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THE REALITY OF THE PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION
OF BAMBOO FOREST IN THE WORLD
As one of the forest resources, bamboos are estimated to include about 1,200 species belonging to 70 genera. Bamboos mainly distribute in the tropics and the subtropics, and a few bamboo species distribute in temperate zone and frigid zone. Bamboo grows in tropical and subtropical zones and often forms a mixed forest with other trees. Being below the main story, it is apt to be neglected. Nevertheless after destruct- tive cutting of forest in these two zones(the tropics and the subtropics) bamboo has been regenerated as secondary bamboo stand since it has the charac-teristics of growing fast, propagating with rapidity and easy regenerating. Besides, as bamboo is widely used and economically valuable, it is planted on the wasteland in the mountains, un-cultivated land. The secondary stand and artificial stand are spreading around by means of their subterranean shoots. So the bamboo area on the surface of the earth is increasing year after year while the forest area is reducing. So far, it is estimated that the world total area of bamboo forests is about 20 million hectares.
Environmental conditions for bamboo growth in the tropics are concerned with so many associated factors like latitude, altitude, temperature, sea level, soil, topography, rainfall, light intensity and so on. Most of the bamboo species in the world naturally grow within 40 degree on either side of the equator, particularly in the area of the Tropic of Cancer on the northern side and in the Tropic of Capricorn on the southern side for the clump forming type of bamboo species are gregarious in two categories, namely,(i)bamboo forest in extensive areas, and (ii)in groups or colonies. Bamboos that grow together in the first category are more or less confined within 15~25 degrees of north side, especially tropical monsoon Asia in where India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, etc. On the other hand, only colonies of bamboo forest occur in other tropical America, tropical Africa and the rest of above tropical Asian countries including both side of latitudes between equator and 30 degrees. All of these tropical bamboo forest are natural pure forest or mixed with tree forests, however, bamboo forests located in the tropical rain forest are where is sandwiched between equator and 15 degrees both side of latitude are mainly mixed with tree forest. Tropical bamboo need much rainfall than the bamboo which grow in temperate zone because there is close relationship between growth of shoots and rainfall. Generally speaking, the best growth condition for bamboo is to be maintain six months with 100~200mm monthly rainfall. Of course, if there are more than 1000mm annual rainfall and duration of rainy season is continued about six to seven months, bambooo shoot sprout two or three times a year. Geographically, bamboo distribution can be divided into three major regions in the world: 1,Asia-Pacific Bamboo Region;2,America Bamboo Region; 3,Africa Bamboo Region(Fig.2-1).Within each major region, somesubregions can be recognized on the basis of climatic differences and bamboo types.
Bamboo has a wide range of dis-tribution from the tropics to the temperate zones and from sea level to the alpine elevations. Some species are even found in considerably high latitudes and elevations. Sasa kurilensis and Chus-quea culeou ocuur in south Sakha-lin(46°N) and South Argentina(47°S)respectively. Certain species of Sinarundirania finaria grow well at 3,400~3,500m in the Himalayan Mountains. While Neurolepis aperta forms irregular patchs at 4,000m and impenerable thicks at 5,000m in the East Andes. But most bamboo plants require warmth,they are commonly distributed at low elevation in the tropic and sub-tropics of Asia, America,Africa and Australia where they grow either na-turaly in mixed forests or in planta-tions.Europe has no indigenous bam-boo.But introduction has been made since the last century. It is estimated that the world total number of bamboo species and varieties is about 1,200 and the world total area of bamboo forests is about 25~30 million hectares(Table 1-1).(including bamboo forest which have formed mixed forest or alpine bamboo forest).
1,Asia-Pacific Bamboo Region:
The Asia-Pacific bamboo region is the largest one, covering Japan, Korea, the southern half of China. Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Within this region, there are 800 species and varieties belonging to 50 genera and 23 million hectares of bamboo lands in total.South China and Southeast Asia form the center of bamboo distribution in the world,with the greatest number of bamboo species and the greatest proportion of bamboo forests. More than 20 species have sizable culms of good quality which can be used in production,culture and the daily life of local people.Away from this center their frequency of occurrence decreases considerably and they appear mostly in small patches.The Asia-Pacific bamboo region can be di-vided into two large subregions ac-cording to the bamboo rhizome type, monopodial and sympodial. Generally monopodial bamboos are characterized by relatively strong frost- resistance; they are distributed in higher latitudes such as Japan, Korea,the Yellow River Valley and the Yangtze Valley where winters are severe. Those with sympodial rhizomes occur mostly in areas between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, with major components in the bamboo center and with an eastward spread to the Pacific Islands. Accordingly, one subregion can be recognized by dominance of monopodial and the other by sympodial forms(Table 2-2).
(1)India
India has 130 species and va-rieties belonging to 19 genera. The bamboo forest area in India is about 9.6 million hectares; 25 species of immense commercial importance. These bamboos belong to clumping type. Main species Dendrocalamus strictus(53%), Melocanna baccifera(15%). Annual production: 5.0MMT. Average produc-tivity-very low (~0.53MT/hm2). Main resource base- North-east region of India(53%). 7 states(out of 28).Bamboo area: 5.2Mha (54% of country). 89 species in 16 gennera. 10~15 species of immense commercial importance. Main species: Melocanna baccifera(70~80). Annual production ~3.5 MMT. Only in mountain area of the north,there are diffuse-form bamboos. In India, bamboo chiefly distributes in the east such as Arunachal Fradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizo ram, Nagaland Sikkim, Fripura and West-Bangladesh, Andamans, Madhya, Pradesh, Bastar of Pradesh and mountain areas of the south-west.
The bamboo species that have been developed in India are: Drepanosta-chyum falcata, Thamnocalamus spa-thiflora, Arundinaria racemosa, In-docalamus wightianus, Bambusa arundnaria, B. balcooa,B. tulda, B. Polymorpha, B. vulgaris, Cephlosta- chyum per gracile, Dendrocalamus giganteus, D.hamiltonii, D.stricyus, Gigantochloa macrostachya, Ochlandra travancorica,scriptori, Oxytenan-thera ritchevi, O. nigrociliata and Pseudostachyum polymorphum, etc.
The management levels of bamboo stand is not high.The increment of those bamboo stands which have wide distribution and good growth in every year is as follows：Dendrocalamus strictus is 1.95t/hm2，Bambusa tulda is 3.12t/hm2，Melocanna baccifera is 4t/hm2. The annual cut in India is about 400×104 t.Those bamboo stands can be divided into four types in India：
［1］The pure bamboo stands: There are bamboo stands which have 125 clumps per hm2.The yield is high.The average yield is 2.52t/hm2.
［2］The mixed stands which dominated in bamboo: There are bamboo stands which have 50~125 clumps per hm2.The yield is 1.85t/hm2
［3］The thinly scattered bamboo stands: There are bamboo stands which have 25~50 per hm2.The average yield is
low, 0.17t/hm2.
［4］The fragmentary bamboo stands: There are bamboo stands which have less than 25 clumps per hm2.Their yield is very low.
