It’s widely accepted that using secondary timber species, rather than focusing solely on established commercial varieties, helps make sustainable forest management more so – and makes it more economically viable.
To this end Port Gentil-based Compagnie des Bois du Gabon (CBG) has been developing production and promotion of gombé for a range of end uses.
The 40-year-old company manages 600,000ha of FSC-certified forest and produces 150,000m3 of sawn timber a year, plus okoumé veneers for its partner, the French plywood manufacturer Joubert. It produces azobé/ekki for marine applications, decking and railway sleepers, plus bilinga, niové and padouk for decking and decking substructures.
The company began its gombé development programme seven years ago, seeing significant commercial opportunities for the timber, given its abundance and versatility.
“It’s most common in Gabon, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, but occurs across all West African rainforest, from Liberia and Sierra Leone to the Republic of the Congo,” said CBG head of sales development, marketing and communication Emmanuel Groutel. “Greater quantities could be exported with no adverse effect on sustainability.”
The company bills the species as an alternative to sapele, African mahogany and dark red meranti and says it’s suited to make a wide variety of end products. The extensive list on its website (www.cbg-wood.com) ranges from plywood and veneers, through interior and exterior (in ‘temperate’ areas) joinery, to mouldings, staircases, coffins and vehicle and container flooring.
“Gombé has good machining and finishing properties, it poses no particular kilning issues, gives good screw and nail retention, and it’s suited to all the most commonly used glues,” said Dr Groutel. “It can also be peeled and used to make finger-jointed and laminated components.”
Gombé trees can grow over 50m high, and the trunk is practically cylindrical for 20-25m from its short, thick buttresses, resulting in well-shaped logs with diameters up to 1.2m.
“The sapwood is whiteish to yellowish and the heartwood salmon pink, sometimes with a few brown veins,” said Dr Groutel. “The grain is mostly straight, with some occasional slight interlocking.”
CBG has also recently been developing its production facilities. A significant proportion of its sawn timber output (in gombé and okoumé) is now kiln-dried and it is currently upgrading drying facilities further. It has also overhauled its dust extraction system and installed two new edge trimmers.
As for the market response to gombé, the company describes it as positive, with many customers placing regular repeat orders after trialling the material. Main markets are currently China, Italy, Spain, Pakistan, France and UAE. Development of the UK market is currently exploratory, but CBG sees opportunities to promote the timber here as an FSC-certified meranti substitute .
Looking forward, the company intends to increase production and promote the species more widely. “There’s potential to double current production levels,” said Dr Groutel
Business Backs Biodiversity
CBG’s FSC-certified forest concessions are home to some of Gabon’s most significant populations of large mammals and since 2008 the company has been involved in a major programme to protect and conserve them.
The PROLAB initiative, to which CBG renewed its commitment in 2015, is a joint project with WWF International and MINEF, Gabon’s Ministry of Water and Forests. It covers 1.55 million ha of CBG’s FSC-certified forest concessions, comprising a conservation area known as the Gamba Complex. The latter includes six towns and over 100 villages with a total population of 20,000. It also has major onshore oil and natural gas operations. At the same time it is hugely biodiverse, with animal species including forest elephants, gorillas, panthers, hippo and Nile crocodile. The objective of PROLAB is to help ensure that development and conservation don’t clash.
The WWF’s goals in the Gamba Complex are to support national park management, development of local NGOs and wildlife management in forest and palm oil plantations. It also provides technical and logistical support for government wildlife and fisheries agencies.
PROLAB forms a key component of the wider project. Core to the initiative are its anti-poaching operations. Its wardens average three missions a month, a total of 80 man-days of patrolling. It has helped dismantle ivory trafficking networks, secured prosecutions of poachers and seized hundreds of their weapons.
Additionally, PROLAB focuses on raising local communities’ awareness of the need to protect wildlife and biodiversity more broadly. Under the initiative, CBG also participates in biomonitoring and compiling inventories of large mammal populations.
Adding to the significance of its work, the Gamba Complex borders two national parks, one on each side. PROLAB helps ensure a safe corridor for animals migrating between them.
