Deforestation and managerial scales in Côte d’Ivoire

ABSTRACT

We provide evidence that a factor contributing to the specific patterns of deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire is the set of spatial units of management used to structure wood extraction. Timber harvests were organized through a system of harvest perimeters, called “chantier,” for nearly a century. Chantiers were initiated as managerial instruments. However, their use as spatial tool for profit maximization led to positional anarchy. The lack of support for sustainable harvests from the legislation, the restoration system, and the tree-based policy governing the use of their content made the chantier the basis of a one-way resources extraction. Managerial scales facilitated clearing of forests. None served to regenerate forests. Using historical and official documents, satellite and cartographic data, we attempted to demonstrate how managerial scales aiming to organize logging have contributed to deforestation. We discuss the phases of fragmentation in the rainforest, the managerial scales, and the environmental context in which they were applied. We summarize the legislation that governed the managerial scales and how these scales organized space but the tree species-based policies and activities resulted in the forest’s dilapidation. The final section addresses the use of these scales in the creation of data for policy making.     

Multipurpose shade trees in coffee and cocoa plantations in Côte d'Ivoire

Coffee and cocoa are the main cash crops of Côte d'Ivoire. They are mainly produced by small farmers in a rather extensive way. The shade trees used are mostly wild forest species yielding many different products. In the Baoulé region, an inventory of those trees and their, often multiple, uses was established. Of the 41 tree species, 22 are used as firewood and 16 as timber for local constructions. Nineteen furnish pharmaceutical products for traditional medicine and 15 have edible parts (fruits, leaves, flowers, palm wine). Those products are essential in daily life and play an important role in the local economy. The plantations can therefore be considered as agroforestry systems. Part of the world-wide research on coffee and cocoa should be reoriented to such systems, adapted to small farmer holdings, where few inputs are available and conditions of production are less favourable.Translated with modifications from: Les arbres d'ombrage et leurs utilisations dans les plantations de café et de cacao dans le sud du V-Baoulé, Côte d'Ivoire, J. For. Suisse 143(2): 149–165, 1992.     

Late-entry commercial thinning effects on Pinus banksiana:growth,yield, and stand dynamics in Québec,Canada

We studied late-entry commercial thinning effects on growth, yield, and regeneration in a 48-year-old jack pine(Pinus banksiana Lamb.) stand. Applied thinning intensities were 27, 32, and 47% of merchantable basal area(BA) excluding skidding trails. After 15 years, mean diameter at breast height of surviving trees in the 47% BA removal increased by 4.9 cm(25%) compared to the unthinned control. The 47% BA removal also increased gross merchantable volume(GMV) tree-1by 46% compared to the control. The 27% BA removal had twice as much GMV ha-1compared to the 47% BA removal after15 years. Moreover, cumulative GMV ha-1was much higher in the 27% BA removal than in the unthinned control. The highest thinning intensity produced larger trees on average, while the lowest thinning intensity maximized volume production per hectare. Maintenance of acceptable growing stock throughout the 15-year period in the 27% BA removal could provide other ecosystem functions such as biodiversity enhancement or wildlife habitat by delaying senescence. Regeneration data showed that a shift in species composition occurred in the understory. After 15 years, the understory was dominated by black spruce(Picea mariana(Mill.) B.S.P.), white birch(Betula papyrifera Marsh.), and trembling aspen(Populus tremuloides Michx.). If regenerating jack pine is an objective after final overstory removal, additional efforts will be needed to re-establish this species.     

Farmers’ perceptions of tree mortality, pests and pest management practices in agroforestry in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia

Pest management research within the context of agroforestry is in its infancy, and it is often difficult to say when a particular pest justifies investment in research to establish facts. Understanding the potentials and drawbacks of farmers’ indigenous ecological knowledge (ethnoecology) may form the basis for constructive collaboration between farmers, agroforestry scientists and extension staff. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to (1) assess farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of pests, (2) prioritize pest problems that limit tree planting and maize production based on farmers’ own criteria and (3) to identify farmers’ indigenous pest management practices for priority pests. Data were collected using community meetings, individual interviews and direct observation by the first author. The farmers involved in this study in eastern Zambia had over ten years of experience, while most of the farmers in Mozambique and parts of southern Malawi were new to agroforestry. Farmers perceived insects as the major causes of tree mortality, followed by drought, bush fires and browsing by livestock. Among the biological constraints to maize production, insects (particularly termites and stalk bores) and weeds (particularly Striga asiatica) were more important in farmers’ minds than crop diseases. Fundamentally, the farmers’ perception of the causes of tree mortality and crop pests agreed with researchers’ perceptions and the literature. Both termite and witch weed problems were associated with low soil quality, and farmers use various indigenous control practices to control these pests. Some farmers did not know the causes of tree mortality, and hence do not take action. Farmer’s perception of tree mortality was found to be a function of operator-specific variables such as sex, level of education and years of experience with tree species.     