(2)China
Ecologically, China covers two subregions of bamboo distribution and shows close affinity with the bamboo flora of Japan and Korea in its north and that of Southeast Asia in its south.Phyllostachys,Pleioblastus,Sasa and Indocalamus are monopodial; the are Yangtze valley and also in Japan and Korea. Similarly species of Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Oxytenanthera, Psdosta- chyum, Gigantochloa, Schizo- stachyum,etc. are commonly encoun-tered in South China and Southeast Asia where they form an extensive vege-tation with hardwoods speading across the international borders.China is a part of the world bamboo center and has more than 500 species and va-rieties in 50 genera. The bamboo forest area in China is about 7 milliom hectares (including artificial bamboo forest and alpine bamboo forest). These bamboos are mainly distributed over our vast land in the south of 40 northern latitude.It is the country with the richest bamboo flora and resources,and it has both monopodial and sympodial bamboos in roughly equal numbers.Please read “Bamboo Resources in China”,it will give you details.
(3) Myanmar(Burma)
Bamboo Resources in Byanmar:
bamboo forest area 1,785,867ha (6,887 sq-miles)Bamboo mixed with timber trees and purestand, Pure stand- Kahinwa (Melocanna bambusoide), It ia a main species in Myanmar. It covering about 8,000km2 in Rakhine state. Myanmar has 17 genera and 97 species. Widely distributing in Bago division, Ayeyarwaddy division, Taninthayi division, Rakhine state and Mon state.
Bambuu Utilization in Byanmar: The important of bamboo is much more fot rural people of which consists of 75~80% of the Myanmar population. So people say that bamboo is “the poor man timber”. At the same time urban people can not be able to stay away from bamboo as the utilization of bamboo is vast. Thus it is to be said that bamboo is a traditional multiple tree species. It is used by society, for construction, transportation, paper making, food, fishing, handicraft and furniture. Bamboo shoot is also our traditional food.
The famous handicrafts are: (a)Bamboo hat (b)Pathein bamboo umbrella (c)Youn handicrafts.
Some musical instruments are: (a)Bamboo pipe, (b)Bamboo clap, (c)Bamboo xylophone.
Paper making factories in Myanmar are:
(a) paper Making Factory(Sittaung)
(b) Paper Making Factory(Yeni)
(c) 200t./d. Pulp Mill(Thabaung).
Bamboo cultivation in Myanmar:
Traditionally, in Myanmar bamboo plantation is established for bamboo timber. Some of the cultivated species are: Wabo, Thee yowa and Tinwa. Bamboo plantations are established for paper making factories. We used two methods. One is culm cutting, and other one is seedling method. In 2004, one bamboo species flowered, so we can use this method. That species name is Tin-wa(Cepholostachum pergracile)
(4) VietNam
The bamboo forest in Vietnam area is 1,492,092'hm2.(Table .2-5) Bamboo species belonging to clump is main. There are 102 bamboo species belonging to 19 genera. The main bamboo species are: Bamhusa spinosa ( popular name i Tregai), B. arudinacea (pop-ular name: Locngoc), B. tulda (popular name! May bong), B. blumeana (popular narnei Langa), B. procera (popular name; Loo), B. flexnosa (popular name: TreTau),B. multiplex (popular name: Trevaisoc), B.ventri cma (popular name: Trucduiga),B. vularis (popular name» Tamvong ), Dendroccd amuspatellaris ( popular name; Giang), D. membranaceas (popular name;Luong)D.. latflorus (popular name Mai), D. flagellifer (popular name Tong ) D. oldhamii,D. patellaris,D.sericeus(popular name ;Maysang) Arundmaria sof (popular name; Truccanceu ), A. pubescens(popular name: Sat), A. spathiflora, Phyllostachys pu-bescens (popular name; Vaudang) ,P. bam-busoides (.poularz name! Vaungot), Neokou-jeaua dultoa (popular name Nua), Ginoalamus seribrerina (popular name« Buang),Sinocalamus latiflous (popular name: Dientrug ), Linganania sp (popular name : Lung ).The management is generally extensive. The yield is low.
(5) Thailand
There are over 60 bamboo species in 13 geera. The bamboo area is about 810,000hm2. The main bamboo species is: Dendrocalamus asper, D. aciculate, D. membranaceus, Bambusa arundinaceae, B. blumeana, B. nana, B. tulda, Thyrsostachys, siamensis, T. oliveri, Dendro-calamus brandisii, D. strictus, Gigantochloa albaciliata, G. hasskerian, G. ligulata, Oxyte-nanthera nlgrociliata, O. hauseusii, O. alboci-liata, Schizostachyum aciculare,S. humilis, S. ligulata, Thyrsostachys siamensis, Cephalos-tachyum virgatum, etc. In 1981~1984, the anaual bamboo culms are 52 million (not in-cluding- fcamboo culms used in' country). There are two- factories manu- factured bam-boo plywoods in Kanchana- burjug province and Lampoon province. Their annual product is 20,000. In 1936, Kanchanaburi Paper factory use bamboo as, raw material' was established. There are 22 bamboo — shoot processing factory in Prachinburi province. In 1984, the annual bamboo—shoot production was 37,975 t.
(6) Bangladesh
There more than 30 bamboo species. The bamboo area is 600,000hm2. Among them, the area of pure bamboo stands, by all sides bam-boo stands is 100,000hm2,, 100,000hm 2 re-spectively. The area of the mixed stands con-sisted of bamboo and trees is 4.00,000hm2. The main bamboo species are: Melocanna baccifera (popular name: Muli iBajail, Nali), Bambusa tulda(popular nanie; Mirtinga ), B. arundinacea (popular name: Betua), B. arun-diiwceavar,B. spinosa, B. balcooa (popular name; Balkn ), B. burmanica(popular names Tarala), B. glaucescens, B. longispicu- lata . (popular name: Talla» Toru) ,B. nutans(. pop-ular name:Makal) ,B. polymorpha (popular name Butua, Jama,Bashini), B.vulgaris (pop-ular name: Bariala, Baria, Bashini), B. vulga-ris. ,B.sfriata,Cephcdostachyum perg racile, Dendrocalamus calost^chyus, D. gigantens (popular name: Budum-baas),D. gigan-tens(popular name Budumbans) D.hamii tonii (popular name Penchabans), D. lon- giipttthus(popular name: Orah,Khang, Rupai), D.msmbra.nfms, D.strictus(popular name: la-thibans, Rangoonbans), Melocanna comp ac-tiflorus (popular name; latabans, Daral), Neo-houzeaw dullooa (popular name: Dolu-bans),Oxytenantera albociliata, O. nigrociliata (popular name Kalibans, Kalia), Thyrostachys olwevi,etc. There are two paper factories use bamboo as raw materi¬al in. Bangladesh.
(7) Malaysia
There are 59 bamboo species belonging to 14 genera in Malaysia Four of these genera（Chimonobambusa, Melcanna, Phyllostachys and Thyrosostachys）are wholly introduced and there are no species of these native to alaysia. There are both native and introduced species of Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Gigantochloa and Shizo- stachyum. In addition, there are several (five) species which in Peninsular Malaysia are known omly in cultivation and which have not been found wild in other places. These are clearly difficult to accept as truly indigenouss to Peninsular Malaysia especially since they were not found in other parts of South-east Asia. In Malaysia the bamboo forest area 421,722hm2. The annual bamboo woods is 21,000t. The chiefly economic bamboo species are: Bambusa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, D. hirtellus, Dinochloa scandens, Gigantochloa scorte chinii, Schizo- stachyum zollingeri, S. grande Recemobambusa tessellata, Yushania yniita, etc.
