Forestry in Rwanda
Senior 2 · Geography and Environment
Forestry in Rwanda
Lesson 1 of 3
20 min
Almost every Rwandan home uses wood: poles in the walls, a table and bed, and for most families firewood or charcoal for cooking. Rwanda also protects some of Africa's finest mountain forests. How the country grows, uses and protects its trees affects its water, soils, climate and tourism. This lesson defines forests and forestry and surveys Rwanda's forest types.
| Type | Features | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Montane rainforest | Evergreen, tall, layered, very rich in species; on high, wet mountains | Nyungwe; Gishwati and Mukura; Cyamudongo, a small isolated fragment near Nyungwe |
| Bamboo and Hagenia forest | Dense bamboo belts and twisted, moss-covered Hagenia woodland on the volcano slopes | Volcanoes National Park |
| Gallery (riverine) forest | Narrow strips of trees along rivers in drier areas | Along the Akagera River |
| Savanna woodland | Scattered or clustered drought-resistant trees among grass | Akagera National Park and parts of the Eastern Province |
| Type | Features | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Plantations and woodlots | Rows of one fast-growing species, often exotic (not native to Rwanda) | Eucalyptus (the most common), pine, cypress, grevillea; public forests along ridges and roads; private family woodlots |
| Agroforestry trees | Trees on field edges, terraces and among crops | Grevillea, calliandra and fruit trees such as avocado |
| Research arboretum | A living collection of many tree species planted to test which grow best | The Arboretum of Ruhande in Huye, founded in 1934, with more than 500 plant species and about 320,000 trees |
Look at the photograph below, taken at the edge of Nyungwe. Identify the types of land cover and explain the contrast.
Tip
Memory hook. Natural forest is "mixed and messy": many species, uneven heights, a closed canopy. Plantation forest is "one kind in rows". In an exam, give one natural and one planted example from Rwanda for full marks.
Solution: a forest is an area dominated by trees; forestry is the science and practice of managing forests and their products.
Solution: afforestation plants trees on land that was not recently forest; reforestation replants cleared forest land.
Solution: Nyungwe and Gishwati–Mukura (also Cyamudongo, the Volcanoes' bamboo forest).
Solution: to test which tree species grow best in Rwanda, to supply the demand for firewood and building wood.
Solution: honey (also medicines, bamboo, wild fruits).
Summary
Sources and credits
The forest-type table, the worked example and the practice items are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
