Miombo Ecology and Management

Emmanuel Chidumayo is the foremost authority on Miombo woodlands.

This book provides comprehensive details of the climate, environment, ecology and species characteristic of Miombo, and describes methods for assessing the timber and other resources, through inventories, in order to use the forest sustainably.

LIST OF TABLES; LIST OF FIGURES; LIST OF TEXT BOXES; LIST OF EQUATIONS . FOREWORD; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; ABBREVIATIONS; 1 INTRODUCTION; THE ZAMBEZIAN PHYTOREGION; Dry forest; Swamp and riparian forest; Woodland; Thicket; Grassland; THE ECOLOGY OF MIOMBO WOODLAND; Climate; Soils; Nutrient cycling; Soil conservation; Water use and conservation; Tree regeneration; Woody plant biomass production; 2 THE UTILIZATION OF MIOMBO; AGRICULTURE; Cultivation; Pastoralism; WOOD PRODUCTS; WOODFUEL; WILD FOODS; MEDICINAL PLANTS; ANIMAL PRODUCTS; Bush meat; Edible insects; Honey; 3 THE ROLE OF FIRE; THE OCCURRENCE OF FIRE; CAUSES AND FREQUENCY OF FIRES; PLANT ADAPTATIONS TO FIRE; THE EFFECTS ON SUCCESSION; 4 MANAGEMENT INVENTORIES AND ASSESSMENTS; INVENTORIES; Objectives and procedure; Sampling design and plots; Types of data; Site history; ASSESSMENTS; Plant biomass; Species diversity; Seeds and seedlings; Cultivation and deforestation; Critical population density under shifting cultivation; Charcoal yield and deforestation; The effects of fire; The effects of wood carbonization on soil; The effects of deforestation; Grazing and browsing; Litter decomposition; 5 MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES; NATURAL REGENERATION; Harvesting techniques; Cutting cycles; Fire management; Traditional tree conservation practices; Grazing and browsing; PLANTATION REGENERATION; Species selection; Seed collection and storage; Seed sowing; Nursery techniques; Vegetative propagation; Planting and tending 143; Enrichment planting on charcoal spots 143; CATCHMENT AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION 144; References; Appendices