(8) Laos
In the north of Laos, the giant bamboo species in rain forest are: Dendrocalamus ha-mit-tonii,D. brandisu, etc. The diameter » height of those giant bamboos is 20cm, 30m. The bamboo species distributed in poor lands issBamiwsa cthm-dinacea. In the north of Laos, the bamboo species distributed in lithosol lands are: Dendrocalamus membr- anaceus, Oxytenanthera albocUiata (popular name: Manai ), Cephalostachyum pergraeile, Thyr-sostachys siamensit. The bamboo distribated in 2,000 meters above sea level: Ckwtoaebafnftsa quadrangularst .Chuno Mjbambttsa griffithiema). In addition! ArunSlmaria falcata (popular name» Maiphek), B. tulda, Cepha-lostaehywn tnrgatum (popular name: Mcahia), C. pergradle, Dendro-calamus brasdisii,D. •membreawceus,etc.
(9）Japan
There are 227 bamboo species belonging to 13 genera (It has been reported there are 662 bamboo species). The total area of bamboo stands is 141,000hm2. The . diffuse-form bamboo species is main. For example: Phyl-lostachys bambusoides is 42%, Phyllostachys pubescens 40%. The total bamboo area has been increasing since Phyllostachys pubescens was introduced from China in 1736. To the beat Phyllostachys pubescens stands, the annual increment is 30 ~ 40t/hm2 97% bamboo stands belong to private. Thoae private bamboo stands are managed intensively. The an¬nual bamboo—wood is totally 20~3 104t. The annual bamboo—shoot is 1.5×105t in total (Appendix II). The aim of bamboo man-agement is bamboo—shoot used stands instead of bamboo-wood used stands in 1950s,however, in 1970s the aim of bamboo msagement is sightseeing stands instead of bamboo—afcoot used stands
（10）Nepal
There are 53 bamboo species in 11 Genera. The total coverage of the bamboo area is around 63,000hm2 out which 60% is natural forests(Table 2-8). Estimated total stock of bamboo is about 15 million cubic meter with biomass value of 1060 M ton. Annual produc-tion of bamboo culms is 3.01 million out of which 264 mill is internally consumed and around 0..64 mill. Culms are exported to India. On an average each household consumes about 46 stems /year
(11) lndonesia
There are 125 bamboo species in 19 genera. The bamboo area is about 60, 000 hm2.The chiefly economic bamboo species are .Bambusa atra, Gigemtochioa atter, G. .maxima, G. verticillata, Nastus elegantis-simus, Schizostachyum btflorum, S. blumeif S. longsipiculaum,Oreigostachys pullei , Oxyte-nanthera nigrociliata ,etc.
(12) Philippines
Bamboo Resources: estimated to about 10,000 million linear meters, most of which are represented by climbing bamboos i.e., Schi-zostachyum lima, S. lumampao, etc.. presently, there are 68 spp recorded in the country. 21 are endemic; 13 are climbers, 8 are erect, the rest are introduced. Master Plan for the de-velopment of bamboo as renewable and sus-tainable resource reported as follows: 20,500-34,000 ha in the forestlands; 2,236 ha in the government plantation; and 3,037 ha of privately owned. there may have been other new introductions, but these may have not been reported, seen or identified.The bamboo area is more than 20,000 nm2(Table 2-11,2-12). There are 55 bamboo species belonging to 11 genera. The chiefly economic bamboo species are: Bcanbusa blumeana (popular narne Kawayan tinik), B. conuta, B. spinosa, B. vulgaris, Dendro calamns merrilianus.D. latiflarus (popular narne Machiku), Dinochloa scandens, Schizostachyum lumampao, S. lima(popular narne Anos), Gigantochloa aspera, G. levis(popular narne Bolo,botong), etc. B. blumeana has wide distribution. The diameter and the height of G. aspera is 40cm and ,30m. (see Table 2-11 and Table 2-12). Economi-cally important bamboos:
1. Bambusa blumeana
2. B. vulgaris Schrader ex Wendland,
3. Bambusa sp. 1,
4. Bambusa sp. 2,
5. Dendrocalamus asper (Shultes f.)
6. Gigantochloa atter (Hassk) Kurz,
7. G. levis (Blanco) Merr,
8. Schizostachyum lumampa.
Bamboo Uses in the Philippines: Bamboo culm has long been tapped as an inexpensive source of housing materials, fence, furniture, handicraft, banana props, fishpens and other innumerable products. Rhizomes in its roots help prevent soil erosion and control floods.Check dams use woven bamboo strips between pegs while bush or stones are placed against the dam’s upper side. Protection for river/stream banks. Scaling project: Started a Bamboo Research Institute (BRI) initiated by Pampanga Agricultural College as center for bamboo throughout the country.establishment of bambusetum for 1 ha and expansion area of 15 has. - identified and delineated plantation site of about 50 has
(13) Sri Lanka
There are 44 bamboo species belonging to 7 genera in Sri Lanka. The bamboo area is 2, 000hm2. Distribution area of bamboo: mostly in the intermediate wet lowlands and in the low hills westem and sourthem parts and wet zone mountains. The main bamboo species are: Bambusa orientalis, B. vulgaris, B. vulgaris var. vitt-ka, B. multiplex, Chimonobambusa dan-sifolia, Dendrocalamus giganteus, Indo-calamus walkerianus, I. deblis, I. flori-bundus, Ochlandra stridula, O. stridula var. maculate, Oxytenanther moadelpha, Tei-ostachyum attenuatum. The Bamboo utili-zation in Sri Lanka(Table 2-13).
（14）Jianpuzhai
The total area of bamboo stands is 287,000hm2 in Jianpuzhai.
(15) South Korea
There are 13 bamboo species to 10 genera in South Korea. The bamboo area is more than 8,000hm2.
(16) Kampuchea.
The bamboo area is 28,700hm2 in . Kampu-chea. Bamboo species belonging to clumping form is chief. The management is extensive.
(17) Papua New Guinea .
There are 26 bamboo species distributse in Papua new. Guinea. Bamboos are also distri-buted in Bhutan, etc..
（18）Maldives
Why it is difficult to grow bamboo forest in Maldives. The forest cover has been in decline due to increasing population. The general awareness about bamboo and bamboo based products is not very encouraging. Due to lack of knowledge about the plantation, harvesting and post harvest value added processing, there is need for awareness, conservation and development of the species (Bambusa Vulgaris). Introduction of other bamboo species “Conser-vation of forestation” project was stated in 1993. Under this project, other than “bambusa valgaris”, ten different species of bamboo were introduced to the Maldives they are Bambusa arudinancea,Bambusa atra, Dendrocalamus strictus, Schizostachyum lima, Schizostachyum lumampao, Thyzostachyus siamensis Dinochloa pubiramea. The program’s success is yet to be realized.
2, The American Bamboo Region
The America bamboo region consists of North and South America ranging from the eas-tem United States(40ºN) down to the southern part of Argentina (47°S). There are more than 270 species and varieties in 17 genera. Except for a few species, most of them are small or even herbaceous and they do not have much economic value or a less closer relationship with production and the life activities of local people. Arundinaria is .the only monopodial bamboo in the America . Arundinaria gigan-tea and its three sub species are the only indigenous bamboos in the United States where they occur scattered in mixed hardwood forests in the southeast part of the country. On the other hand, bamboo plants of sympodial type are sparsely scattered throaghout extensive areas of Central and South America ,a subregion of sympodial bamboos. .The main bamboo generas are:Apoclada, Athrosstachys, Arthrostantha, Aulonemia, Bambusa, Chusquea, Colanthelia, Elytrostachys, Glaziphyton, Guadua, Merostchys, Myriocladus, Neurolepis, Otatea, Rhipidocladum, Swalleno- chloa, etc.
