Wood is a major natural resource for Rwanda. Timber is used for building schools and houses and throughout the country wood is used for cooking. In Rwanda, traditionally trees are felled with the machete, which implies the trunk is cut at man’s height and much timber is wasted.  

With a chainsaw however, trunks can be cut low to the ground. And of course trees are felled faster and more efficiently.  That is why lumbermen and forest managers must learn to handle the chainsaw.

Seven lumbermen and forest managers attended a ten-day training session on how to use the chainsaw. Special attention was paid to safety issues and forest management. The trainees are to transfer their know-how to other forest managers. This video shows you how the seven trainees did at the end of the training session.  

Training was offered by the Belgian-Rwandan reforestation project PAREF II, which assists the Rwanda government in its ambitious plan to expand Rwanda’s forest acreage with 30% by 2020 through better forest management.