Abstract
Plantation developers mostly prefer exotic to indigenous tree species in restoration of degraded forests due, perhaps to, inadequate information on indigenous tree plantations to enable them change in that direction. The study was conducted at the Jimira Forest Reserve in the Nkawie Forest District to compare the growth performance of Ceiba pentandra, Terminalia superba and Triplochiton scleroxylon in their pure and mixed stands. Four plots, each divided into four subplots measuring 50m x 50m, of one hectare demarcated represented three pure stands of Ceiba pentandra, Terminalia superba and Triplochiton scleroxylon and one mixed stand of the three species. Simple random sampling was used to a subplot from each plotand diameter and height measurements were taken. The mean growth rates in diameter of Ceiba pentandra, Terminalia superba, and Triplochiton scleroxylon in the pure stands and the mixed stand were 1.73 and 1.61cm/year; 1.77 and 2.02 cm/year; and 2.70 and 2.57 cm/year respectively and those in height were 1.06 and 0.80 m/year; 1.16 and 1.25 m/year; and 1.98 and 1.59 m/year respectively. The statistical analysis carried out to determine the variations in tree diameter and height in the pure and mixed stands indicated no significant differences. Keywords: Growth Performance, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Terminalia superba, Ceiba pentandra, Pure and Mixed Stands. DOI : 10.7176/JNSR/9-4-07
Highlights
Over the past decade the world’s forest cover has been rapidly decreasing, with average annual decline rates of 0.22% between 1990 and 2000 and 0.13% between 2000 and 2010 (FAO, 2011)
At 5% level of significance, there was no significant difference in tree diameter for the pure and mixed stands
The results showed 2.70 cm/year and 2.57 cm/year mean growth diameter for Triplochiton scleroxylon in the pure and mixed stands respectively
Summary
Over the past decade the world’s forest cover has been rapidly decreasing, with average annual decline rates of 0.22% between 1990 and 2000 and 0.13% between 2000 and 2010 (FAO, 2011). The loss of biological diversity, both plants and animals through forest degradation threatens the sustainable and harmonious development of the global ecosystem (Lamb and Gilmour, 2003). With this current rate of deforestation and degradation, it is anticipated that about 3 to 8 million biological species, including a large number of less used species, will be wiped off from the surface of the earth by the end of the 21st century if measures are not put in place (Kobayashi, 2004). The Forestry Department established about 50,000 ha of plantations in the 1970’s to offset the wood deficit (Agyeman, Veenedall, Amankwa and Swaine, 1996) Most of these plantations were limited to exotic tree species. For several reasons there has been a preference for exotic tree species because there is enough information on them, they are fast growing and easy to manage. Foli, Agyeman and Ofosu Asiedu (1997) had reported that some indigenous tree species are faster growing in plantations than in natural forest conditions and may well be faster growing than some of the commonly grown exotic species and encouraged their cultivation in plantations
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