(1) Guyana
Bamboo cultivation in Guyana Base on re-port from the Guyana Forestry Commission, there are some bamboo forests in parts of Guyana. There are presently no managed bamboo plantation. At sometime the Chinese were engaged in cultivating bamboo in the Santa Mission area. of bamboo in Guyana： No inventory of bamboo species has been done by the Guyana Forestry Commission. However, According to INBAR (1998), there are eight genera and 13 species of bamboo in Guyana. The most promising species are found in the genus Guadua, namely G. latifolia, G. macrostachya, G. weberbaueri and G. glomerata
Involvement of artisans with bamboo： Three dominant groups of persons who work with bamboo. The ‘RASTAFARIANS’ some of its members have a natural flair for creative work. Amerindians who represent the indi-genous people of Guyana and has always been associated with craft The third group represents persons in the rural communities, who form groups and are taught handicraft as part of a community project.
Bamboo as a raw material： Obtained by two means, either by simply gaining access to an area where bamboo grows and harvesting the appropriate material, or the material might be obtained from persons who live in an area where bamboo grows.
The bamboo collected unmanaged pre-senting several problems in the preparation of the material. The clumps are often crooked and the very hard joints make large size splits impossible. Number of products produced from bamboo has increased. The range of fur-niture and weaving products has increased. Children make also whistles from the hollow stems, Other products include, Bamboo poles, Cattle shed fence, Ladders, Medicines.
Preservation and finishing techniques： Main threats of degradation of bamboo prod-ucts is termites and fungus. After the bamboo is cut into desired lengths and shaped, semi finished article is treated to a coat or two of lacquer. Some articles are burnt to produce a pattern.
Hazards in the bamboo craft： When working with bamboo persons must take great care and caution to avoid being injured by the tools and machinery. Likewise when harvesting the bamboo persons must take precautions not to be bitten by insects, spider snakes that abound in the forest.
Profile of bamboo markets： Bamboo products are offered for sale by the producers and the craft shops and other institutions that cater for these products. Expositions and trade fairs are common places for persons to sell their products.
Superstitious beliefs： To collect a flower only on a old year’s night at midnight and place it in a white container. Large bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) plant produces small black seeds which bring fortune and richness. If the seeds are picked, the plant will become annoyed and cause serious problems.
(2) Brasil
In Brasil there are many native and exotic species. For instance, Bambusa vulgaris is widespread throughout the country. However is originally from Asia; it has thick culms and green in color. Another variety of this species is Bambusa vulgaris var. “vittata” which is commonly used for ornamental purposes. The genus bambusa is formed with rhizomes, i.e. their culms are formed together. The genus Bambusa is used as pulp for paper making, also can be used for alcohol brewing due to ist high fermentation capacity of starch found in their cells. Despite our clime and territory to be propel y we don’t have a cultural to apply it.
The Northern region of Brasil is the only where is possible to find the industrial planta-tions of cellulose founded in 1976,with 100.000 ha of due to lack of local customs , factory in bamboo plantation. However, Brasil is potential country for bamboo plantation due to its favorable climate and space.
Chusquea species in South America
3, The African Bamboo Region
The African bamboo region is a relatively a\small one ranging from southern Senegal(16ºN) down to southem Mozambique(22º) and across the African tropics. The bamboo flora is
very poor, less than 10 species on the continent, but about 40 species and 11 genera of indigenous and introduced bamboos occur in Madagascar. Several species of Oreo- bos ,0xytenanthera and sinarun-dmaria(. for-merly misnamed as Arundinaria) are sizable bamboos and form natural pure stands or mix with hardwoods. Bambusa and Sinamndinaria are cosmopolitan genera. Their species are found over the world wherever the environ-ment is favorable. Bambusa vulgaris is known as a pantropical bamboo growing widely in tropical countries. In view of flora affinity, the Asia—Pacific bamboo region is closely related to the African. They are Bambusa, Ce-phalostachywn, Pseudocala-wMttt Ochlandrai Oxytemmthera and Sckvsostachyum are common genera on both con¬tinents and their nearby islands.
(1) Tanzania Bamboo Resources. Natu-rally it grows on the major mountain and highlands. Main species:-Arundinaria alpina (African green mountainous bamboo) found in Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Iringa. Orebambos buchwaldii found in Mbeya, Usambara, Tu-kuyu & Ifakara. Bambusa vulgaris (golden yellow – green and stripped cow altitude bamboo found around Lake Victoria).
Oxytenanthera braunii common in the South
ern Highland of Tanzania in Iringa, Mbeya and Ruvuma Regious. Area covered by bamboo forest 127,000 ha.
Bamboo Utilization. Plays vital role in soil and water resources protection in affo-rested catchments areas. Important for flower framing, baskets, trays, lamp shades, chairs, tables, ornamental articles, table mats and floor mats. Used for households containers for harvesting and transporting. Roofing and ceil-ing construction, walls and wall partitioning. Production bamboo/wood sheet material.
Processing and Utilization: Major products are bamboo wine, poles, ceiling material, pipes for conveyance, furniture and handcraft. Bamboo in housing is for erecting walls, roofing and ceiling. In hand craft is still in infancy. Marketing and Social Economy: Number of people involved in bamboo sector is lacking. The contribution of the sector in the country economy is lacking. In Mufindi and Njombe 30–50% of the people, their economy is associated with bamboo juice. Market for juice is readily available at the village level.
Degree of Using Different Bamboo Spe-cies：A. alpina is mainly used for handicrafts and construction (versatility, abundance, stiffness and its morphological attributes- wall thickness about +1cm). The species have been used with success in the construction of water pipe in the Southern highland zone. Oreo-bambos buchwadii is mainly used in construc-tion and weaving. Bambusa Vulgaris (Asian ornamental yellow bamboo) is mainly utilized for poles as unprocessed props for banana plants and splinted for local house construction and shade roofs About 5% of B. Vulgaris clumps are grown for ornamental purposes. Nondo the lesser known species is used for weaving as the culms are weak and flexible. “Misumi” is used for construction particularly ceiling, fencing, shade roofs for done coffee nurseries and fishing rods.
Table 2-15 Estimated Distribution of Bamboo Resources in Tanzania.
Species Northern Zone (ha) Coast Zone (ha) Southern High-land zone (ha) Western Zone (ha) Total
(ha)
Arundinaria alpina 31,750 3,175 28,575 ns* 63,500
Oveobambos buchwaldii 8572.5 2857.5 2857.5 1.191.0 19,050
Oxytenanthera braunii 5334 4445 17.780 1,689 44,450
Bambusa Vulgaris 40 480 ns* 280 800
Others ns* 20 Nondo) ns* 4 (Misuni) 24
Total 45,696.5 10,977.5 49,212.5 3,164 127,824
(2) Zambia Bamboo species: Two in
digenous bamboo species namely：Oxytenanthera abyssinica, and Oreobambos buchwaldii. Grow gregariously in clumps of 3 – 8 + stems, Oxytenanthera abyssinica flowers, fruits and dies on a cycle varying from 14 - 21 years. Propagation of O.abbysinica, Regener-ates natural in the forests through seed and vegetative sources. Very little works have been done to propagate it under nursery man-agement.
