The forestry sector plays a significant role in the lives of Ugandans in the following areas:
Employment: The forestry sector offers significant employment. Rough estimates put the current annual turnover of business in forestry at close to Ush 297 billion with the non-monetary value accounting for 30% of this.
Raw materials for Construction and Furniture Making and Energy: The forestry sector provides energy and raw materials for the construction and furniture making industries. Over 90% of the national energy demand is from firewood and charcoal. While about 400,000 cubic meters per year is used in the construction industry and for furniture making (Claus-Michael, 2000).
Food Security, Cultural and Spiritual Values: The rural population in Uganda depends on forests for food security, agricultural productivity and cultural and spiritual values that depend on trees and environmental services from trees. Forests are a major source of medicinal plants, which are mostly used by the rural population (about 90%).