Views: 231 Author: SENHEDA WOOD Publish Time: 2025-11-28 Origin: Site
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● 1. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – Undisputed “King of African Forests”
● 2. Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) – Central Africa’s Hardwood Export Powerhouse
● 3. Gabon – The “Okoumé Kingdom” and Champion of Volume per Square Kilometer
● 4. Cameroon – The Most Species-Rich “All-Purpose Warehouse”
● 5. Central African Republic – An Inland Treasure Still Waking Up
When people talk about global tropical timber resources, Brazil and Indonesia usually come to mind first. Few realize that Africa actually hides a true “timber superhighway” right in the heart of the continent—the Congo Basin. Home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, it is the planet’s most concentrated treasure trove of premium hardwood.
According to the latest forest resource assessments, the top five African countries in standing timber volume all belong to the Congo Basin and its immediate surroundings. Together they form the continent’s—and the world’s—most important “golden belt” of tropical hardwood.
Standing volume: ≈ 25–30 billion m³
Accounts for roughly 60% of Africa’s total forest area and forms the core of the Congo Basin.
This is the main body of the planet’s second-largest rainforest, with extraordinary biodiversity. Iconic species include sapelli, African Padauk, Wengé, Iroko, and many others. Due to infrastructure limitations and conservation policies, only a tiny fraction has been commercially exploited so far—truly a “sleeping giant” of timber.
Standing volume: ≈ 3–4 billion m³
Forest cover exceeds 65%. The world’s largest producer of Okoumé, while also supplying large volumes of sapelli, Iroko, Bubinga, and other high-end hardwoods. Currently Africa’s second-largest exporter of logs and sawn timber.
Standing volume: ≈ 3–4 billion m³
Despite its small land area (just 270,000 km²), forest cover tops 88%—one of the highest rates on Earth. Gabon holds the world’s largest reserves and highest production of Okoumé (the “king of plywood veneer”) and practically dominates the global high-end rotary veneer market.
Standing volume: ≈ 2–3 billion m³
From coastal mangroves to inland rainforests, its ecosystems are incredibly diverse, supporting hundreds of commercial timber species. Iroko, sapelli, Ayous , Padouk, and countless others are all found here. Cameroon is Africa’s No. 1 timber exporter, with the port of Douala constantly stacked with containers bound for China, Europe, and India.
Standing volume: ≈ 1–2 billion m³
Located on the northern edge of the Congo Basin, it possesses vast but underdeveloped forest resources due to poor infrastructure. Main species include sapelli, Ayous, and Afromosia. With new roads under construction in recent years, it is gradually entering the international market.
Five countries, one rainforest, endless possibilities. The Congo Basin doesn’t just top Africa’s timber rankings; it is the beating heart of the world’s remaining great tropical forests. For those of us in the trade, it’s the source of the finest hardwoods on earth, and the place where business, beauty, and planetary responsibility meet.
Take care of it, and it will keep rewarding us for generations. That’s not just good business. That’s the only way the story of African timber continues.