Utilization of O. abyssinica: Used do-mestically for making fences, fish traps, bas-kets, furniture and temporary shelters. large quantities of bamboos are used in the central and southern parts of the country by the To-bacco Industry as tobacco drying racks. Mining Industry is a major consumer of Oxytenanthera abyssinica where it is used as blasting sticks. Bamboo consumption by Zambia mining industry:
Luanshya 443,250, Konkola 408,475, Nchanga 233,404, ufulira 70,000, Kabwe 45,000, Nampundwe 35,000. Problems af-fecting bamboos: Deforestation, Over- exploi-tation, Periodic dry season forest fires, Illegal settlements, Farming activities. Promotion of bamboos in local communities: MTENR through the FD and FRMP promotes propa-gation and management of bamboos in local community in NWP. Involve local community members in propagation and management of bamboo plantations at small scale as a means of them sustaining their livelihoods. Bamboo propagation through using cuttings raised in the local community nurseries. Small nurseries have been set-up in communities.
Management and collection of the bam-boo cutting is the sole responsibility of the local community. Problems encountered in the bamboo development: little progress made in training personnel in basic theories and prin-ciples of cultivation, processing, utilisation and exploitation of bamboos. obstacles to train local communities in the areas of cultivation and preservation of bamboo shoots. Inadequate funding in research and management.
(3) Mozambique BAMBOO RESOURCE
DEVELOPMENT IN MOZAMBIQUE
In June 2005, National Department of Forest, realized a survey and mapping some bamboo areas in Sofala province. National course about bamboo propagation in Manica province (July, 2005). Establishment of bam-boo seedling in Forestry Research Centre (CEF)-Maputo and Milha 8 nursery Sofala. Establishment of first Dendrocalamus strictus plantation in Maputo and Sofala provinces. BAMBOO RESOURCE IN MOZAMBIQUE
Occur Natural Bamboo: North and Center provinces. Plantation: North, Center and South provinces There is no resource inventory to identify and validate the species occurring in highland (interior areas).
Bamboo species: In Mozambique are found approximately six native and exotic species of bamboo among them are: Oxytenanthera abyssinica, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus strictus, Banbusa bambos， Bambusa striata and Bambusa vulgaris.
Bamboo Flowering (Started in August 2002) Specie: Oxytenanthera abyssinica, DONDO District, Sofala Province. Bamboo uses: Handicrafts, Chairs and Table, Bags, Beds and Mat, Broom, Baskets. Bamboo uses: Handicrafts, Chairs and Table-, Bags, Beds and Mat, Broom, Baskets.
(4) Zimbabwe Bamboo Production Poten-tial in Zimbabwe：In natural region one which is a high rainfall area, along valleys and mountains in the Eastern Highlands .In natural region two along river banks as a control measure for soil erosion. In nat Large water bodies in the country thus establishment of plantations around them. Highly orgarised Forestry Commission in Research and Exten-sion which has experts at hand can embark on bamboo production. Other stakeholders such as Agriculture, Landscape Developers, Natural Resources, Environment 200, will expand product development and. Due to the fast re-duction in forest area bamboo can be used to stabilize and increase the forest cover area again. Along rivers and man made water bodies, a sizable plantation area could be established. Due to severe land pressure, the total land under bamboo production would be compromised
Conclusion: Generally there is very little research that has been done in the field of Bamboo Technology due to the fact that we use long maturing species such as Eucalyptus species, Pine (pinus spp),Teak, Wattle, Blood wood tree for all our timber needs. It is therefore important that we look into bamboo technology which is fast in its rejuvenation as well as end product utilization. With the help of CBRC in China, Bamboo Production in Zimbabwe can transform from rural local community usage of bamboo to urban, regional use fast.
(5) Seychelles Physical Characteristics: An evergreen bamboo growing to 6m at a slow rate. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 3 out of 5 for use fulness. The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge. The canes are thin walled, very light and pliable, they are used for basket making and other woven structures.
The plant is frequently harvested from the wild for this purpose. Plants only flower at intervals of many years. When they do come into flower most of the plants energies are di-rected into producing seed and consequently the plant is severely weakened.
They sometimes die after flowering, but if left alone they will usually recover though they will look very poorly for a few years. Dendrocalamus giganteus: This is it, the God-zilla of bamboo. A native of Burma. One of the largest bamboos in the world. Leaves can be up to 20 inches long and 4 inches wide.
Giant clumper, non-invasive: Height 30 m , diameter 10-30 cm . internode 30-40 cm . culm top drooping , young culm pruinose , internodes at base having air root ; manifold branching , main branching main branch often under developed ; culm sheath caducous in-itially light purple , its back covered with dark brown setae ; sheath auricles long , narrow , with wavy rugae ; sheath ligule 8-12 mm high ; sheath blade triangularly lanceolate ; leaves round lanceolate , turned outside down , of various size , back of fresh leaf . In Seychelles they are mainly used as small containers for collection of toddy, gardening and artisanal purposes.
(6) Kenya Processing and utilization of
bamboo in Kenya is still largely confined to domestic usage. In the highland areas where bamboo is in abundance main usage is on fencing , housing construction, Hort. industry and in cottage industries. To a large scale, but less documented, is the use of bamboo by farmers in the highlands to support tea farming. Other small-scale commercial use includes production of toothpicks and small handicraft articles.
Markets for bamboo and bamboo products. Currently, demand for bamboo raw materials is higher than the supply. Marketing of raw materials and pricing has been influenced by the Forest Dep. that controls the royalties of bamboo culms.
The demand for bamboo as a source for fuel and packaging material as put a strain on it’s supply from government forests. Even with this high demand there are no organized production system & market outlets.
Table 2-16 Major species of Bamboo in Kenya (local and introduced)
Scientific name Source Scientific name Source
Arundinaria alpina High altitude areas of Kenya - (Indigenous) Bambusa vulgaris var. striata India
Bambusa brandisii Malaysia Dendrocalamus brandisii India
Bambusa bambos Thailand Gigantochloa aspera Java (Indonesia)
Bambusa tulda India Oxytenanthera abyssinica Zimbabwe
Dendrocalamus membranaceous India Phyllostachys pubescens China
Dendrocalamus strictus India & Burma Thyrsostachys siamensis Thailand
(7) Rwanda Bamboo resources: As com-pared to the situation in the neighboring coun-tries, Rwanda has very limited natural bamboo resources.
There are two indigenous species – Arun-dinaria alpine which is predominantly found in the north eastern region around Parc de Volcans and Bambusa vulgaris which is predominantly found in the forests of Cret-Zaire-Nil region of the country. However some farmer son the northern part of the country have bamboo plantations.
Bamboo resources continued: Besides arboretum planting and research trials, bamboo has not been widely cultivated in Rwanda. Rwanda did not participate in the bamboo and rattan initiative in neighboring countries (supported by IDRC) about a decade ago. Thus, it has not benefited from trials of exotic species.
However, more recently, there has been renewed interest in good quality bamboos in the country. For example, ICRAF has recently facilitated introduction of giant bamboo spe-cies ”Dendrocalamus gigantea". These are be-ing propagated at Ruhande arboretum in Butare but survival is so far very poor.
Processing and utilization: So far, there has been very little work on processing and utilization of bamboo in Rwanda. Typically bamboo stems are used for fencing and con-struction of light structures. There is little processing beyond cutting and drying before use.
