Abstract:
A village forest near the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro managed under Joint Forest Management (JFM)
by the government and the local people was studied to assess its growing stock and to suggest
interventions and management to promote its sustainable use. Data were collected using the methods
of the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) research programme. 19 tree species
were identified and enumerated; the stocking was 714 trees/ha, basal area 27.5m2/ha and standing
wood volume of 310 m3/ha. Almost half the standing volume was Macaranga kilimandscharica, a
canopy tree species that was less desired for sawn timber and had not been over-harvested.
Commercial timber production of other species that has been the dominant object of management is
currently not sustainable. However, M. kilimandscharica is now the most preferred for firewood and
light timber by the local user groups. Limited removal of over mature trees of this species by the local
user groups for subsistence and community uses is recommended. The need for continued selective
harvesting requires the determination of the sustainable allowable cut through recurrent resource
assessment. Meanwhile the controlled harvesting will both demonstrate the value of the forest and
motivate local people to protect it and, at the same time, increase its productivity and biodiversity.
