Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection

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Browsing Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection by Author "Abeli, W. S."

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    The influence of logging and animal grazing on the litter layer and water infiltration rate of soils in plantation forests
    (Journal of Tropical Forest Scienc, 1999) Abeli, W. S.; Sawe, C. T.
    The influence of logging and animal grazing on the litter layer and water infiltration rate of soils in plantation forests. Investigations to show the extent of soil disturbance caused by logging and animal grazing were carried out in one of the forest plantations in Tanzania. Water infiltration capacity and ground litter thickness were used as a measure to determine the extent of soil disturbance. Data on infiltration rate and litter depth on stands under different management practices were collected, analysed and compared with data from the nearby undis- turbed natural forests. The study found that logging and animal grazing reduced water infiltration rate in the soil and deposition of ground litter. Depending on the management practice or the condition of the stand, the rate of water infiltration was reduced from 36 to 96% when compared to water infiltration rate experienced in the nearby natural forest. While in undisturbed natural forest the mean litter depth was 11.1 cm, on clearfelled and grazed stands, the litter depth was only 0.9 cm. The effects of low water infiltration rates and low litter deposition are discussed and measures aimed at increasing water infiltration rate and litter deposition are suggested.
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    Optimal road spacing for manual skidding sulkies
    (Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 1993-09) Abeli, W. S.; Magomu, G. M.
    An optimal road spacing is the one which minimizes the overall sum of skidding costs, road construction and road maintenance costs. As road spacing increases, skidding cost increases while road construction and maintenance cost decreases. Each skidding means has its own optimal skidding distance and road spacing. This study analyses skidding productions and optimal road spacing for hand sulkies skidding logs in one of the forest plantations in Tanzania. Results from this study indicate that when undertaking thinning operations especially in flat to gentle sloping terrains, sulky skidding could be considered as a better alternative to tractor and manual skidding methods. Besides being simple and cheap, the system causes minimum stand and soil damages, creates employment opportunities for the rural people and does not demand foreign capital .The average skidding distance in this study was measured to be 71 m while average skidding production was estimated to be 1.21 m3/man-hour. An optimal road spacing which minimizes the overall total costs in this forest was found to be 137 m.
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    Socio-economic impact of ox skidding project to the surrounding villages of Mount Meru forest plantations, Northern Tanzania
    (Southern African Forestry Journal, 2012-05-09) Abeli, W. S.; Maximillian, J. R.; Kweka, A. E.; Shemwetta, D. T. K.
    The ox skidding project was initiated with the objective ofusing oxen for transporting logs from the stump sites to the landings. Itwas supposed to be a participatory research project aimed at integrating scientific knowledge with practical skills and resource base ofthe local farmers. Specifically the main objective of the project was to encourage local farmers (villagers) to use their animals to skid logs in the surrounding forest plantations in order to improve their incomes and create employment opportunities to the surrounding communities especially the youth. A socio-economic survey was carried out after 6 years to assess the impact ofthe project to the oxowners who have been participatingin the project, the oxhandlers, the surrounding villages and the forest plantations. Data was collected through administering semistructured questionnaires to ox owners, village leaders, ox handlers and the management of the forest plantations. Results indicate that the ox skidding project has been a reliable andvaluable source ofincome besides offering employment to young people with only limited education. The project has improved the household income, life style and standard ofliving ofsome farmers and above all, changed the local peoples' attitudes towards the importance of the surrounding forest resources. Most of the local people feel that they are now part of the surrounding forests as they participate to some extent in the management and protection ofthese forest resources. The project has in addition created awareness among the community that oxen can also be used in forest operations besides undertaking agricultural activities. The project found that given the operating conditions of the skidding tractors in this area, ox skidding was more reliable and more cost effective than the tractor skidding system. Through this project, it has been possible to improve the workingrelationships between the surroundlngvillagesandforest plantations management. The projecthas also led to some ofthe surroundingvillages establishing village environmental committees, which work very closely with forest plantation management. The sustainability of the ox skidding system introduced in this area is likely to continue since farmers surrounding these plantations keep cattle and there are not many alternative job opportunities for the young people.