Market and social economy : Although bamboos are valued for fencing, the market for this has remained low and poorly developed since people prefer live fences (hedges). May be the market has also been constrained by limits in supply as the government has enforced bans on cutting of bamboo and other tree species in to improve the environment. So far, bamboos are not very important on local economy. In few cases when it is traded in local markets, it has low value (currently, a pole of Bambusa vulgaris fetches about US $ 0.20 in the main urban areas).
(8) Ethiopia Bamboo is naturally found in south, southern west and northern west parts of the country. As one the resource widely growth in different area of low altitudes. Bamboo has been used in Ethiopia before many years ago in southern region, the people of Sidama, Dorze and Guraghe are known for their beautiful bamboo woven houses, chair, tables etc. Ethiopian Tourist Trading Enterprise (ette).
The Ethiopian Tourist Trading Enterprise (ette) have a very good image of Ethiopia Handicraft and Gift articles products. Due to this image the Enterprise started to introduce bamboo products to Ethiopian people with the help JICA from 1990-1994.
Now the Enterprise have produce many beautiful bamboo products. Products of the Enterprise From Bamboo weaving; Bamboo lampshade; Candle holder; Fruit basket & Fruit service; Flowers vase & waste basket etc. From Bamboo strips: Bamboo coffee bag; Bread and fruit service; Bed side lampshade; Bamboo stool. .etc.
From Bamboo Timber: Dinning table & chairs, Bamboo sofa, Bar stool,; Telephone table, Coffee table; Decorated sofa & Chair, Book shelf et c.
（9） Uganda Bamboo species in Uganda: Arundinaria alpina K. Schum , Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich) Munro, Oreobambos buchwaldii K. Schum. Bamboo (Arundinaria alpina) is locally common in the bamboo zone of Mt. Elgon. The zone is almost continuous around the mountain between 2400 and 3000 m, covering 219 km2, Other areas with bamboo, Rwenzori Mountains, the Virugna volcanoes, and the Echuya reserve on the Ruchiga Mountains in the south-west. Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich) Munro：This is a me-dium-sized bamboo (4 to 9 m in height), widely distributed in eastern Africa.
The young culms are usually semisolid whereas the older culms are almost completely solid . It occurs in open areas in forests and often by rivers at altitudes between 1100 and 2100 m. Occurrence in Uganda is mainly in West Nile, Acholi, Karamoja and Mount Elgon regions. Oreobambos buchwaldii K. Schum: The growth of the species in Uganda is less vigorous and the maximum height attained is about 12 m. Clumps are reported to occur in forest swamps around Mengo, Masaka, Bunyoro and scantily in Busonga forest districts.
Bamboo Distribution in Uganda: Main Areas: North-Western district of Arua, Western district of Hoima, South-Western district of Kabale, Eastern district of Mbale. Others:, Bbajo in Mukono District, Metu and Onzi in Moyo district, Patiko in Gulu. One of the commonest Bamboo species is Arundinaria alpine.
Bamboo Production and Processing in Uganda: Bamboo processing areas in Uganda, Mt. Elgon forests in the East, Rwenzori in the West, Echuya, Bwindi and Mgahinga in the South-Western part. Tools for Bamboo Processing in Uganda: Pangas, Knives, Hammers, Machetes,
Bamboo Products, Uses and Trading in Uganda: Needless to say, there is hardly any modern bamboo product in Uganda. Most of the bamboo resources are not being processed to a high-valued product which is why the in-dustry has remained stalled.
Bamboo in Uganda is extensively used in the construction of houses; fencing homes; used as firewood for cooking; bamboo food (young bamboo shoots); furniture: chairs, tables, beds; Artworks and handicrafts; hunting wild game in some communities.
Granaries and beehives are also made by weaving both the green and dry bamboo. Crop staking is another common use of bamboo. Most processors are also farmers and earn most of their income from activities other than the bamboo business. Fencing, Housing, Han-dicraft /Weaving: Food, foliage, and Medicin-al.
Management of Bamboo: Selective cut-ting of the best culms is the common form of harvesting. A short-term investigation on A. alpina with the objective of finding factors influencing production of new culms was un-dertaken by Wimbush (1945). He noted that an undisturbed bamboo crop of this species has about 10,000 to 17,000 culms per hectare and can produce about 100 tons of air-dry weight culms. Production of new culms is influenced by the amount of rainfall in the previous one or two years. Clear-cutting depressed the rate of recovery of bamboo after cutting. It took eight or nine years to obtain full-sized culms after clear-cutting.
When 10 percent of old culms are left standing evenly distributed, full-sized new culms may appear in the seventh or eighth growing season following cutting. If 50 per-cent of the number of culms are left standing, evenly distributed, the recovery period may be as short as three or four years.
The cutting cycle is governed by rainfall, cutting intensity and, therefore, recovery pe-riod. For A. alpina, it is seen that the cutting cycle is 14years and may be as long as 21 years on poor sites where recovery to the normal full size is delayed.
Fires also lengthen the recovery period of regenerating shoots of A. alpina (Phillips, 1961). Therefore fire leads to a longer cutting cycle.
There seems to be no management work undertaken on the other two common East African species, O. buchwaldii and O. abyssinica. There is lack of proper record on bamboo flowering in Uganda, however, Eg-gerling and Dale (1951) reported that flower-ing in O. abyssinica occurs in large areas about once every seven years.
After flowering the clumps die and new shoots appear after a year. The lack of proper information on the biological and regeneration dynamics of local bamboo species in natural conditions limits proper management of the bamboo resource.
(10) Suda Bamboo as general: Bamboos cover large areas of tropical and sub regions and had been subjected to depletion by bad management or lack of it .As a result, repro-duction cannot keep pace with exploitation and there is a need for evolution of management practices to secure regeneration, protection, and maintenance of sustained production.
The subject had been widely researched particularly in India and South Asia but very little had been done in Sudan, where there are two indigenous species i.e Oxytenanthera abyssiniea (A.Rich) Murrno and Arundinaria alpina (K.Schuni ), apart from taxonomic stu-dies .
The former is more important as it has a wider distribution and therefore more com-monly used than the latter which has a limited distribution in the higher land of I matong Mountains this work therefore concentrates on the problems of Oxytenanathera abyssinica that shall be referred to in the text as the spe-cies.
In the Sudan increasing areas were used from agricultural crop production without re-gard for the negative environmental impact rotation and input to restore soil fertility were rarely used except to limited extent in the modern irrigated sector (EI Houri et al 2001).
The need for food and forests products increased with increasing population, which put tremendous pressure on the natural re-sources of forests and rangelands. The situation has been worsened by social conflicts and civil strife in the Sudan and neigh bouring countries that resulted in the large numbe of displaced persons in the country and refugees from neigh bouing countries .
The displaced person and refugees have immediate need for wood particularly for energy and shelter. Bamboos are perennial woody grasses that are fast growing and capa-ble of producing utilizable annual production, which is not normally the case with other forest tree species. It could meet part of the needs of the population for construction, furniture, energy, pulp and paper products.
The need for construction material is par-ticularly urgent as in the case of refugees and displaced persons. Also, bamboos with their rapid growth and versatile use could participate in alleviation of poverty through income generation. It can be integrated into the farm-ing systems where few clumps of bamboos could be grown scattered in the farms in some areas in the Sudan.
These clumps could meet the needs of the farmer and could augment his income by the sale of its products. However, before this could be realized certain problems must be tackled.
Bamboos in Sudan: - In Sudan there are two indigenous bamboos; Arundinaria alpina found only in the upper reaches of the Imatong Mountains and Oxytenanthera abyssinica found on hill slopes and along Khors in south-ern region, Nuba Mountains, Jebel ElD air in Kordofan and Ingassana area of Blue Nile state (Elamin, 1990).
