Search

Teak (Tectona grandis) is one of the most widely established plantation species globally due to its potential for degraded forest restoration, timber supplementation, and easing pressure on natural forest resources. However, the extent to which plant‐soil interactions in teak plantations impact tree growth and productivity and soil nutrient dynamics is not well understood. This study assessed the impact of teak plantations on soil physicochemical properties as well as the influence of soil properties and fertility on teak growth. The study was conducted in teak plantations aged 5, 10, 15, 20, and over 20 years and an adjacent natural forest remnant. We established three 25 m × 25 m plots in each teak plantation and recorded the diameter at breast height (DBH), height, crown length, and depth of all trees. We collected 54 soil samples at 0–20 cm depth and analysed them for 29 soil parameters. The study revealed that teak plantations resulted in a decline in soil N (45%–81%) and available P (63%–98%) concentration, while soil pH improved by 0.41–0.64 units. However, soil organic carbon, K, Mg, Ca, and Na concentrations and their ratios were unaffected with teak plantations over time. Also, soil textural characteristics, acidity, and nutrient ratios were observed to influence tree‐related characteristics such as DBH and crown dimensions (crown, diameter, breadth, length, and volume). Three principal components (PC1, PC2, and PC3) explained 69% of the overall variability and were significantly related to tree crown parameters, height, and diameter at breast height. We concluded that site selection and tailored integrated soil fertility management for each plantation age are critical to sustainable teak production as teak plantations both affect and are affected by soil properties. The study recommends the adoption of management practices aimed at maintaining soil nutrient balance to ensure the long‐term growth and ecological sustainability of teak plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiential Knowledge (EK) is essential to our understanding of any social system and its evolution over time. With respect to climate change, EK is important because it serves as the basis for locally grounded, and place-sensitive adaptation and mitigation measures. However, despite the rapid urbanization, depletion of vegetative cover, and noticeable changes in the local climate of Sunyani, a mid-sized city in Ghana, limited empirical studies have focused on the experiential knowledge of the population on climatic changes in the city as a way of informing adaptation and mitigation responses. Employing in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, this study examines the experiential knowledge of the people of Sunyani on climatic changes. The study finds that although the residents of Sunyani have no in-depth knowledge of the scientific fundamentals of climate change, they appreciate the rapidly changing climate due to their long-lived experiences and interactions with the natural environment. Consequently, the study recommends the use of experiential knowledge that is locally grounded and place sensitive in tandem with scientific facts for the formulation of climate change adaptation and mitigation responses for Sunyani and other Ghanaian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beekeeping as a Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) under the Modified Taungya System (MTS) is under exploited. Information on the types of tree plantation and wood hives suitable for its productivity is scarce. This study addressed this knowledge gap by setting up different bee wood hives under three monoculture plantation stands of Tectona grandis Linn, Cedrela odorata L. and Terminalia superba Engl. in the Tano Offin Forest Reserve of Ghana. The experiment was laid using factorial in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated 3 times. The study revealed that plantations of Tectona grandis, Cedrela odorata and Terminalia superba were all suitable for honey production even though Cedrela odorata produced the lowest honey yield. The most significant factor that affected honey production was the type of wood used to construct the bee hive. Cedrela odorata wood hives were not suitable for beekeeping since none was colonized. However, Tectona grandis wood hives yielded the highest honey, bee wax and propolis of 57.81 kg/harvest, 6.44 kg/harvest, 2.30 kg/harvest respectively. Also, Tectona grandis wood hives generated a profit of US$ 443.48/harvest compared to US$ 201.17/harvest for Terminalia superba wood hives. Tree plantations under MTS can be added value through bee keeping. Incorporating beekeeping in plantations could bring other unintended benefits such as farmer's preparedness to protect the plantations from fires which is a major threat to plantation establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the ravages of deforestation, Aframomum melegueta (grains of paradise) is gradually getting extinct, despite its potential for consumption and trade. This study sought to find out land uses in off-reserve tree farms capable of providing the optimum conditions for the production of grains of paradise. The Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications was used to lay the plots and the treatments examined were cocoa, oil palm, and fallow land uses. Also, the ethnobotanical knowledge of farmers was studied by purposively sampling a total of 30 Aframomum melegueta farmers. The results showed no significant (P >.05) difference for the number of pods, fresh weight, and yield of Aframomum melegueta per hectare among the different land uses. On the other hand, the average pod length significantly differed (P <.05) between land uses (cocoa, oil palm, and fallow). The majority of farmers (21%) use Aframomum melegueta for the treatment of stroke. Gender and education of farmers did not play a significant role in sources of collection and land use preference of Aframomum melegueta respectively. The major challenge confronting the cultivation of Aframomum melegueta was the lack of an external market (33.3%). The majority of farmers preferred fallow land (73.9%) for the cultivation of Aframomum melegueta. The cultivation of Aframomum melegueta in off-reserve tree farms could help increase the quantity produced and thus improve the livelihood of farmers. Farmers are encouraged to plant the species on their cocoa farms, oil palm farms, and fallow lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for medicinal plant remedies is rising globally, while indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants is declining rapidly. The preservation of indigenous knowledge is critical in discovering and developing innovative drugs. The ongoing discussions on providing nature-based solutions to contemporary issues make it urgent to document indigenous knowledge about medicinal trees, especially in areas with limited or no studies such as our study area. Our study aimed to understand the use of medicinal trees among the communities fringing the Asukese and Amama Shelterbelt Forest Reserves. We administered structured questionnaires and interviewed 88 respondents who were selected using snowball and simple random techniques. The ethnobotanical survey data were processed and evaluated using parameters such as Indigenous Knowledge Index (IKI), Relative Citation Frequency (RCF), Species Use Value (SUV), Family Use Value (FUV), and Plant Part Value (PPV). We found that ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinal trees was higher in respondents who were widowed or had larger number of dependants. We found that the local communities used diverse medicinal trees (70 species belonging to 33 families) to treat 83 ailments. Azadirachta indica had the highest RCF (8.9) and SUV (23.4). The other top four species according to the SUV were Alstonia boonei (SUV = 11.1), Khaya senegalensis (SUV = 10.7), Moringa oleifera (SUV = 10.3) and Cocos nucifera (SUV = 10.2). The most-well represented and valuable families were Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Meliaceae, Arecaceae, Rubiaceae and Malvaceae. Medicinal trees had alternative uses such as food, fodder, fuelwood, and construction material. Indigenous knowledge about medicinal trees was transmitted to younger generations predominantly by parents. The results show that the most known botanical families and species with the most useful parts were the most useful plant families and species. Thus, the selection of medicinal trees was driven by their traits. Furthermore, results indicate that species diversity is critical to the healthcare needs of local communities and that their conservation and sustainable use and the preservation of indigenous knowledge are crucial to ensuring good health and the general well-being of local communities of all ages., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)