Martin Herzog

Inselstrasse 62

4057 Basel

Tel/Fax: (061) 831 80 15

Photo Report on "Forestry in Somaliland"

In spite of being an arid country with only a meagre shrublands - Somaliland uses enormous quantities of charcoal: Just its capital Hargeisa is burning each day 13 lorries = 80 tons of charcoal! More is exported (illegally) to Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

This here is one of the best of its remaining natural forests at the WAGAR hills in the north-east.

Preparation of a charcoal-kiln.

The easy way to cut trees - by burning at the bottom. (s. as well report on Ethiopia, where the same method is used to fell trees with really impressive diameters - up to 7m!

Precisely the same method for forest clearing was observed by Max Weber during his visit to the USA in 1904. The stumps of the trees were painted with tar and lit, so the trees died.

That's what is left after. If the rotation period is sufficient (10 years lets say) this would be no problem, but if no time is given to the trees to regrow, the result is the following:

Here it goes - the wood as well as the forest...

At several places nurseries have been established. This here at Boroma by the British, still during the time of the protectorate.

This one is private, at Hargeisa.

As in Yemen - seedlings have to be heavily protected (those bl... camels are soooo tall!).

Martin Herzog, Rheinfelden, September 1996

brainworker Reports