Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium nonalfalfae</Emphasis> on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ailanthus altissima</Emphasis> and associated indigenous and invasive tree species in eastern Austria

The naturally occurring Verticillium nonalfalfae shows promise for biocontrol of the highly invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), but might also bear a risk for non-target tree species. In this study, we conducted inoculations on potted seedlings of A. altissima as well as on eight indigenous and two invasive tree species associated with Tree of Heaven in Austria. Although vascular discolourations developed in all inoculated tree species, V. nonalfalfae was reisolated from Ailanthus and eight of the ten non-target-species, whereas typical disease symptoms and mortality only occurred on A. altissima. Results confirmed high susceptibility (S) of A. altissima to V. nonalfalfae but indicated tolerance (T) of Acer campestre, Acer pseudoplatanus and Quercus robur, possible resistance (PR) of Fraxinus excelsior, Populus nigra, Tilia cordata, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus minor and resistance (R) of Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Robinia pseudoacacia to this potential biocontrol agent. Results from seedling inoculations were confirmed by cursory field observations in Ailanthus-inoculated forest stands, where admixed A. campestre, A. pseudoplatanus, F. excelsior, Populus alba, R. pseudoacacia and U. laevis canopy trees remained asymptomatic, while mortality was induced in Ailanthus.     

Effects of flooding on the recruitment, damage and mortality of riparian tree species: A field and simulation study on the Rhine floodplain

The extensive flooding by the river Rhine on May 12 1999 provided an opportunity to investigate the impact of such an extreme event in terms of damage and mortality of adult trees in floodplains. Such data is highly valuable for determining the potential impact of climate change on the zonation of tree species along rivers. We analysed an extensive dataset of the damage and mortality suffered by groups of adult trees of the following species as a consequence of this flood: the hardwoods Acer campestre L., Acer platanoides L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., Carpinus betulus L., Fagus sylvatica L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Juglans nigra L., Prunus avium (L.) L., Quercus robur L., Tilia cordata Mill., Ulmus laevis Pall. and Ulmus minor Miller, and the softwoods Salix spp. L. and Populus spp. L.A logistic survivorship curve revealed that mortality of A. platanoides, A. pseudoplatanus and T. cordata increased significantly with increasing duration of flooding; C. betulus and F. excelsior showed a significant increase of damage and mortality with increasing flooding depth. There was no mortality of Salix spp. and Populus spp. in either the flooded or unflooded areas. No statistically significant relationships were found for the other tree species. Multivariate analysis revealed that flooding duration, flooding depth and flooding velocity explain 19%, 11% and 8%, respectively, of the variation in damage and mortality of trees.The survivorship curves of adult trees obtained in this study were combined with similar curves of saplings based on an earlier study and applied in an individual-tree, process-based simulation model. The simulated effects of flooding on an initial random distribution of trees species on a hypothetical floodplain resulted in a realistic zonation of tree species along the river. When extreme events were simulated, the zonation shifted upward. This demonstrates the model's usefulness in assessment and planning studies of the impacts of climate change on tree species composition in river floodplains in north-west Europe.     

Assessing regional species pools for restoration programs in Spain

The relationship between current and potential distribution in 34 main Spanish forest tree species (data from the Third Spanish Forest Inventory) was determined using a Maximum Entropy functional approximation with climatic data as predictive variables. A method for detecting regional species pools at two different scales: biogeoclimatic classes (CLATERES classification), and forest landscape types (WWF classification) has been proposed. Then, the Absence percentage for a species (i.e. the proportion of landscapes types or biogeoclimatic classes in which the species is included in the regional species pool but is actually not present) was determined. Results show higher figures of Potential Species Richness in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Range, while inland or coastal Mediterranean semiarid landscapes have lower figures. Using a classification based on biogeoclimatic variables (CLATERES) improves precision when estimating Absent Species Richness. Absence percentage is zero or close to zero for five species (Pinus uncinata, Quercus robur, Quercus ilex, Quercus humilis and Juniperus communis), while for other six species (Acer pseudoplatanus, Fraxinus angustifolia, Alnus glutinosa, Populus alba, Sorbus aucuparia and Pinus pinea) the figures are higher than 0.6, which means the species is absent in more than 60 % of the landscapes or biogeoclimatic classes that it could inhabit. The relationships between tree life traits and the absence of species from the ecosystems studied is slight but non-dominant species, species not subjected to forest management, or zonal species are less widely distributed that their climatic potentiality indicates.     

