Trends in the usage of timber species for building construction among small and medium scale contractors in Ghana

Abstract

The research aimed at determining the trends in the usage of timber species among small and medium scale building contractors in Ghana. The specific objectives were to determine timber species that have been used in the past decade by small and medium scale building contractors in Ghana; to determine the current timber species being used by small and medium scale building contractors in Ghana and to determine factors that influence the choice of particular timber species in building construction in Ghana. Questionnaires, on site observations and unstructured interviews were the instruments used for data collection from 45 stakeholders in the timber and construction industry such as building contractors, lumber traders, saw millers, carpenters and chain saw operators.. The study employed quantitative and descriptive techniques to analyze data collected. It was observed from the findings that, there are over 20 lesser known timber species on the Ghanaian local timber market predominantly Essa, Konkroma and Teak that can serve the same purposes as the traditional known timber species. It was concluded that, the extinction of the traditional known timber species used by small and medium scale building contractors is as a results of their over exploitation in the construction industry. Essa, Konkroma, Apro, Teak, Bese, Subaha, Ofram and Nyamedua are the most current timber species being used in building construction works. The research recommend that, more research is carried out on the strength properties and application of lesser-used species (LUS) among Small and Medium Scale building contractors in Ghana to reduce their total reliance on the traditional known timber species in their construction work. The use of lesser-used timber species should be promoted to sustain the trends in the usage of timber species in building construction in Ghana.