Joy OBIAZI

This study was carried out to assess the type of furniture-making industries, their preferred woody species, prioritization of woody species based on availability and commonly used and estimate volume of wood used monthly and yearly by these furniture industries. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews, eighty (80) questionnaires were distributed to 16 furniture-making industries in Oredo Local Government Area. All the data collected were analysed and presented using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and charts. This result showed that age of respondent ranged between 18-55years. Also, the result showed that the years of experience of the respondents ranged between 1-15 years. This revealed that 7 industries were small-scale, 6 were medium-scale and 3 were large-scale. A total of 10 woody species from 7 plant family were identified as being utilized by the sampled furniture industries. The most preferred woody species was Cordia millenii, followed by Khaya ivorensis and the least preferred is Guarea cedrata followed by Mansonia altissima. The estimated volume of wood utilized monthly by the industries ranged from 0.6m3 to 10.81m3 with a total monthly volume of 113.94m3 and a mean of
7.12±0.84m3 per outlet and also, the estimated yearly usage ranged from 10.6m3 to 106.2m3 culminating in a total annual volume of 1062.2m3 and a mean of 66.39±8.1m3 per outlet. This study revealed that furniture making is an economically viable and steadily growing craft within Oredo Local Government Area, largely sustained by small-scale and medium-scale industries. To ensure long-term resource availability and industrial growth, there is a pressing need for reforestation initiatives, sustainable wood sourcing practices, and policy interventions that promote responsible utilization of forest resources in Oredo Local Government Area.