Eutypella canker of maple: first report from Germany and situation in Austria

Eutypella canker of maple, caused by Eutypella parasitica (which is native to North America), is reported for the first time from Germany. From 2013 to 2015, this perennial canker disease was recorded on 105 maple trees in Munich. Six maple species were affected: Acer pseudoplatanus, A. campestre, A. platanoides, A. cappadocicum, A. heldreichii ssp. trautvetteri and A. hyrcanum. Occurrence on the latter three species represents new host records for E. parasitica. In Austria, Eutypella canker was newly discovered on two trees at a second locality in 2011, and it is now known to occur on seven A. pseudoplatanus trees at two localities, which are separated nearly 150 km. A. pseudoplatanus was the most frequent host of E. parasitica in Munich and Austria, which is in agreement with previous studies in Europe. The identity of the causative pathogen as E. parasitica was verified by ITS rDNA sequencing of fungal cultures obtained from cankers in Munich and at both Austrian localities. The presence of large and old cankers in both countries suggests that introduction of E. parasitica dates back a long time, probably several decades. The new records of Eutypella canker in Germany and Austria show that the disease is more widely distributed in central Europe than previously recognized.     

Gap partitioning among temperate tree species across a regional soil gradient in windstorm-disturbed forests

Canopy closure and soil characteristics are commonly used to explain regeneration distribution at local and regional scales, although very few studies take both factors into account. The combination of environmental variables defined at broad and local scales is necessary to provide regeneration distribution models with a small resolution (tree scale) that are valid on a large spatial scale (regional scale). Our aim was to quantify how gap partitioning among tree species at the seedling stage varies across large soil and stand type gradients. Regeneration inventories performed 5 years after gap creation were used to analyse the combined effects of soil type, stand type, and position within canopy gaps on the regeneration development of eight western European broadleaved species: Acer campestre, Acer pseudoplatanus, Betulapendula, Carpinusbetulus, Fagussylvatica, Fraxinusexcelsior, Quercus sp., and Salixcaprea. A clear pattern of gap partitioning among the eight species was observed. All species had higher density at the gap edge except birch and willow showing the highest presence in gap centres. For all species, the probability of presence of tall seedlings (height > 0.5 m) increased from gap edge to gap centre. Small seedlings presented the opposite trend except birch and willow. Soil pH influenced probability of presence for each species, but did not affect the pattern of gap partitioning among species. Both local (location within the gap) and regional (soil pH and stand type) scale factors affect recruitment distribution and are thus necessary to predict seedling distribution. The models developed may be used to determine the optimal gap size in order to obtain a given species composition according to soil and stand type conditions.     

Potential redistribution of tree species habitat under five climate change scenarios in the eastern US

Global climate change could have profound effects on the Earth’s biota, including large redistributions of tree species and forest types. We used DISTRIB, a deterministic regression tree analysis model, to examine environmental drivers related to current forest-species distributions and then model potential suitable habitat under five climate change scenarios associated with a doubling of atmospheric CO₂. Potential shifts in suitable habitat for 76 common tree species in the eastern US were evaluated based on more than 100,000 plots and 33 environmental variables related to climate, soils, land use, and elevation. Regression tree analysis was used to devise prediction rules from current species–environment relationships. These rules were used to replicate the current distribution and predict the potential suitable habitat for more than 2100 counties east of the 100th meridian. The calculation of an importance value-weighted area score, averaged across the five climate scenarios, allowed comparison among species for their overall potential to be affected by climate change. When this score was averaged across all five climate scenarios, 34 tree species were projected to expand by at least 10%, while 31 species could decrease by at least 10%. Several species (Populus tremuloides, P. grandidentata, Acer saccharum, Betula papyrifera, Thuja occidentalis) could have their suitable habitat extirpated from US. Depending on the scenario, the optimum latitude of suitable habitat moved north more than 20 km for 38–47 species, including 8–27 species more than 200 km or into Canada. Although the five scenarios were in general agreement with respect to the overall tendencies in potential future suitable habitat, significant variations occurred in the amount of potential movement in many of the species. The five scenarios were ranked for their severity on potential tree habitat changes. Actual species redistributions, within the suitable habitat modeled here, will be controlled by migration rates through fragmented landscapes, as well as human manipulations.     

