Abstract
Boswellia papyrifera is a multipurpose deciduous species that grows in Combretum – Terminalia deciduous woodlands of Ethiopia. It is widely known for its commercial frankincense production. The B. papyrifera woodland is under a problematic state of population decline due to heavy encroachment and unsustainable tapping. To sustainably manage such a sensitive ecosystem needs exact knowledge of growth rates and age structure of trees where such information on tropical trees under natural condition is rather poor. In this study growth rate and age of B. papyrifera was determined from tree ring analysis. The study was carried out in Lemlem Terara, Metema district, Ethiopia. The mean annual diameter growth rate of B. papyrifera derived from the mean ring-width is 2.32mm and varies among sample trees. All sampled trees showed a comparable general growth trend which can be divided into three phases – i) good growth in the beginning, ii) phase with depression in middle and iii) increase in ring width. The average age of B. papyrifera trees growing in the study site is estimated to be about 75 years. Although there is strong correlation between diameter of a tree and age, the result from this study highlighted that age-size relations should be used cautiously as the diameter may not reflect the true age. The result from this study is important input to develop strategic plan for the species regarding tapping frequency and intensity as per the annual increment of the species. For further dendrochronological studies of the species, it is recommended to take samples from different size classes and slope gradients for better and reliable results. In future, the use of tree ring analysis as a tool to understand growth dynamics and age structure of trees species, and their response to climate variability should be strengthen in Ethiopian. Keywords: Boswellia papyrifera, Annual growth rings, Diameter growth rate, Age structure, Ethiopia.
Highlights
Boswellia papyrifera is a deciduous multipurpose tree species that grows in a savanna belt that stretches from northern Nigeria eastwards to the highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia (Rijkers et al, 2006)
Tree ring analysis has been successfully used in the tropics to determine growth rates of many tropical tree species which form annual growth rings (Worbes et al, 2003; Schongart et al, 2006; Therrell et al, 2007; Nzogang, 2009, Syampungani et al, 2010)
The result we found in this study is showing that B. papyrifera from
Summary
Boswellia papyrifera is a deciduous multipurpose tree species that grows in a savanna belt that stretches from northern Nigeria eastwards to the highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia (Rijkers et al, 2006). In Ethiopia, it grows in Combretum – Terminalia deciduous woodlands (Demissew, 1996). It is widely known for its frankincense production which is extracted by wounding the bark of the tree several times during the dry season (Rijkers et al, 2006). Frankincense production is an important source of revenue for the country as well as for the local people. Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science (MEJS), V8(1):50-61, 2016 ©CNCS, Mekelle University, ISSN:2220-184X.
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