Sparse Distribution Pattern Of Some Plant Species In Two Afromontane Rain Forests Of The Eastern Arc Mountains Of Tanzania

Mountain forests play major roles in biodiversity; containing many endemics and species of conservation concern. The diversity and distribution patterns of plants in mountain ecosystems are influenced by various environmental and anthropogenic factors that exhibit heterogeneity over space and time. This study analysed species diversity and distribution patterns on two afromontane rain forests of the eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania in the west Usambaras and Ulugurus to assess any possible threats to biodiversity conservation in this region. A hundred sample plots (0.02 ha) were established on each of the two mountain ranges in such a way as to cover as much variations as possible from valley bottoms to ridge tops. The analysis was based on species importance values computed from the average of the relative basal area and relative density as well as species frequency. Using different diversity indices, the study showed that the mountains have high species diversity. Eighteen endemic species were identified in the Usambaras and thirty-two in the Ulugurus. These endemics are fairly shared between the two mountains and other mountain massifs of the Eastern Arc. Based on our analysis of species distribution, it was found that the proportion of sparsely (rarely) distributed species was over 30% and 49% for the woody species and total vascular plants, respectively. These findings are important in alerting on possible decline of biodiversity in the region and prompting the development of policies to address rare, threatened, and endangered plant species, which are non-existence in Tanzania. We suggest further surveys in the forests of the Eastern Arc Mountains to determine whether the apparently sparse distribution of some species may be found in reasonable abundances elsewhere and quantify the manner and type of use of the forest resources by surrounding local communities to determine their possible impacts on species distribution. TJFNC Vol. 75 2004: pp. 74-9

A national forestry resources monitoring and assessment of Tanzania (NAFORMA)

NATIONAL FORESTRY RESOURCES MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF TANZANIA (NAFORMA) GCP/GLO/194/MULIn Tanzania, the state and trends of the forestry resources are largely unknown. The existing information is fragmented and outdated. Reliable information on Tanzanian forest resources is mainly constrained by the lack of institutional capacity. Under the National Forest Programme of Tanzania, the National Forestry Resources Monitoring and Assessment (NAFORMA) was identified as a priority activity for the Forest and Beekeeping Division (FBD). The results of NAFORMA are needed to support the national policy processes for the enhancement of sustainable forest management (SFM) while at the same time addressing issues of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and Green House Gas (GHG) as international reporting obligations. Yet, the demand of the stakeholders in Tanzania for data and information on the state of the forestry resources is continuously expanding. This project is planned to develop complete and sound baseline information on the forest and tree resources, assist the FBD to set up a specialized structure and put in place a long term monitoring system of the forestry ecosystems. The inventory will eventually yield information about vegetation cover, forest resources, forest utilization, and importance of forests and forest product for communities in Tanzania. When the inventory exercise is based on statistically sound sampling design, careful field work, and advanced data analysis, the final inventory report will provide estimates for biomass and carbon in Tanzanian forest lands. This information will serve emerging demands when building up forest monitoring system and international carbon trade schemes. Proper planning is crucial for the project to meet its goals. This includes preparation of field manual to enable field crews to collect relevant data for the project. The purpose of this field manual is to provide the FBD inventory staff with structured information on the inventory techniques that will lead to the achievement of the intended output

Genotype and soil fertility interaction in the growth of black spruce progeny from a central New Brunswick population

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 1985, 15(2): 410-416.Seedlings representing 10 half-sib families from a black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) stand in central New Brunswick were raised in a greenhouse on three different soils, each with two levels of fertility. Seedling growth varied significantly with soil, fertility, and half-sib family. After 7 months mean dry weights, for example, ranged from 0.292 to 0.755 g with soil, 0.174 to 0.936 g with level of fertility, and 0.370 to 0.657 g with family. With soil and fertility considered fixed variables, the family and family–fertility interaction accounted for approximately 3 and 20% of the phenotypic variation in mean seedling dry weight, respectively. Similar variance components were observed for shoot and root weights, and root collar diameter. Based on the family – soil fertility interaction, the population was divided into groups of (i) broadly adapted families showing average performance through the full range of fertility environments, (ii) strong responders, i.e., families performing below average at low fertility, but showing a large fertilization response, and (iii) weak or nonresponders, i.e., families performing poorly in all fertility environments

Genotype and soil fertility interaction in the growth of black spruce progeny from a central New Brunswick population

