Importance of Forests, Problems of Exploitation, and Deforestation – Forestry in Rwanda (Senior 4 Geography) | Ganzaa

Forestry in Rwanda

Lessons

Senior 4 · Geography

Forestry in Rwanda

4 lessons

Lesson 3 of 4

Importance of Forests, Problems of Exploitation, and Deforestation

25 min

More planted, more cut

Between 2009 and 2019 Rwanda planted more forest than it lost, but not everywhere. Figure 4 compares the two by province.

Figure 4. Forest deforested and afforested by province, 2009–2019. Drawn by Ganzaa from the Ministry of Environment's forest mapping, in REMA (2021).

Which province lost more than it gained? What kind of forest grows there? The answer points to the main cause of deforestation in Rwanda today.

Definition

Deforestation: the permanent removal of forest so that the land is used for something else. Deforestation rate: area deforested as a percentage of the forest at the start of the period.

Ecosystem services: the benefits people get from nature, such as clean water, soil protection, carbon storage and pollination.

Worked example 1: deforestation and afforestation rates, 2009–2019

Data (MoE 2019, in REMA 2021). Rwanda: forest 673,504 ha in 2009; 105,713 ha deforested; 139,674 ha afforested. Eastern Province: 296,234 ha in 2009; 65,807 ha deforested; 40,729 ha afforested.

\text{Rwanda: } \frac{105\,713}{673\,504} \times 100 = 15.7\%\ \text{lost} \qquad \frac{139\,674}{673\,504} \times 100 = 20.7\%\ \text{gained}

\text{East: } \frac{65\,807}{296\,234} \times 100 = 22.2\%\ \text{lost} \qquad \frac{40\,729}{296\,234} \times 100 = 13.7\%\ \text{gained}

Interpretation. Nationally the gain outweighed the loss (net +5.0%), but the east lost more than a fifth of its 2009 forest and replaced only about three-fifths of that. REMA explains it by agricultural expansion: cultivation and livestock keeping with clear cutting of native savannah trees. A national net gain can hide a regional loss of natural woodland.

Why forests matter

Importance	Evidence
Economy	Forestry added Frw 843 billion in 2025, about 3.6% of GDP and 17.8% of the value added of agriculture, forestry and fishing (NISR)
Energy	Forests provided around 86% of primary energy, mainly for cooking (REMA, 2021)
Jobs and income	Planting, nurseries, felling, charcoal, carpentry, transport and trade in wood
Raw materials	Poles, timber, furniture, bamboo, honey, medicines
Water	Forested catchments such as the Upper Nyabarongo, "Rwanda's water tower" (RWB), store rain and feed rivers
Soil and hazards	Roots and litter hold soil on steep slopes and reduce landslides
Climate	About 135 tonnes of carbon per hectare of forest (FAO, in REMA, 2021)
Biodiversity and tourism	Chimpanzees and orchids in Nyungwe; gorillas in the Volcanoes park
Research and education	The Arboretum of Ruhande and the National Tree Seed Centre in Huye (RFA)

Problems of forest exploitation

Low productivity: private woodlots hold only about 17 m³ of wood per hectare against 127 m³ in public plantations (2016).
Early harvesting and poor management: no silvicultural plans, poor choice of species and planting material.
Narrow range of species: public plantations rely on a few species, with low stocking and damage from fire and illegal cutting (REMA, 2021).
Fires: in Nyungwe, often from honey collecting, and in plantations in the dry season.
Wasteful conversion: traditional kilns and three-stone fires use far more wood than needed.
A widening deficit: demand about twice supply, with the gap growing towards 7.5 million tonnes by 2026.
Small, scattered woodlots and poor access roads, which raise costs and discourage investment.

A recently cleared hillside in Rwanda, 5 March 2023: tree stumps and cut branches among regrowing scrub, with a dark, still-forested hill behind. Photo: Stevenndori289, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Causes of deforestation

Agricultural expansion: clearing for crops and pasture, especially of savannah woodland in the east (MoE, 2019, in REMA, 2021).
Fuelwood and charcoal for a growing population and growing towns.
Settlement and infrastructure: housing, roads and towns spread onto forest land.
Mining: recorded in Nyungwe and Gishwati (REMA, 2009).
Fires and overgrazing, which stop regeneration.
Poverty and weak enforcement of rules in the past.

Effects of deforestation

Environmental	Economic and social
Soil erosion, landslides and siltation of rivers and dams	Scarcer and dearer firewood and charcoal
Lower dry-season river flows, more floods	Lost income from timber, honey and tourism
Loss of habitats and species	More time spent collecting fuel, often by women and children
Release of stored carbon; local climate change	Lower crop yields as soils are washed away

Worked example 2: carbon released by clearing

Problem. If a forest holds about 135 tonnes of carbon per hectare (FAO, in REMA, 2021), how much carbon dioxide is released if 1,000 ha are cleared and all the carbon is emitted? (Each tonne of carbon forms $\frac{44}{12}$ tonnes of $\mathrm{CO_2}$ .)

