Logging in Rwanda
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 3:27pm

On the way from Gisenyi to the Gishwati Area Conservation Program field station near Kinihira we came across a logging and lumber operation. While there has been a problem in the past with such activities done illegally in the Gishwati Forest Reserve, this operation was outside the forest boundaries – and they were logging exotic or non-native species such as eucalyptus.

It is one of the most physical and labor intensive efforts I’ve seen in Rwanda. Everything is done by hand. There are no power tools or heavy equipment – not even pulleys or ropes. Because Rwanda is so hilly and mountainous, everything is negotiated on a steep grade.

After the trees are cut, they’re hauled to a wooden scaffolding where a two man crew (one atop and one below) use a long saw to rip the log into planks. These planks are than stacked onto small trucks to be sold for construction or furniture.

A Rwandan woodcutter takes a moment from sharpening his saw to pose for a photo.