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 1985, 15(2): 410-416.Seedlings representing 10 half-sib families from a black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) stand in central New Brunswick were raised in a greenhouse on three different soils, each with two levels of fertility. Seedling growth varied significantly with soil, fertility, and half-sib family. After 7 months mean dry weights, for example, ranged from 0.292 to 0.755 g with soil, 0.174 to 0.936 g with level of fertility, and 0.370 to 0.657 g with family. With soil and fertility considered fixed variables, the family and family–fertility interaction accounted for approximately 3 and 20% of the phenotypic variation in mean seedling dry weight, respectively. Similar variance components were observed for shoot and root weights, and root collar diameter. Based on the family – soil fertility interaction, the population was divided into groups of (i) broadly adapted families showing average performance through the full range of fertility environments, (ii) strong responders, i.e., families performing below average at low fertility, but showing a large fertilization response, and (iii) weak or nonresponders, i.e., families performing poorly in all fertility environments

Comparative growth performance of different Casuarina species and provenance at Lushoto in the West Usambara mountains, Tanzania : scientific paper

Variation in growth charactristics, coppicing ability and understory vegetation development was assessed in four Casuarina species (C. equisetifolia, C. junghuhniana, C. cunnighamiana and C. oligodon) grown in Lushoto in the West Usambara Mountains (WUM), Tanzania. The performance of the four species as well as of 12 provenances, including 5 landraces within some of the species was studied. Tree survival was assessed at 36 months; stem height, diameter at breast height (dbh), volume, biomass, coppicing ability and understorey vegetation development were assessed at 78 months. Survival was significantly lower in C. equisetifolia (79%) than in other species (>97%). There were significant differences in growth between species, with C. junghuhniana and C. oligodon outperforming the others, and C. cunnighamiana outyielding C. equisetifolia. Only C. junghuhniana and C. cunnighamiana coppiced, while understorey biomass was significantly higher under C. equisetifolia than under C. oligodon. There were significant differences in growth between provenances within species, with growth of new provenances often exceeding that of the local land races. The potential for fuel wood production and soil N - enrichment through foliage addition also exhibited inter-specific and intra-specific variation. There is great opportunity to significantly improve the productivity, and at the same time broaden the genetic base of Casuarinas through species and provenance selection for planting in the highland areas of the WUM. However, while exploiting the productive potential of Casuarinas, there is need to build sufficient information regarding their side effects on conservation of natural ecosystems, and local community's views on how to minimise the problem. Keywords: Casuarina species, Provences, West Usambara, Coppicing, Undersstorey biodiversity Southern African Forestry Journal No.200 2004: 39-4

A national forestry resources monitoring and assessment of Tanzania (NAFORMA)

NATIONAL FORESTRY RESOURCES MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF TANZANIA (NAFORMA) GCP/GLO/194/MULIn Tanzania, the state and trends of the forestry resources are largely unknown. The existing information is fragmented and outdated. Reliable information on Tanzanian forest resources is mainly constrained by the lack of institutional capacity. Under the National Forest Programme of Tanzania, the National Forestry Resources Monitoring and Assessment (NAFORMA) was identified as a priority activity for the Forest and Beekeeping Division (FBD). The results of NAFORMA are needed to support the national policy processes for the enhancement of sustainable forest management (SFM) while at the same time addressing issues of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and Green House Gas (GHG) as international reporting obligations. Yet, the demand of the stakeholders in Tanzania for data and information on the state of the forestry resources is continuously expanding. This project is planned to develop complete and sound baseline information on the forest and tree resources, assist the FBD to set up a specialized structure and put in place a long term monitoring system of the forestry ecosystems. The inventory will eventually yield information about vegetation cover, forest resources, forest utilization, and importance of forests and forest product for communities in Tanzania. When the inventory exercise is based on statistically sound sampling design, careful field work, and advanced data analysis, the final inventory report will provide estimates for biomass and carbon in Tanzanian forest lands. This information will serve emerging demands when building up forest monitoring system and international carbon trade schemes. Proper planning is crucial for the project to meet its goals. This includes preparation of field manual to enable field crews to collect relevant data for the project. The purpose of this field manual is to provide the FBD inventory staff with structured information on the inventory techniques that will lead to the achievement of the intended output