Aspen,climate, and sudden decline in western USA

A bioclimate model predicting the presence or absence of aspen, Populus tremuloides, in western USA from climate variables was developed by using the Random Forests classification tree on Forest Inventory data from about 118,000 permanent sample plots. A reasonably parsimonious model used eight predictors to describe aspen's climate profile. Classification errors averaged 4.5%, most of which were errors of commission. The model was driven primarily by three variables: an annual dryness index, the ratio of summer to annual precipitation, and an interaction of growing season precipitation with the summer–winter temperature differential. Projecting the contemporary climate profile into the future climate provided by three General Circulation Models and two scenarios (SRES A2 and either B1 or B2) suggested that the area occupied by the profile should diminish rapidly over the course of the century, 6–41% by the decade surrounding 2030, 40–75% for that surrounding 2060, and 46–94% for 2090. The relevance of the climate profile to understanding climate-based responses is illustrated by relating trends in climate to the recent incidence of sudden aspen dieback that has plagued portions of the aspen distribution. Of the eight variables in the profile, four reached extreme values during 2000–2003, the period immediately preceding the appearance of damage in aerial surveys.     

Does future climate change facilitate expansion of evergreen broad-leaved tree species in the human-disturbed landscape of the Korean Peninsula? Implication for monitoring design of the impact assessment

To quantitatively assess future change of evergreen broad-leaved tree species’ distributions in human-disturbed landscapes of the Korean Peninsula under climate change, potential habitats (PHs) were projected for four important evergreen broad-leaved tree species (Quercus acuta, Castanopsis sieboldii, Machilus thunbergii, and Neolitsea sericea) by species distribution models (SDMs). The distribution data (presence/absence) of the target species in Korea and Japan were used as response variables for SDMs, and climatic data were used as explanatory variables. Three general circulation models under A2 emission scenarios were used as future climate scenarios for the years 2070–2099. Potential habitats masked by land-use data (PHLUs) were projected to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities. Highly accurate SDMs were obtained for all the target species. The current PHs were decreased to 21–35 % by the anthropogenic activities. Future PHLUs for all the target species were projected to increase by 2.0–18.5 times of current PHLUs. These results suggest that all the target species are applicable as indicator species for monitoring in the Korean Peninsula, even if anthropogenic effects are incorporated. Variation of the increasing rate was caused by the differences in the response to temperature changes. M. thunbergii responded sensitively to the increase of minimum temperature of coldest month and had a largest increase in PHLUs under future climate. Therefore, M. thunbergii is considered to be most appropriate species for monitoring the changes of horizontal distributions above all focal evergreen broad-leaved tree species.     

Growth and chemical composition of silver birch: Comparative study between Lithuania and Romania

The effects of different climatic conditions on growth and chemical composition of Betula pendula in geographically different European regions,Lithuania and Romania,were compared.Birch species in the entire area have a wide natural distribution,but B.pendula is commercially more important in Lithuania than in Romania.Here we evaluated tree ring width,wood density and foliar chemical composition of mature birch trees in two European regions.Trees at the Lithuanian sites had greater radial growth and wood density with no clear changes in foliar chemistry than those at the Romanian sites.Mean wood density was 600-700 kg m~(-3) at Lithuanian and 350-450 kg m~(-3) at Romanian sites.Mean width of wood ring,earlywood and latewood for Lithuanian birch trees were several times higher than the means for Romanian birch trees.We hypothesized that the main differences in birch radial growth and wood density were due to the different climatic conditions in the studied regions.Ca,K and Mg concentrations were significantly higher and Fe and Mn were lower in the birch foliage at the Lithuanian sites compared those at the Romanian sites.Overall assessment of growth showed that silver birch cultivation is more appropriate for colder climate regions and that birch growth may change in the context of a warming climate.     

