Thanks to its geographical position in the Congo Basin, Cameroon has a forest area estimated at 22 million hectares, or nealy 46% of the total country area, of which 17.5 are exploitable. 26 000 hectares (0.1% of the forest area) is categorised as planted forest. The country has nearly 300 species of trees, including tali, ayous, bubinga and okam/ adoum. In 2021, national production was estimated at 2.4 million m3, production down 20% compared to 2018.

Despite the partial ban on exporting wood in the form of logs, and the gradual intensification of the processing industry, logs still beat the export record. In 2021, the country exported more than 800,000 m³ of log wood, and barely 700,000 m³ of sawn wood. In the 2022 finance law, the State increased the taxation on log exports, log export duties increased from 35% to 50%. And at the same time, the State has authorized an exemption from duties and taxes on the importation of machines and equipment for wood processing, in order to encourage the industrialization of this sector. Finally, it is important to note that Asia remains Cameroon’s main customer for timber exports.