Plantation of Oxytenanthera abyssinica had been established in Hedaibat EI-Gezira forest in the early fifties and in Abu Gaili and Tawala forests in the nineties.
Exotic bomboos were introduced and planted for decorative purposes e.g. Dendro-calamus strictus and Bambusa vulgaris in the botanical garden in Khartoum (EIHouri, 1990).
Table 2-17 Tentative List of the bamboo species established in the Sudan
No. Species No. Species
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 Bambusa tulda
Bambuisa teres
Bambusa vulgaris
Bambusa polymorpha
Dendrocalmus strictus
Dendrocalmus hamiltonii
Dendrocalmus longispathus 8
9
10
11
12
13
14 Dendrocalmus giganteus
Oxytenanthera abyssinca
Oxytenanthera nigrociliata
Oxytenanthera ouriculata
Oxytenanthera albociliata
Cephalostachyum pergracile
Melocanna bambusoides
(11) Egypt As Egypt is a dry desert cli-mate the bamboo not grow as mass production in Egypt. Although there are many uses of bamboo in Egypt , most of row bamboo ma-terial used in furniture and building Imported from many countries. Egypt has now in Egypt very big project in (Toshkey) in south of Egypt the purpose of this project is to reclamation the Egyptian west desert to cultivate about 3 million Fadden by extend the Nile river by a canal to this area. As most of bamboo varieties need hot and humidity climate so if it can produce new varsities can grow in hot and dry climate like palm date this varieties can success in growing under Egypt Climate condition. The uses of bamboo in furniture in Egypt was common old industry in general Egypt has advanced furniture industry and export the furniture products to many countries in Europe and Middle East but this industry depend in exporting all kind of row wood material including bamboo wood.
(12) Nigeria Bamboo Species in Nigeria：Bambusa Vulgaris, Oxytenanthera abyssinica。
Bamboo Utilization：Pulp and Paper making at Jebba Paper Mill (Not in operation), Building material, Stakes, Environmental 、ameliora- tion, Handicrafts, Fuel, Fencing, Herbs, Fod-der, Rafters, Antenna poles, Fishing traps, Party canopies, Mud bricks (leaves mixed with soil), Housing and building Construction industry, Canned bamboo shoots, Handicrafts industry, Activated charcoal industry, Bamboo textile industry, Food and brewery industry.
Constraints: Lack of capital to invest in bamboo processing machinery, Poorly devel-oped market for bamboo products, Lack of modern skills of diversified utilization of bamboo, Inadequate awareness of the potential of bamboo in the development of local com-munities, Lack of appropriate processing skills and technology. This has resulted in wasteful processing and inefficient utilization, Inade-quate government support.
(13) Benin Distribution Bamboo be-longs to Bambusoideae, a subfamily of the grass family (Poaceae). In Benin, bamboo grows naturally in several pockets in the Southern part and the farmers provide some protection in their lands. Its local names are “akpanou and dawe”. In Benin we have one genera, the common Bambosa (Bambusa vul-garis). This variety grows in the eastern (Oueme, Plateau regions, particulary Bonou where we can find many old plantations, Ad-jarra); in the south (Atlantique region, parti-culary Kpomasse, Toffo, Allada); in the west-ern ( Mono,Couffo regions) ; and in the center ( Zou and Collines regions, particulary Ouinhi, Zagnanado and Savalou). The features of this variety are the sympodial ones. The total land area naturally covered by bamboo is very low. No statistics are available.
Cultivation No knowledge is known about bamboo cultivation . Bamboo has not been associated with any cultures. Now, only few people ( businessmen, politicians ) are planting ornamental bamboo brought from foreign countries.
Uses of Bbamboo Farmers living in the areas where bamboo is growing have some uses: Stem(culm)-- Supporter(stalk) TV antenna; Construction(animal habitat); Local chair; Fire wood Attic(for cereals storage). Leaves-- Fishing(putting in rivers or lake). Branch-- Fire wood; Music; Fishing.
(14) Ghana The bamboo resources in
Ghana have not been conclusively classified and documented, even the bamboo resources at the Aburi botanical gardens are not known. However three genera and four species have been identified: Bambusa vulgari：The green and yellow stripped varieties of this species are most common in Ghana. The green variety is the most common and is found in the forest zones of the country. The yellow stripped va-riety is used ornamentally.
Bambusa arundinacea: This was intro-duced into Ghana from India in the 1960’s by CSIR-FORIG.Its culms have short internodes and very thick wall. The growing clumps are very spiny.
Dendrocalamus strictus: Like the B. arundinacea , this species was introduced to Ghana from India. It is a small sized bamboo, almost solid. Distribution is limited to CSIR-FORIG plots at amentia near Akim-Oda. Oxynathera abyssinica: This is so far the only indigenous bamboo found in the semi- de-ciduous and dry savannah areas of Ghana. It is the commonest type seen in Northern Ghana. It is small in size and has an almost solid culm.
USES OF BAMBOO IN GHANA:
Bamboo is put to several uses in Ghana:
Agricultural: Fencing: Farming lands near residential areas / backyard gardens are fenced with bamboo to prevent the entry and destruc-tion of crops by domestic animals and rodents. Staking: Yams ,plantains and bananas are staked with bamboo poles. Harvesting: Bam-boo is used for harvesting poles for cocoa, oil palm and other fruit trees.
Building industry: Bamboo is used for various functions in the building industry;
Reinforcement material - bamboo is used for structural bodies of farm hamlets and village thatched houses. Storage cribs /barns - cribs and barns for the storage of maize ,rice and yams are usually constructed with bamboo in Ghana. Roofing material - splited bamboo is used for roofing village hamlets ,thatched houses and storage cribs and barns. Scaffolding: the use of bamboo for scaffolding has tripled with the restrictions placed on the exploitation of other forest products.
Defense purposes: The small sized bamboo found in the savannah areas especially in northern Ghana. It is used for the manufacture of bows and arrows, a traditional weapons used in Northern Ghana.
Artifacts: There is a booming production and market for bamboo manufactured products in the urban areas especially at tourist sites. Various items and shades are sculptured from bamboo.
Landscaping: Various species of bamboo both indigenous and exotic alike are planted as ornamentals in the urban areas, on govern-ment parks ,institutional compounds and on the grounds of the affluent in society.
BAMBOO PROCESSING INDUSTRY
IN GHANA
Bamboo processing is just emerging in the annals of the bamboo industry in Ghana. At least three companies have started industrial processing of bamboo in the country, notable among them is the Pioneer Bamboo Processing Company located at Assin Fosu.
Machinery for processing: This is imported from china. Optimal level of production is however impeded because some of the ma-chines imported could not be installed and used. The accompanying instruction manuals are only written in Chinese language. To forestall such future holdups the Management deemed it prudent to sponsor a staff here for the Chinese language course as China is the citadel of bamboo technology and can not be side stepped.
Raw material: The bambusa vulgaris is ex-ploited from the wild for processing.
Products: Products being produced from these emerging processing companies include : Fur-niture ,bamboo mats, window blinds, strips for bamboo boards, drinking cups and others.