1\,000 \times 135 = 135\,000\ \text{t C} \qquad 135\,000 \times \frac{44}{12} = 495\,000\ \text{t}\ \mathrm{CO_2}

Interpretation. Clearing just 1,000 ha could release about half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Not all carbon is released at once (some stays in soil and wood products), so this is an upper estimate, but it shows why forest protection counts in climate policy.

Warning

Net change hides gross change. "Forest cover increased" (net) can be true while 105,713 ha were cut (gross loss). When you evaluate deforestation, quote both the loss and the gain, and say what type of forest was lost.

IUCN: "Rwanda: Back to the Garden". How deforestation and land degradation affected Rwanda's landscapes, and the restoration that followed. List the causes and effects of deforestation it shows.

✦

Practice

Give five ways in which forests are important to Rwanda, with evidence.
Calculate the deforestation and afforestation rates for the Northern Province (forest 66,529 ha in 2009; 5,518 ha deforested; 20,679 ha afforested).
Explain four problems of forest exploitation in Rwanda.
Why did the Eastern Province lose more forest than it gained between 2009 and 2019?
Explain three environmental effects of deforestation on Rwanda's steep slopes.
Using 135 t of carbon per ha, how much carbon is stored in 500 ha of forest?
"Rwanda has solved its deforestation problem." Evaluate.

Show answersHide answers

Any five: economy (Frw 843 billion, 3.6% of GDP in 2025); energy (about 86% of primary energy); jobs; raw materials; water catchments; soil protection; carbon storage (135 t/ha); biodiversity and tourism; research.
Deforestation $\frac{5\,518}{66\,529} \times 100 = 8.3\%$ ; afforestation $\frac{20\,679}{66\,529} \times 100 = 31.1\%$ .
Any four: low productivity of private woodlots; early harvesting and poor management; narrow species range; fires; wasteful kilns and stoves; wood deficit; small scattered woodlots and poor access.
Agricultural expansion: savannah trees were clear-cut for crops and livestock in the east, faster than new planting.
Soil erosion as rain hits bare soil; landslides when roots no longer bind saturated slopes; siltation of rivers, lakes and dams downstream; loss of habitat.
$500 \times 135 = 67\,500$ t of carbon.
Progress: net gain 2009–2019 (+5%), cover 30.4% of dry land by 2019, large planting campaigns. Not solved: 105,713 ha were still cut; the east lost woodland; natural forest is small; wood demand is twice supply. Conclusion: deforestation is being offset by planting, but the pressure from fuel and farming remains.

Quick check

Which province lost more forest than it gained between 2009 and 2019?

Key points

2009–2019: 105,713 ha deforested (15.7%) and 139,674 ha afforested (20.7%); only the Eastern Province had a net loss (22.2% lost, 13.7% gained).
Importance: Frw 843 billion (3.6% of GDP, 2025), about 86% of primary energy, jobs, materials, water, soil, carbon (135 t/ha), biodiversity, tourism, research.
Problems: low productivity, early harvesting, narrow species, fires, wasteful kilns, a growing wood deficit, scattered woodlots.
Causes of deforestation: farming expansion, fuel, settlement, mining, fire, overgrazing. Effects: erosion, landslides, water, habitat and carbon loss, fuel scarcity.

Sources and credits

Sources: Rwanda State of Environment and Outlook Report 2021, REMA, citing the Ministry of Environment's 2019 forest mapping, RWFA (2017) and FAO (2020) (deforestation and afforestation by province, energy share, carbon stock, problems of plantations, fires); Rwanda State of Environment and Outlook Report, REMA, 2009 (mining in forests); GDP National Accounts, 2025, NISR (forestry value added); Upper Nyabarongo Catchment Plan 2018–2024, RWB ("water tower"); From Seeds to Security, Rwanda Forestry Authority, 3 April 2026 (National Tree Seed Centre).

Figure 4 and the worked examples were drawn and written by Ganzaa.

Photo: Deforestation and Global warming, Stevenndori289, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Video: "Rwanda: Back to the Garden", IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, embedded from YouTube. The rest of the lesson and the exercises were written by Ganzaa.

This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1More planted, more cut

2Why forests matter

3Problems of forest exploitation

4Causes of deforestation

5Effects of deforestation

More planted, more cut

Why forests matter

Problems of forest exploitation

Causes of deforestation

Effects of deforestation