In southern Africa the phenomenon of the increase in woody plant abundance is commonly referred to as "bush encroachment", though the term "bush thickening" is more appropriate. It can be defined as the excessive increase in the density and cover of one or more indigenous woody species that exploit disruptions of the grass/bush balance at the expense of grasses. It has long been considered an ecological and economic problem in the rangelands of Namibia and the area affected by bush thickening in Namibia is estimated to be approximately 260 000 km². Enormous amounts of money and effort have already been put into treating the existing symptoms, but many attempts at combating the problem have in effect aggravated the problem. Due to the cost of bush control measures there is an increasing awareness of woody plants as a harvestable resource with a monetary value - such as the possible utilization of woody biomass as a source of energy. The assignment has two main objectives: (i) to establish a tested and accepted methodology of local biomass resource assessment, and (ii) to prepare and implement a local biomass resource assessment in a selected area of Namibia.