Roots and Returns: How Value-Added Timber Can Create Jobs and Keep Liberia's Forests Standing

May 7, 2026 | Ngao Mubanga, Alari Hasanatu Ijileyoh Mahdi, Julieta Calcopietro, Henrique B. Zay Zay, and Marcelo Acerbi
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Half of Liberia’s population lives within two and a half kilometers of a forest. For most of these families, the forest is not scenery. It is the pharmacy, the grocery store, and the paycheck. Seven out of ten households collect forest products to eat or sell, and around 40,000 workers are formally employed in a sector contributing 10% to GDP. The forest is not a backdrop to Liberian life. It is at the heart of the economy.