Sub-Saharan Africa
Restoration of Dry Afromontane forest using pioneer shrubs as nurse-plants for Olea europaea ssp. cuspidataBackgroundShrubs are often considered competitive barriers for seedlings planted in reforestation programs, although they can facilitate tree recruitment, especially in ecosystems under high abiotic stress. An alternative reforestation technique using pioneer shrubs as nurse-plants for Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata was tested in exclosures in northern Ethiopia. Open access copy available |
The Savanna Tree Acacia polyacantha Facilitates the Establishment of Riparian Forests in Serengeti National Park, TanzaniabackgroundThis study tests if stands of Acacia polyacantha facilitate the establishment of forest trees by examining the distribution, growth, and survival of juvenile forest trees. The influence of stand size, locations within the stand, presence of canopy trees, competition from grasses, effects of fires and effects of thorny shrubs on herbivore exclusion and conditions for establishment of A. polyacantha in grasslands were examined in Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. Open access copy available |
Enrichment Planting Does Not Improve Tree Restoration when Compared with Natural Regeneration in a Former Pine Plantation in Kibale National Park, UgandabackgroundThis study assesses the rate of biomass accumulation of planted seedlings relative to natural regeneration in a harvested plantation in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Enrichment planting was carried out in an area where a pine plantation had been harvested to determine the relative value of these management options. Available with subscription or purchase |
Reforestation of the Abutia Plains by indigenous communities in the Volta Basin (Ghana) ex post evaluationBackgroundDeforestation an degradation in Ghana has been an on-going issue, with one-third of the country's forested area reporting lossed between 1955 to 1972. This has been due to increased human acitivities and the effects have been further aggravated by socio-economic issues. In 1994, the government of Ghana adapted a Forest & Wildlife Policy and established a program for reforestation that involved a variety of stakeholders. Open access copy available |
Establishment of Broad-leaved Thickets in Serengeti, Tanzania: The Influence of Fire, Browsers, Grass Competition, and ElephantsBackgroundIn Tanzania, thickets are declining due to frequent fires yet when the fires are removed the thickets fail to regrow. As a fire-resistant tree, seedlings of E. divinorum are potentially an ideal species to restore these land covers. Available with subscription or purchase |
Intensive Tree Planting Facilitates Tropical Forest Biodiversity and Biomass Accumulation in Kibale National Park, UgandabackgroundThis study investigates how intensive planting affects tropical forest regeneration and biomass accumulation in reforested sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The study assessed species richness of naturally regenerating (i.e. non-planted) species in the park and compared the biomass accumulation of planted versus naturally regenerating trees in sites replanted by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Available with subscription or purchase |
Effects of Canopy Cover and Understory Environment of Tree Plantations on Richness, Density and Size of Colonizing Woody Species in Southern EthiopiabackgroundThis study investigates the effects of canopy characteristics and associated understory environmental factors of tree plantations on native woody species colonization in two broadleaved and two coniferous plantations in southern Ethiopia. The plantation forests investigated are surrounded by dry Afromontane natural forest. Available with subscription or purchase |
Effect of Taungya on Regeneration of Endemic Forest Tree Species in Nigeria: Edo State Nigeria as a Case StudybackgroundThis study aims to investigate the number of native species that can regenerate under natural conditions in a 3-year Taungya system in Edo State, Nigeria. Taungya is an agroforestry system that combines forestry practices with agriculture and agriculture-related activities. Open access copy available |
Consequences of plantation harvest during tropical forest restoration in UgandaBackgroundTimber plantations have recently received considerable attention as a forest restoration strategy for heavily degraded lands in the humid tropics. Plantations can facilitate secondary forest regrowth by providing an understory environment more favorable for native plant recruitment than unmanaged degraded habitats. This study explores how using plantations as a restoration tool affects forest succession; how initial floristics affect successional pathways; and the effect of fire exclusion or other interventions. Open access copy available |
Fire Control as a Simple Means of Promoting Tropical Forest RestorationbackgroundThis study investigates whether or not fire exclusion allows grasslands to regenerate to forest in a timeframe suitable for reforestation efforts. The researchers compare tree species richness, dbh, diameter at ground height (DGH), and total woody biomass accumulation in 2 plots that have been protected from fire. They measure the size and amount of above ground biomass in plots that have been protected from fire for 12 and 32 years respectively in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Open access copy available |