Discount rate and harvest policy: implications for Baltic forestry

The free market economy, to which East European countries are increasingly being exposed, implies that classical budgeting techniques in the form of the Faustmann approach present themselves as the tools of choice for forest investment analysis. One implication is that the choice of a proper discount rate (r) must be made as part of the basis for formulating a harvest policy. The paper discusses this choice in the light of practice as well as theory, and, using Lithuania as a case, examines the potential economic and political impact of softening the current restrictions on forest management. A review of the debate on discounting in forestry is provided. A statistical analysis of the relation between reported r values and internal rates of return (IRR) from numerous studies on forestry investments reveals a strong correlation between r and IRR. Possible explanations are provided. Analysis reveals that application of any positive r will significantly change forestry practice in Lithuania. Setting r=3%, slow growing species are to be replaced by fast growing species, and rotation periods should be substantially shortened. The standing volume of (over-)mature forests is approximately 160 million m³, as compared with the currently harvestable volume of approximately 40 million m³ according to the minimum allowable rotation age. The macroeconomic perspectives of cashing some of the mature forest for the small transition economy are discussed, taking into account the effects of externalities of forests. Consequently we suggest an alternative formulation of the normal forest. Finally, based on these considerations, a real r of 0–2% is suggested for State forestry in Lithuania. A post-tax r of 2% is advocated for private forestry, with potential project specific deviations downward to 0 or upward to 4%. It is stressed that discount rate is viewed as one of the important decision parameters and due regard should be given to non-timber forest outputs, social and institutional settings and other factors.     

Tree species preferences of foraging insectivorous birds in a primeval mountain mixed forest: implications for management

Bird–plant species associations can be an important component of habitat selection in forest birds. We assessed tree species preferences of foraging insectivorous birds in a primeval beech–fir forest in north-west Slovakia, hypothesizing that bird population densities are negatively associated with foraging specialization. We sampled foraging behaviour by random point observations from mid-May until the end of July during 1997?2003. Significant preference or avoidance patterns were found in 16 of 17 bird species. Based on the tree preference index, we distinguished four main foraging specializations: generalists, deciduous specialists, coniferous specialists, and dead wood specialists. Many bird species showed strong preferences for such rare and uncommon tree species as wych elm (Ulmus glabra), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), and Norway spruce (Picea abies). European beech (Fagus sylvatica), hazel (Corylus avellana), and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) were generally avoided. Birds with low densities tended to be most selective, but that effect was not statistically significant. Population variability was not significantly associated with foraging specialization. We hypothesize that impoverishment of tree species diversity within forest stands could lead to less diverse bird assemblages composed of species specialized on those tree species remaining and of generalist foragers able to adapt to a wide range of foraging substrates.     

Forest self-regeneration following clear-felling of dieback-affected Fraxinus excelsior: focus on ash

Due to the dieback caused by invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus, ash is threatened in many regions of Europe. In order to predict the situation with ash ecosystems, it is important to examine forest regeneration in areas formerly dominated by ash with long disease history and known management. The main aim of the present study was, therefore, to evaluate forest self-regeneration following clear-felling of ash dieback-devastated stands, focusing on ash. In Lithuania, during 2011, a forest regeneration inventory was performed on twenty clear-cuts, initially dominated by stands of ash, but severely damaged by the dieback caused by H. pseudoalbidus and clear-felled 1–10 years previously. In subsequent forest regeneration, grey alder and birch dominated. Ash regeneration was scarce, and its proportion decreased from 40–100 % in pre-dieback stands to 0–21 % in current stands. Of all observed ash trees (n = 775), 53.9 % were diseased, 16.8 % were dead, and only 29.3 % were visually healthy. Moreover, ash was among the slowest growing species, while grey alder, aspen and birch were the fastest. The regeneration and health condition of ash in forests, where previous to the dieback ash was dominant, demonstrated a sharp decrease in occurrence of this species and a clear shift in species composition towards grey alder and birch.     

Studies on insects and mites causing galls on the leaves of sycamore mapleAcer pseudoplatanus L. in the Ojców National Park in Poland

Analytical studies were conducted of the species composition of galls occurring on the leaves ofAcer pseudoplatanus L. in the Ojców National Park in the years 1994–1995. The species composition of galls was similar in both years. The most numerous species wereAceria pseudoplatani (Corti) andDasineura vitrina (Kieff.) in 1995. Index of occurrence frequency and Agrell's index of species co-existence have been calculated.     