Land-use by immigrant Baoulé farmers in the Taï region,South-west Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

This paper discusses the cropping system of immigrant Baoulé farmers in the rain-forest area of South-west Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The area harbours one of the last substantial rain-forest reserves of humid West Africa. Part of it is known as Taï National Park, and has been adopted as one of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme areas.The park area is threatened by farmers in search of land.Soils in the area typically show a low intrinsic nutrient content (particularly phosphorus and potassium), low pH values, a low CEC, and, locally, high levels of gravel.In the Baoulé cropping system fields are kept under perennial crops, mainly cacao, after having been used for food crop cultivation during the first two years. Yam, the most important food crop is grown on mounds. Next to the inherent poverty of the soil, this cropping technique, which disrupts the structure of the top soil is seen as one of the causes for low yields of cocoa on Baoulé farms in the area. Yields per ha amount to c. 60% of that of the national average.The conclusion is that the Baoulé agricultural production system is ill-adapted to the local ecosystem.Measures to improve adaptation include: Introduction of crop species adapted to adverse soil conditions (e.g. rubber, oilpalm), to buffer cacao plantations through planting of shade trees, to apply fertilisers, and to make use of biological nitrogen-fixation.Generally, the remedies proposed involve investments in terms of cash and labour on the part of the farmers. It is argued that farmers will not change their current cropping practices as long as there is forested land in the vicinity. The presence of the Taï forest, c. 300.000 ha of virgin rain-forest, impedes the process of change towards more intensive land-use practices.

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Résumé Aménagement du terroir par les paysans immigrés Baoulé dans la région Taï, Sud-Ouest Ivoirien Ce document traite le système agricole des paysans immigrés Baoulés dans les régions des forêts tropicales humides du Sud-Ouest Ivoirien. Cette région héberge une des dernières réserves substantielles de la forêt tropicale de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Le Parc National de Taï est la partie de la forêt que l'UNESCO a adoptée dans le cadre du Programme Homme et Biosphère.A l'heure actuelle les intrusions des paysans à la recherche de terre menacent le parc.Une des caractéristiques de cette région est que les sols montrent un niveau bas de nutrients intrinsiques (notamment le phosphore et la potasse), des valeurs basses de pH, une faible capacité d'absorption cationique et, localement, des niveaux élevés de gravier. Les paysans Baoulé plantent des cultures pérennes, surtout le cacaoyer, après avoir produit des cultures vivrières pendant les deux premières années. L'alinment principal, l'igname, est cultivé dans les buttes. A part la pauvresse inhérente au sol, cette technique culturale, qui dérange la structure de la couche arable du sol, est considérée comme une des causes des bas rendements du cacaoyer aux exploitations agricoles Baoulé dans la région. Les rendements par hectare n'atteignent que 60% de la moyenne nationale.On peut conclure que le système de culture Baoulé est mal adapté à l'écologie locale. Les mesures à prendre pour améliorer l'adaptation comprennent: L'introduction des cultures mieux adaptées aux conditions de sol défavorables (par exemple le hévéa, le palmier à huile), protéger les plantations de cacaoyer en mettant des arbres ombreux, l'application des engrais, et l'emploi de la fixation biologique de l'azote par certains arbres légumineux. En général, les solutions proposées entraînent des investissements en termes financiers et de travail de la part des paysans. Il est souligné que les paysans ne changeront pas leur système du culture actuel tant que les forêts sont à proximité. Donc, la présence de la forêt Taï, environ 300.000 hectares de forêt tropicale primaire, empêche le processus de changement en pratiques d'aménagement du terroir.

