The need and means for sustainable use of wood in the Tanzanian construction industry.

Pronounced increase in construction activities in Tanzania has a corresponding utilization of wood products. This adds to the already aggravated situation by wood harvest for fuel; manufacturing and forest clearance for agricultural purposes. In most cases exploitation of wood is done to fulfil the immediate social and economic gains while paying minimum attention to the extended environmental ramifications. Among other aspects, the industry is characterized by use of wood harvested from sensitive environments like mangrove forests, for temporary structures such as scaffolds and formworks. On the other hand, high quality timber is used for relatively undeserving joinery works. Worse still, when the temporary structures are demolished the wood end up in cooking stoves as fuel while they could be reused or recycled for construction purposes. This paper presents the observed shortcomings and highlights the applicable mitigations that are being explored in the ongoing research.