Carbon stock changes of forest land in Finland under different levels of wood use and climate change

Context

Prediction of the effect of harvests and climate change (CC) on the changes in carbon stock of forests is necessary both for CC mitigation and adaptation purposes.

Aims

We assessed the impact of roundwood and fuelwood removals and climate change (CC) on the changes in carbon stock of Finnish forests during 2007–2042. We considered three harvest scenarios: two based on the recent projections of roundwood and fuelwood demand, and the third reflecting the maximum sustainable cutting level. We applied two climate scenarios: the climate was in the state that prevailed around year 2006, or it changed according to the IPCC SRES A1B scenario.

Methods

We combined the large-scale forestry model MELA with the soil carbon model Yasso07 for mineral soils. For soils of drained, forested peatlands, we used a method based on emission factors.

Results

The stock change of trees accounted for approximately 80 % of the total stock change. Trees and mineral soils acted as carbon sinks and the drained peatland soils as a carbon source. The forest carbon sink increased clearly in both of the demand-based scenarios, reaching the level of 13–20 Tg C/year (without CC). The planned increase in the use of bioenergy reduced the forest sink by 2.6 Tg C/year. CC increased the forest carbon sink in 2042 by 38 %–58 % depending on the scenario. CC decreased the sink of mineral soils in the initial years of the simulations; after 2030, the effect was slightly positive. CC increased the emissions from the drained peatland soils.

Conclusions

It is likely that forest land in Finland acts as a carbon sink in the future. The changes in carbon stocks of trees, mineral soils, and peatland soils respond differently to CC and fuelwood and roundwood harvests.     

Earthworm population and microbial activity temporal dynamics in a Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forest

Few studies have analyzed how tree species within a mixed natural forest affect the dynamics of soil chemical properties and soil biological activity. This study examines seasonal changes in earthworm populations and microbial respiration under several forest species (Carpinus betulus, Ulmus minor, Pterocarya fraxinifolia, Alnus glutinosa, Populus caspica and Quercus castaneifolia) in a temperate mixed forest situated in northern Iran. Soil samplings were taken under six individual tree species (n = 5) in April, June, August and October (a total of 30 trees each month) to examine seasonal variability in soil chemical properties and soil biological activity. Earthworm density/biomass varied seasonally but not significantly between tree species. Maximum values were found in spring (10.04 m^?2/16.06 mg m^?2) and autumn (9.7 m^?2/16.98 mg m^?2) and minimum in the summer (0.43 m^?2/1.26 mg m^?2). Soil microbial respiration did not differ between tree species and showed similar temporal trends in all soils under different tree species. In contrast to earthworm activity, maximum microbial activity was measured in summer (0.44 mg CO₂–C g soil^?1 day^?1) and minimum in winter (0.24 mg CO₂–C g soil^?1 day^?1). This study shows that although tree species affected soil chemical properties (pH, organic C, total N content of mineral soils), earthworm density/biomass and microbial respiration are not affected by tree species but are controlled by tree activity and climate with strong seasonal dynamics in this temperate forest.     

Scenario analysis of the impacts of forest management and climate change on the European forest sector carbon budget

Analysis of the impacts of forest management and climate change on the European forest sector carbon budget between 1990 and 2050 are presented in this article. Forest inventory based carbon budgeting with large scale scenario modelling was used. Altogether 27 countries and 128.5 million hectare of forests are included in the analysis. Two forest management and climate scenarios were applied. In Business as Usual (BaU) scenario national fellings remained at the 1990 level while in Multifunctional (MultiF) scenario fellings increased 0.5–1% per year until 2020, 4 million hectare afforestation program took place between 1990 and 2020 and forest management paid more attention to current trends towards more nature oriented management. Mean annual temperature increased 2.5 °C and annual precipitation 5–15% between 1990 and 2050 in changing climate scenario. Total amount of carbon in 1990 was 12 869 Tg, of which 94% in tree biomass and forest soil, and 6% in wood products in use. In 1995–2000, when BaU scenario was applied under current climatic conditions, net primary production was 409 Tg C year⁻¹, net ecosystem production 164 Tg C year⁻¹, net biome production 84.5 Tg C year⁻¹, and net sequestration of the whole system 87.4 Tg C year⁻¹ which was equal to 7–8% of carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 1990. Carbon stocks in tree biomass, soil and wood products increased in all applied management and climate scenarios, but slower after 2010–2020 than that before. This was due to ageing of forests and higher carbon densities per unit of forest land. Differences in carbon sequestration were very small between applied management scenarios, implying that forest management should be changed more than in this study if aim is to influence carbon sequestration. Applied climate scenarios increased carbon stocks and net carbon sequestration compared to current climatic conditions.     

