Like most states of the African Sahel, Chad has suffered desertification—the encroachment of the desert.^[1] Traditional herding practices and the need for firewood and wood for construction have exacerbated the problem.^[1] In the early 1980s, the country possessed between 135,000 and 160,000 square kilometres of forest and woodlands, representing a decline of almost 14% from the early 1960s.^[1] To what extent this decline was caused by climatic changes and to what extent by herding and cutting practices is unknown.^[1] Regulation was difficult because some people traditionally made their living selling wood and charcoal for fuel and wood for construction to people in the urban center.^[1] Although the government attempted to limit wood brought into the capital, the attempts have not been well managed, and unrestricted cutting of woodlands remained a problem.^[1]