Growth of second rotation Pinus patula stands: effect of intercropping with Leucaena diversiforlia legume at Shume Forest Plantations Project, Tanzania.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Leucaena diversifolia on the growth of second rotation Pinus patula stands as one of the options for increasing growth and yield. The trial was conducted at Shume Forest Plantations Project, Lushoto, Tanga, Tanzania. Site preparation was done through clearing of the harvested first rotation stands, burning of the logging slash, followed by complete cultivation. Nursery raised potted seedlings of the Pinus patula were planted in 1997 at a spacing of 3 m × 3 m within each plot, while those of Leucaena diversifolia were interplanted in alternating rows in 1998, followed by complete weeding twice a year. A Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with three replications was adapted. Total tree height and diameter at breast height (dbh) were measured in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and analyzed for growth. Within the limits of the present study, the results on the cumulative growth performance of the second rotation pine plantations in their pure stands were, generally superior to those recorded in the mixtures with Leucaena trees - mainly resulting from the underground competition for limited nutrient resources. The mean cumulative heights were 3.67, 4.82, 5.58 and 7.77 m in pure stands and 3.64, 4.71, 5.55 and 7.60 m in the mixtures while the corresponding diameters were 4.74, 6.95, 9.78, 12.39 cm and 4.65, 6.69, 8.64, 11.41 cm for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of assessment respectively. The corresponding 1st, 2nd and 3rd annual height increments were 1.15, 0.76, 2.19 m and 1.07, 0.84, 2.05 m with annual diameter increments being 2.21, 2.83, 2.61 cm and 2.04, 1.95, 2.77 cm respectively. Although, within the time limits of the present study, the anticipated beneficial effects of the Leucaena legumes in promoting the growth of none leguminous plantation trees were not indicated in terms of cumulative growth, they were clearly manifested in the fourth year of annual increment trends. These results should, therefore, be treated as preliminary and an extended monitoring protocol is recommended to give room for the observed emergence of favorable effects, through the annual increment trends, to translate into positive cumulative growth expected to manifest within the first half of the pine\'s 25-30 years rotation age. TJFNC Vol. 76 2007: pp. 110-11

Yield of edible pleurotus mushrooms grown on rice straw with and without chicken manure supplementation in Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2008; 77:46-53n experiment was conducted to determine the performance of different species of edible Pleurotus mushrooms grown on rice straw substrate with and without chicken manure supplementation. The Pleurotus species /varieties tested were P. flabellatus of Tanzania, India and Thailand origin, and P. sajor caju from Tanzania. Rice straw with and without chicken manure were used as substrates. The results showed that the duration of time from spawning to pin formation and from pin formation to first harvest was not significantly different for both treatments (p=0.05). The yields of the Indian and Thai P. flabellatus varieties were significantly higher than yields of P. flabellatus and P. sajor caju from Tanzania (p=0.05). The yields of the substrate amended with manure and un-amended were not significantly different. These results suggest that yields of the studied varieties of Pleurotus mushrooms are not influenced by substrate amendments rather other factors like spawn quality. This implies that use of high quality spawn can be a good determinant of high yields. On the other hand local varieties had lower yields than exotic varieties under the same treatments showing that research and breeding to screen and select for good quality local edible varieties can adequately improve yields and utilization of local breeds/varieties

Yield of edible pleurotus mushrooms grown on rice straw with and without chicken manure supplementation in Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2008; 77:46-53n experiment was conducted to determine the performance of different species of edible Pleurotus mushrooms grown on rice straw substrate with and without chicken manure supplementation. The Pleurotus species /varieties tested were P. flabellatus of Tanzania, India and Thailand origin, and P. sajor caju from Tanzania. Rice straw with and without chicken manure were used as substrates. The results showed that the duration of time from spawning to pin formation and from pin formation to first harvest was not significantly different for both treatments (p=0.05). The yields of the Indian and Thai P. flabellatus varieties were significantly higher than yields of P. flabellatus and P. sajor caju from Tanzania (p=0.05). The yields of the substrate amended with manure and un-amended were not significantly different. These results suggest that yields of the studied varieties of Pleurotus mushrooms are not influenced by substrate amendments rather other factors like spawn quality. This implies that use of high quality spawn can be a good determinant of high yields. On the other hand local varieties had lower yields than exotic varieties under the same treatments showing that research and breeding to screen and select for good quality local edible varieties can adequately improve yields and utilization of local breeds/varieties

Variations in the Forest Productivity of <i>Pinus patula</i> Plantations in Tanzania: The Need for an Improved Site Classification System

The productivity of forests in sub-Saharan Africa is often summarized into large compartments or site classes. However, the classification of forest productivity levels based on the original site index model in Tanzania and the techniques applied to generate the model did not include the micro-toposequence variations within compartments. This may create false expectations of wood supply and hinder the estimation of sustainable harvesting processes. This study analyzed variations in forest productivity and the site index in P. patula stands in two forest plantations of Tanzania to assess the applicability and generality of the present site classification system. We used dominant height as a proxy for forest productivity in 48 plots at the Sao Hill forest plantation (SHFP) and 24 plots at the Shume forest plantation (SFP). We stratified the sampling plots in each site class along the soil catena and recorded the elevation, slope, and slope positions (summit, mid, and lower). Our results showed that the site classes did not generally match the previously assigned site classes and the productivity of a given site class varied between the two plantations. We found a consistently higher productivity than that implied by the original site index in SFP, while in SHFP, the productivity was both higher and lower than estimated in different compartments. Both elevations and slope significantly contributed to predicting the productivity variations within site classes. Overall, the results indicate that physiographic factors affect variations in forest productivity within the assigned site classes. We recommend a more comprehensive site productivity assessment that takes into account physiographic variations and hence provides more accurate information for sustainable forest plantation management in Tanzania and in the region at large