Modeling spatiotemporal distribution of Dipterocarpus turbinatus Gaertn. F in Bangladesh under climate change scenarios

ABSTRACT

Climate change affects plant phenology, spatial distribution, and even extinction of vulnerable species. Dipterocarpus turbinatus, locally known as garjan, is a valuable but vulnerable native tree species of Bangladesh whose spatial distribution under future climate change scenarios is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of present and future climatic scenarios on spatiotemporal distribution of D. turbinatus. We used maximum entropy species distribution modeling to perform the present and future habitat suitability of garjan under different climate scenarios. The representative concentration pathways (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5 were considered for bioclimatic variables from the Global Climate Model – Hadley Global Environment Model 2 Atmosphere-Ocean. The predictive accuracy of the model was more than 97% in both the training and test data. The prediction results suggest that compared to present areas (7624 km²) under moderate habitat class it will be 2755 km² and 1239 km², respectively, in 2050 and 2070 under RCP2.6 scenario and decreases more rapidly under RCP8.5 scenario. Besides, the prediction also indicates that the habitat of the species will shift toward the high altitudinal south-eastern corner of the country whereas local extinction might occur in the north-eastern part during 2070.     

Eutypella parasitica naturalised in Bohemian and Polish Silesia

In 2015 and 2016, the North American maple tree pathogen Eutypella parasitica was identified in Bohemian and Polish Silesia. To date, the pathogen has been recorded in 35 locations over an area of approximately 400 km². It has been found primarily in natural stands in Silesia in several types of ravine and alluvial forests, in other natural or commercial forests, in riparian stands and in open landscapes. The proportion of diseased maples ranged between approximately 1% and 50% in certain locations. Acer pseudoplatanus was confirmed as the main host but infections were also detected on A. platanoides and A. campestre. E. parasitica damages the most valuable sycamore timber and represents a clear risk for maple cultivation in the region.     

Growth and fuelwood properties of five tree and shrub species in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of Mali: relationships with mean annual rainfall and geographical coordinates

In the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of West Africa, the rainy season lasts only 3–4 months per year, there are steep rainfall gradients with latitude and longitude, the climate is becoming increasingly hotter and drier with more variable rainfall, some fuelwood species are disappearing locally, demand for fuelwood is increasing, and we expect that fuelwood production will be increasingly limited to drier sites in the future. We need a methodology, therefore, to identify the best species for fuelwood production in drier sites. We used a methodology that could be used to identify the best fuelwood species for drier and wetter sites in regions where there are steep rainfall gradients. We investigated variation in growth and fuelwood properties of five species (Balanites aegyptiaca, Combretum glutinosum, Guiera senegalensis, Piliostigma reticulatum, Ziziphus mauritiana) along rainfall gradients. Growth parameters (tree height, stem diameter under bark, mean ring width) and fuelwood properties (basic density, volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash content, moisture content, gross calorific value, gross calorific value per cubic meter, fuel value index) were adjusted for tree age. For each species, linear regressions were used to determine the effects of mean annual rainfall and geographical coordinates, which were correlated with rainfall, on tree growth and fuelwood properties; and the effects of tree growth on fuelwood properties in lower, intermediate and higher rainfall zones. Geographical coordinates explained more variation than rainfall, and relationships with rainfall differed among species. Larger trees had wood with higher basic density, fixed carbon, ash content, moisture content, gross calorific value and/or gross calorific value per cubic meter, but lower volatile matter and/or fuel value index. Relationships between growth and fuelwood properties were not significant in all species and rainfall zones. Based on this study, we recommend producing fuelwood of C. glutinosum and G. senegalensis.