     

Spatial pattern of paulownia witches’ broom and its effects on the growth of Paulownia elongata in Shaanxi Province, China

The spatial pattern of paulownia witches’ broom was investigated using an Iwao’s (m*−m) model in Shaanxi Province, China. Iwao’s (m*−m) model revealed that spatial pattern of paulownia witches’ broom exhibited a uniform distribution in sample plots. In this model, characteristics of contagiousness coefficient (α) justified the probability of infection by virus-transmission vectors. For tree age less than six, susceptible individuals were aggregated as clusters in the plots and then mutually repelled over age. A preliminary survey of stand volume show that from age five to six, stand volumes of disease grade II showed excessive vegetative growth and returned to normal level between ages ten and 11. Loss rate of volume increment with disease grade II decreased, and then returned to raising trend both at grades III and IV. This phenomenon is possibly caused by an over-compensation effect and by environmental factors. The redundancy of growth hormones in branches, shoots, leaves, buds and roots increased the stem volume of entire trees.     

Do logging,followed by burning,and wildfire differ in their decadal scale effects on tall open-forest bryophytes and vascular plants?

There has been only one time-controlled study, in Canada, comparing the occurrence of bryophyte species in forests regenerating after wildfire with that in those regenerating after logging and regeneration burning. Previous work on vascular plants in Tasmanian tall open-forest dominated by Eucalyptus showed that filmy ferns were less common in areas that had been logged and regeneration burned than in areas burned by wildfire two decades after the events, which suggested that hygrophilous species, such as bryophytes, might be vulnerable to this silvicultural system. Bryophytes, vascular plants structural and environmental data were collected from 50 sites, which had been burned in wildfires or clearfelled and burned by prescribed fires 31–39 years previously. Eighteen percent of the vascular plant species for which it was possible to develop a multiple regression model had logging/wildfire as a component, whereas the equivalent figure for bryophytes was 17%. The negative effects of logging were concentrated on the more hygrophilous species, and the positive effects were concentrated on the basal area of tree species and some of the mosses dependent on them. We conclude that wildfire and logging followed by regeneration burning result in vegetation differences that last more than three decades after disturbance, that these differences are no more pronounced for bryophytes than for vascular plants, and that hygrophilous taxa are favoured more by wildfire than logging.     

Experimental approaches to select tree species for forest restoration: effects of light,water availability and interspecific competition in degraded areasOA

Knowing what native trees can recr uit on degraded areas allows selecting the best species to restore these sites. However, as this information is not often available, experimentation is required before large-scale planting. This study used ex situ experiments to make these decisions on recruitment. Competition with r-strategist plants, excessive solar radiation and water shortage commonly impair tree recruitment in open habitats. The experiments focused on the interactions among these factors a...     

Investigation of visitors’ motivation,satisfaction and cognition on urban forest parks in Taiwan

This study conducts a survey on the urban forest parks in Taiwan to assess the benefits and affecting factors. The results show that the larger the area of the park, the higher the degree of satisfaction with the landscape and the status of the plants, and the higher the density of trees, the lower the degree of satisfaction with the scenic view. The shading effect is positively correlated with the diameter of plants at breast height, canopy cover area, and proportion of green coverage. However, higher green coverage is associated with lower satisfaction regarding the scenic view and the uniqueness of the landscape. Most visitors are less satisfied with the area of plants and landscape attractiveness. The study results can be used to evaluate the impacts of setting up urban forest parks. The outcomes also provide guidance for the relevant authorities for sustainable management and future policy making.     

Inhibitory effects of Zuo-Jin-Wan and its alkaloidal ingredients on activator protein 1, nuclear factor-κB, and cellular transformation in HepG2 cells

Zuo-Jin-Wan (ZJW) has been used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma in Asia. This study was to determine whether ZJW and its components blocked activator protein 1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activities as well as tumor promotion in hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells. ZJW and its components, Coptis chinensis and Evodia rutaecarpa, inhibited AP-1 and NF-κB activities, and suppressed anchorage-independent growth of HepG2 cells. The major alkaloidal ingredients, berberine and evodiamine, inhibited AP-1 activities and/or NF-κB activation, and further suppressed hepatocellular transformation. In conclusion, ZJW and its constituents, berberine and evodiamine, suppressed tumor promotion primarily through AP-1 and/or NF-κB pathways in HepG2 cells.     

