Abstract:
There is a renewed interest to improve sustainable wood production from African savanna but our knowledge on
management of individual tree species to optimize harvesting return times is limited. A factorial experiment was
therefore established to assess the effects of stump diameter and height, and coppice thinning on growth and yield
of Albizia harveyi Fourn (Ah) and Albizia versicolor Welw ex. Oliver. (Av) in Forest Reserve (FR) and the General
Land (GL) at area in Morogoro region, Tanzania. Coppice diameter and height growth was significantly high in
Av than Ah; and was highest in stumps cut at 30 cm or 90 cm regardless of tree species. Ah had significantly
high average coppicing effectiveness (11.74 coppices per stump) than Av (4.18 coppices per stump) in the FR;
but the variation was not significant in the GL. Coppice wood basic density was significantly high in Ah (446.04
± 0.72 kg m − 3 ) than Av (400.52 ± 0.97 kg m − 3 ). Coppice wood biomass ranged from 3.08 ± 0.02 kg stool − 1 in
Ah to 3.45 ± 0.03 kg stool − 1 in Av. Ah produced highest coppice wood biomass in medium diameter stumps cut
at 30 cm (3.57 kg stool − 1 ) or 90 cm (3.76 kg stool − 1 ) and large stumps cut at 5 cm (4.55 kg stool − 1 ); and the
least biomass in small stumps cut at 5 cm (1.26 kg stool − 1 ). For Av, highest coppice wood biomass values were
6.41 kg stool − 1 for medium diameter stumps cut at 90 cm and 6.20 kg stool − 1 for large stumps cut at 30 cm; and
the least was 1.87 kg stool − 1 for small stumps cut at 5 cm. This paper concludes with discussion on the need for
further studies on optimal canopy cover and wild fire control strategies under short-rotation coppice silvicultural
system; and suitability of multipurpose indigenous trees for simultaneous on-farm production.
