Zimbabwe is grappling with an intensifying commercial timber shortage, a crisis that has forced traders to resort to costly imports from regional neighbours like Mozambique and South Africa.
This reliance on foreign supply is translating directly into surging construction and building material prices, threatening the viability of the country's unprecedented building boom. The country's timber resources are primarily located in the Eastern Highlands.
The acute scarcity is the culmination of decades of environmental mismanagement, driven by a disastrous combination of overcutting without corresponding replanting and a shortage of investment in long-term forestry initiatives.
This has been significantly exacerbated by rampant illegal timber harvesting, wood poaching, and destructive veld fires -- many of which are attributed to illegal settlers clearing land for agriculture and unsanctioned mining activities.
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By 2022, Allied Timbers estimated that thousands of illegal settlers had taken over more than 50 percent of its total available area, and these occupants are cited as the primary cause of devastating veld fires. In its 2023 annual results, Border Timbers identified plantation fire damage, especially arson, as the primary business risk.
According to the Forestry Commission, the direct drivers of forestry depletion include firewood, settlements, agriculture, tobacco curing, charcoal, brick-making, logging, overstocking, construction, mining, and brushwood.
Historical data underscores the severity of the loss. The Forestry Commission found that between 1990 and 2000, Zimbabwe lost an average of 312 900 hectares of forest per year, an annual deforestation rate of 1,41 percent, which then accelerated to 1,64 percent per annum between 2000 and 2005.
However, there has been a notable decline, with the annual deforestation rate estimated at about 262 000 hectares per year as of 2024. Despite this reduction being attributed to reforestation and enhanced law enforcement, the overall depletion of forest resources is now coinciding with a massive spike in demand from the construction sector that local suppliers simply cannot meet.
"Most of the lorries you see are coming from Mozambique. That is why the prices are going up, and this could be just the beginning since the demand is so high," said Mr Peter Karwe, a timber trader at Glen View 8 home industrial complex.
Major timber producers in Zimbabwe include Allied Timbers, Wattle Company of Zimbabwe, and Border Timbers.
Some have been heavily relying on contract milling due to their limited milling capacity. However, as a result of the depletion of mature trees, these contractors are reportedly moving to Mozambique.
Mr Karwe said that over the past few weeks, average prices have increased by 20 percent for different cuts and dimensions of timber. He noted that with the rainy season approaching, prices could go even higher as production will be constrained by the wet conditions. However, construction activity also tends to slow down during the rainy season, which could help offset this impact.
The long-term outlook for self-sufficiency remains grim. Experts warn that even if the country immediately embarks on aggressive replanting campaigns, the commercial timber species essential for construction require an extended maturation period of between 20 and 25 years. This lengthy growth cycle means the scarcity is structurally embedded for the foreseeable future, effectively locking the country into a prolonged reliance on expensive timber imports.
Because of the shortage of timber from established forestry companies, some traders have resorted to buying from households with small plantations. The resulting timber quality is questionable, as the undocumented age of some trees makes it difficult to verify the quality of the final product.
Zimbabwe Timber Federation chairman Mr Darlington Duwa said companies are now forced to import timber to maintain operations, which he sees as conclusive evidence of severe resource depletion.
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Mr Duwa provided a grim forecast, warning that the current shortage is "just a beginning" and the situation is "set to worsen."
"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."
With the industry now reeling from the impact of lost forests and inadequate new growth, Mr Duwa stressed that the only immediate mitigation strategy is the "efficient use of the remaining resources" to temper the looming crisis.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Environment, Climate, and Wildlife Ministry announced a nationwide blitz against illegal woodcutting and logging to shield the country's remaining natural resources. The strategy includes increased surveillance, the deployment of forest rangers and law enforcement officials to high-risk areas, and a multi-agency operation. It seeks to balance immediate conservation efforts with the long-term needs of the economy.