Impacts of traditional agroforestry practices,altitudinal gradients and households’ wealth status on perennial plants species composition,diversity, and structure in south-central Ethiopia

Agroforestry Systems - Conspicuous trees and other perennial plants in smallholders’ farms have been acknowledged for their biodiversity conservation values. Impacts of agroforestry...     

Comparative analyses on the cycle time,productivity, and cost between commercial thinning and clear-cutting operations in Nasu-machi Forest Owners’ Co-operative,Tochigi Prefecture,Japan

This study investigates clear-cutting operations on moderately and gently sloping sites. Cycle times, productivities, and costs of those operations are analyzed and compared with those of commercial thinning operations, to enable logging contractors to easily find trends of those three variables. Felling cycle times of clear-cutting were lower than those of commercial thinning operations. Processing cycle times of clear-cutting on the gently sloping site were lower than those of clear-cutting on the moderately sloping site and commercial thinning. However, processing cycle times of clear-cutting on the moderately sloping site were similar to those of commercial thinning. Forwarding cycle times of clear-cutting on the moderately sloping site were the lowest among the estimated forwarding cycle times. Costs of operation systems were the lowest with clear-cutting on the gently sloping site, followed by clear-cutting on the moderately sloping site, and then commercial thinning with mechanized and current operation systems according to forwarding distance, with extracted volume 0.5 m³/stem. Costs of the current thinning operation system were less than those with a mechanized thinning system below extracted volume 0.3 m³/stem, because of smaller machinery expenses.     

Effects of Thidiazuron, basal medium and light quality on adventitious shoot regeneration from in vitro cultured stem of Populus alba×P. berolinensis

The effect of Thidiazuron (TDZ), basal media and light quality on adventitious shoot regeneration from in vitro cultured stem of Populus alba×P. berolinensis were determined to establish a high efficiency shoot regeneration system from stem explants of P. alba×P. berolinensis. Stems of Populus alba×P. berolinensis were collected from cultured shoots in vitro derived from dormancy buds of 3-year-old seedlings. The stem explants were cultured on MS medium containing 0.02-mg·L-1 NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid), and 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 mg·L-1 concentrations of TDZ to determine the effect of TDZ on shoot regeneration. Three basal media, i.e. MS, woody plant medium (WPM) and B5, were used to test their influences of different media on adventitious shoot regeneration. Green, red, blue and yellow plastic films in comparison with florescent light as control were used to observe their effects on shoot regeneration. The results showed that different concentrations of TDZ had an evident influence on shoot regeneration. Lower concentration of TDZ (0.1 mg·L-1) resulted in more adventitious shoot regeneration and higher concentration of TDZ (>0.1 mg·L-1) inhibited shoot regeneration. Among different media, MS medium exhibited a high efficiency for shoot regeneration, followed by WPM medium, while B5 medium inhibited shoot regeneration. Normal light and yellow light exhibited better effects on shoot regeneration, compared with other light.     

Effective rainfall seasons for interannual variation in δ13C and tree-ring width in early and late wood of Chinese pine and black locust on the Loess Plateau, China

We studied the importance of effective rainfall for interannual variation in water use efficiency (WUE) and tree-ring growth of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) by examining correlations of seasonal precipitation with annual values of stable carbon isotope ratio (δ¹³C) and tree-ring width in early and late wood. The correlations with precipitation were examined for each month and for periods of all possible lengths from 2 to 22 months starting from January of the previous year to October of the current year. The period with the highest correlation was adopted as the most effective rainfall season for interannual variations in WUE and tree-ring width. In early wood, precipitation during the dry season (October to May) before the growing season was negatively correlated with δ¹³C in pine trees and positively correlated with ring width in pine and locust trees. In late wood, rainfall during the growing season in the current year was negatively correlated with δ¹³C in pine and locust trees, and positively correlated with ring width in locust trees. Our results demonstrated the differences in the water use strategies of pine and locust trees. The δ¹³C in pines indicated higher WUE and more conservative water use than in locust trees. Precipitation during the dry season affected the interannual variation in WUE and tree-ring growth in pine and locust trees, indicating that rainfall during the dry season is important for carbon gain and tree-ring growth during the following growing season.     

