SOME Zimbabwean companies have started importing timber to bridge a significant supply gap that has widened over the past two decades, a situation the industry fears may persist if not addressed adequately.

Chairman of the Zimbabwe Timber Federation, Mr Darlington Duwa, confirmed the development, stating that the shortages stem from a combination of destructive veld fires, a massive shift from forestry to agricultural land use, and overcutting by companies without adequate corresponding replanting.

"We are now seeing companies resorting to imports to keep operations running, which is a clear sign of the severe resource depletion we are facing," Mr Duwa said in an interview on Monday.

The country's timber reserves, primarily located in the Eastern Highlands, have been severely depleted over the last 20 years.

Large swathes of commercial and indigenous forestland have been ravaged by uncontrolled veld fires, which have become more frequent and intense, consuming timber stock.

Allied Timbers Zimbabwe estimates that thousands of illegal settlers have taken over more than 50 percent of its total available area, and these occupants have been cited as the primary cause of veld fires destroying timber forests.

Coupled with the ecological disaster are economic challenges. Mr Duwa noted that timber producers have been unable to invest significantly in long-term replanting and forest management programmes due to mounting financial pressures.

Mr Duwa provided a grim forecast, warning that the current shortage is "just a beginning" and the situation might "worsen."

The long-term nature of commercial forestry means that even an aggressive, national replanting campaign today would not yield a solution for years.

"The horizon for mature timber is about 25 years," Mr Duwa explained.

"This long maturation period means that the damage done over the past two decades has locked us into a prolonged period of scarcity, irrespective of our efforts today."

The core challenge lies in the fact that softwoods like pine and eucalyptus, which form the backbone of Zimbabwe's commercial timber industry for construction and furniture manufacturing, require a quarter of a century to reach harvesting age.

With the industry now reeling from the impact of lost forests and inadequate new growth initiatives, Mr. Duwa stressed that the only immediate mitigation strategy is the "efficient use of the remaining resources" to avert a potential crisis.

The severe supply contraction in the domestic market has had an immediate and painful effect on consumers and the construction industry.

The shortage has resulted in timber prices increasing by varying degrees, pushing up the costs of building materials.

Major Zimbabwean timber companies include State-owned Allied Timbers of Zimbabwe and Border Timbers.

These companies have resorted to engaging contractors to process their timber due to limited internal capacity, sharing the revenue on an agreed basis.

Zimbabwe firms import timber to cover local shortages - herald