cabinetry, high-class furniture, trimming fine boats, pianos and other musical instruments, sculpture, joinery, turnery, figured and decorative veneer, interior trim, and carving. Obeche Common Names: Abachi African whitewood Arare Arere Ayous Ayus M'bado Obeche Okpo Samba Samba ou ayous Wawa Profile: This species is reported to be rather secure throughout its natural growth range, with very little or no threat to its population (Source - World Conservation Monitoring Center - 1992 ). The Wood: Obeche is pale straw, yellow-brown, creamy white, or pale yellow in color. Heartwood and sapwood are not clearly differentiated, and the latter is reported to be up to 6 inches (15 cm) wide. Grain: The grain is usually interlocked, producing a faint but characteristic striped figure on quartersawn surfaces. Texture: Texture usually varies from coarse to moderately fine, and is even. Luster: The surface of the material is reported to exhibit a natural sheen. Distribution: Cameroon Equatorial Guinea Ghana Ivory Coast Nigeria Zaire The species is reported to be widely distributed in tropical West Africa, from Guinea to Zaire. It is found mainly along waterways, on abandoned farmlands, and in transition zones between humid evergreen and semi-deciduous forests. The species is reported to be especially common in the drier and more disturbed types of forests within its range.
Sapele Common Names: Aboudikro Assi Assie sapelli Lifari M'boyo Muyovu Penkwa Sapele Sapele mahogany Sapeli Sapelli Undianuno Species: Entandrophragma cylindricum Profile: The species is reported to be relatively secure within parts of its range but it is known to be Vulnerable in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast. It is considered as a Candidate for an environmental status assessment in Ghana and Uganda because it is suspected to be either Extinct, Endangered, Rare, or Vulnerable in those areas. Distribution: The geographical range of Sapele is reported to extend from the Ivory Coast to the Cameroon, eastward through Zaire to Uganda. It is reported to be found in different forest types, including deciduous, evergreen, and transitional zones. Africa Countries of Origin: Cameroon Ghana Central African Republic Angola Uganda Ivory Coast Nigeria Zaire Congo Gabon Sierra Leone Togo Tree: Sapele is a large rain forest tree from Africa. It is reported to grow to heights of 150 feet (45 m), with trunk diameters of 48 to 72 inches (120 to 180 cm). Boles are usually clear and cylindrical to heights of 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 m). Sapwood Color: The sapwood is grey-pink or cream in color. Heartwood Color: The heartwood is pink when freshly cut, but it matures to a red-brown or purple-brown color. Grain: The grain is moderately interlocked or wavy. Quarter cut Sapele is reported to yield a ribbon, regular stripe or bee's wing. Other cuts feature various desirable patterns, including fiddlebacks, roe or a mottled design, especially in wood containing wavy grain. Texture: Texture is typically moderately fine. Odor: The wood has a cedar-like scent that remains even after long exposure. Durability: The wood is reported to be susceptible to pinhole borer, and marine borer attack. The sapwood is reported to be readily attacked by powder post beetle, but it is moderately resistant to African termites. Teak Local Name: Teca Botanical Name: Tectona grandis Family: Verbenaceae The Tree: Teak is very fast growing, and on favorable sites may reach 130 to 150 feet in height with clear boles to 80 to 90 feet. The trunks are cylindrical to fluted and may reach 3 to 5 feet in diameter. Status: Teak has been heavily exploited for more than a century and is increasingly difficult to obtain. It is listed as endangered. The Wood: Teak is a beautiful golden to dark brown, sometimes reddish brown, with a straight grain, sometimes wavy. Teak is rich in natural oils, is easily worked, and dresses to a very smooth finish. Because of its natural oils, teak is very durable and resistant to moisture and the drying effects of exposure to weather. Teak is unique in that it does not cause rust or corrosion when in contact with metal. Uses: Teak is a very valuable wood and is prized throughout the world. It is sought for the decks, trim and detail work in expensive boats, and fine furniture, flooring, carving, joinery, cabinetwork, paneling, turnery and veneer.
The African Timber Organisation (ATO) Created in 1976, the African Timber Organisation includes thirteen member countries (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome e Principe, Tanzania, Zaire) which represent more than 80% of the African forest cover. In the first regional seminar organised in Libreville in 1993, the ATO undertook to set up a single ecocertification scheme on a regional level. The ATO proposes to ensure the coordination and considers that they are able to provide the transparency and credibility required for its application. In its inter-ministerial Conference in May 1996, it approved a preliminary version of criteria and indicators for forest management with a view to certification and plans to set up pilot projects to help prepare the final version. The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) was created by treaty in 1983 and its headquarters was established in Yokohama, Japan, in late 1986. The primary idea is to provide an effective framework for consultation among producer and consumer member countries on all aspects of the world timber economy within its mandate. Among its multiple objectives is a commitment to assist members to meet ITTO's unique Year 2000 Objective, which states that by the year 2000 all tropical timber products traded internationally by Member States shall originate from sustainably managed forests.
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