Interactive effects of irrigation and exponential fertilization on nutritional characteristics in Populus 3 euramericana cv. ‘74/76' cuttings in an open-air nursery in Beijing,China

Nutritional characteristics determine tree stock quality to a considerable extent. Exponential fertilization can induce nutrient reserves within juvenile trees, but its validity on poplar is contingent on interaction with a scientific irrigation regime due to limited water resources under global warming. In the present study, we raised 3200 Populus 9 euramericana cv. ‘74/76' cuttings under four irrigation regimes of 0(I0), 60 %(I60), 80 %(I80), and100 %(I100) of field capacity for soil moisture content with or without(control) the employment of nitrogen(N) addition delivered as exponential fertilization at the rate of 8 g N cutting~(-1)(E8) in an open-air nursery in Beijing, China. Both height and diameter increased with the increment of soil moisture ratio or in response to exponential fertilization(EF) without any interactive effects. In general, concentrations of N, phosphorus(P),and potassium(K) declined with time in stem but foliar N concentration did not change. Under the I100 regime, EF increased foliar N concentration relative to the control but failed to affect N concentration in stem in September, when both N concentration and N content were increased by EF under the I80 regime. Stem-K content and concentration by EF under the I80 regime also increased in September,therefore EF-treated cuttings had a higher ratio of K content in stem to that in whole plant(%ANAR). Vector diagnosis for nutritional status indicated that EF resulted in dilution of K concentration but induced a steady-state P uptake in leaves under all irrigation regimes. Therefore, EF of N addition could promote N uptake to leaves of P. 9 euramericana cv. ‘74/76' cuttings, but it had a null effect on N and P reserves in stem and impaired K reserves.In conclusion, the irrigation regime of 80 % field capacity of soil moisture content was suggested for the culture of juvenile P. 9 euramericana cv. ‘74/76' cuttings. As the interactive meaning, EF was also suggested for its excellent promotion on both N and K uptakes.     

Soil phosphorus and water effects on growth,nutrient and carbohydrate concentrations, δ<Superscript>13</Superscript>C,and nodulation of mimosa (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Albizia julibrissin</Emphasis> Durz.) on a highly weathered soil

Growth and physiological performance of multipurpose tree species can be severely constrained by low phosphorus (P) availability in highly weathered soils. Limitations to plant growth are accentuated by seasonal dry periods. The overall objective of this study was to examine P fertilization and irrigation effects on survival, growth, biomass partitioning, foliar nutrients, intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUE) indexed by δ¹³C, Rhizobium nodulation, and carbohydrate content as an indicator of resprouting potential, of mimosa (Albizia julibrissin Durz.), a N₂-fixing tree species being tested for browse in agroforestry practices in south-central USA. In a field experiment carried out during two growing seasons near Booneville, Arkansas, USA, mimosa had a strong growth response to irrigation. The trial was arranged in a split plot design with three replications with irrigation as main plot treatment and P as sub-plot treatment. Mean total plant aboveground biomass at the end of the second growing season was 9.8 and 44.1 g plant⁻¹ for the rainfed treatment without and with 300 mm of irrigation water, respectively. Placed P fertilization increased mean total aboveground biomass from 19 g plant⁻¹ for the 0-P treatment to 69 g plant⁻¹ for the treatment with 90 kg P ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. Similarly, irrigation consistently increased stem basal diameter, total height, survival, root, stem, foliar and total aboveground biomass, and number of nodules per plant. Phosphorus fertilization increased basal diameter, and root and stem biomass in both irrigation treatments, survival and nodulation in the rainfed treatment, and foliar and total aboveground biomass in the rainfed +300 mm irrigation treatment. There was a decrease of foliar δ¹³C suggesting that WUE decreased with P fertilization. In a pot experiment, seedlings were subjected to a factorial combination of two irrigation treatments and six P levels in a randomized complete block design. Irrigation increased basal diameter, root, stem, foliar and total biomass, leaf area and nodulation, whereas P fertilization (i.e., levels from 0 to 3.68 g P kg⁻¹ soil) had similar effect in all the above variables except foliar biomass. Foliar P concentration to obtain 90% of the maximum total plant biomass (critical level) was estimated at 0.157%. Total nonstructural and water soluble carbohydrate, and starch concentrations increased non-linearly with irrigation and P addition suggesting impaired re-growth potential after defoliation of seedlings with reduced water supply and at low soil P availability. Results of this study indicated strong limitations for growth and regrowth potential of mimosa on a highly weathered soil with very low P availability and seasonal water content shortages. Placed (i.e., near the plant base) application of P appeared to be a good strategy to fertilize perennial woody plants.