(14) Sierraleone Status 0f bamboo: The
climate and vegetation remarkably favors the growth of Bamboo forest. Has a tropical climate with high temperature and humidity suitable for the growth of bamboo. Much work has not been done in bamboo processing, cultivation and management for the purpose of economic development and poverty alleviation. Research is yet to be carried out in order to determine the total hectares of Bamboo forests in Sierra Leone. The species and genera to which our bamboo forests belong are yet to be in vestigated. Until recently as 2004, a Sierra Leonean in partnership with foreign investors (Quality Housing Corporation SL. Ltd.) have been granted approval by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to set up a Bamboo processing Industry on the Bonthe Island in the Bonthe district, south of Sierra Leone. They are yet to kick-start the process
Ecology of bamboo: Bamboo grows wild in the forests. Distributed all over the country in the low land areas along the banks of the major rivers. The distribution is higher in the Bonthe district, along the banks of the Jong and Sewa rivers and in the Pujehun and Moyamba districts in the Southern province.
Economic benefits of bamboo: Very little achievements have been scored in bamboo processing and utilization on industria-lization scale. The marked economic and social benefits bamboo products (such as bamboo plywood, bamboo flooring etc) are contributing to national development in other countries that have the same potentials of abundant bamboo forests in poverty alleviation is a path Sierra Leone want to follow.
The need for technology transfer in bamboo processing, cultivation and manage-ment cannot be over emphasized. At local level, bamboo forests are utilized on a very small scale in the following ways; Pest control, Fish trapping, Soup preparation, Building of huts-. During burial ceremonies, naming ceremonies etc.Basket making, Cups - for drinking palm wine and water in rural areas. Fencing.
Since bamboo plants are evergreen (only a few species shed their foliage during the dry season) and shallowly rooted»they are very sensitive to temperature and precipitation. Accordingly, heat and moisture distribution on the surface remarkably affects the geographical distribution of bamboo plants. Southeast Asia is a sink. of ocean currents both from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, bringing in plenti-ful heat and rainfall and creating a most fa-vorable environment for bamboo growth. A similar situation is also found in Central America and along the coastal areas facing ocean currents. Bamboo distribution is also related to topography, aspect, elevation and landscape through their local modification of heat and moisture. Furthermore, genetic make — up against frost and drought is also impor-tant factor affecting the adaptability of bamboo species and their distribution.
Presumably* most bamboo plants do not grow well under climates with an aanual mean temperature below 10'C, a coldest monthly temperature below —20'C, or annual precipi-tation below 800mm. Above there lower limits, we may classify the bamboo distribution into the following three categories:
(a) temperate bamboo regions with an-nual mean temperature 10.'C~15°C and annual precipitation 800 ~ 1,000mm;
(b) subtropical bamboo regions with annual temperature 15'C~ 20°C and annual precipitation 1, 000 ~ 1,500mm,
(c) tropical bamboo regions with annual mean temperature 20°C and annual precipita-tion above 1,500mm.
In addition to the natural environment, human activities are also important in bamboo distribution. Bamboo is an important resource in Asia and closely related to production, cul-ture and the living activities of local people. Some bamboo species have been introduced into areas where they are needed. Bambusa vulgaris, which possibly originated in Malaysia and Indonesia ,now has become a cosmopolitan species widely grown in the tropics all over the world. Oxytenanthera abysinica, an indigenous species of Africa with high production and good fiber quality, has been introduced into India for the paper—making in¬dustry. Phyllostachys pubescens, a native of China, was introduced into Japan in 1738 and now has become the most important commercial bamboo there, where it covers 40% of the bamboo lands and produces 59% of culms.
In North America, only Arundinaria gi-gantea and its subspecies are indigenous. Since the last century .American botanists and horticultureists have introduced many different bamboo species and varieties from China, Japan and other Asiatic countries.
The total number of introductions has amounted to 750 of which 200 were species of Phyllostachys. They grow in bamboo gardens in Puerto rico. Florida, Georgia and Southern Califorlia.
In Europe Phyllostachys nigra was the first bamboo introduced into England is 1827. Now there are 14 genera and' 75 species .varieties and forms of cultivated bamboo in the United Kingdean which mostly came from China and Japan. The Bambuserate de Pratrance is a beautiful bin* boo park with about 100' species and varieties of bamboo spreading over about 10 hectares in mys¬terious shades. Among them species of Phyl¬lostachys are the most common. Some other European countries such as West Germany, Italy, Switzerland and even the Soviet Uaion have long introduced some hardy bamboos to plant in their appropriate favorable regions.
Recently, many bamboo enthusiasts in North America, Australia and Europe have been increasingly interested in bamboo intro-duction and cultivation. They have established tne American Bamboo ,the European bamboo Society and the Australian Bamboo Network for communication and popularization of bamboo knowledge. For centuries people in Asia ,
Africa and Latin America noted for bamboo use bamboo to build house, to make boat and other appliance for producing, life and culture entertainment. In a word, bamboo is widely used in food, clothing, lodging and trans¬portation—basic necessities of life of people in the world. So, Bamboo has close relationship with people.
Now in the world, the bamboo forest area is about 30 million hectares and the annual bam¬boo wood is about 20 million tons. Among those bamboo woods, 70% of them are used in building, agriculture producing and daily necessities in the countryside, less 'than 30% of them are used as row materials in industry(Table 2—18)..
In Asian countries noted tor bamboo, bamboos are used is comparable with trees. If it is calculated by the population, the biggest bamboo consuming countries are Burma and Indonesia. The bamboo consuming in
Bangladesh is equiva¬lent to 0. 7 times of; them in India. The bamboo consuming in China and Japan is very high.
That is: Supply fails to meet demand. There are a few big bamboo species in Latin America. The utilization of bamboo in not chief in Latin America. The utilization of bamboo in Africa is not so much as that in Asia. According to incomplete statistics in South—east. Asia mainly noted for bamboo, the aamual bamboo—'wood is more than 1.3 million tons, among tnem, 30%~40% of them are used in building, 15%~20% of them are used in bamboo maufacture, 20%~25% are used in paper pulp and 15%~30% of them are used ini others.
The common tendency is making paper from bamboo in countries noted for bamboo
It is researched according to both inside and the country that the fiber of bamboo is thin and long and has good plasticity from which suited for making high quality paper pulp artificial silk and glassine , Because bamboo has rapid growth, high yield and grows into useful timber in a few years, so it may ceaselessly supply industrial materials.. Bamboo culms generally contain higher and better' fiber than many hardwood species. Producing one ton of unbleached pulp requires four of fresh culms. The annual fiber per area of bamboo stands is 1~2 times than
that of softwoods and hardwoods. The
fiber content of bamboo stand is 40'%--60%. They needn´t peeling. Their derisrty is big(0.7~0.
. The quantity of steamed bamboo is 10%~20% more than that of wood and herb. So, bamboo is a good material for making pa-per. In addition, Aceti acid fiber and nitrifica-tionnal fiber are made from bamboo fiber. So far, the annual paper'pulp is 1.46 million tons in the world. Among them, bamboo pulp is 1 million tons or so. The main countries made paper pulp from bamboo are: India,. China, Bangladesh, Burma, etc.
(1) India The annual bamboo paper pulp is
about 20,000 torts, 0.10~0.15 million tons, 0.4~0.5million tons and o.5~0.6 million in 1930s, 1950s, 1970s and 1980s respectively. The annual bamboo — wood consuming is 2 million tons or so. There are 80 paper factories, among them, there are 30~35 paper factories using bamboo as materials. More than half of its total 3.23 million tons of culms is con sumed by the paper industry (Table 2—19).
T(2) Bangla
