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Prediction of genetic potential and response to selection in breeding needs knowledge of genetic parameters for important selection traits. This study aimed to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters for growth traits (diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height) of Widdringtonia whytei (Mulanje cedar) grown in Malawi. Data on growth traits were collected from five provenance trial sites at the age of 5. The results portrayed that there were significant (P

This chapter begins with a description of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) in Malawi and its legislation and related projects – laying out the similarities between the legislation’s ‘standards and guidelines’ and adaptive collaborative management (ACM). The first author was the lead researcher in the Center for International Forestry Research’s original ACM work in Malawi and has been a consistent advisor to the Government of Malawi. The authors then provide a summary of each of the numerous studies undertaken to assess the efficacy and value of the approach there. Building on these findings, they examine the intended outcomes of PFM, from the standpoints of livelihoods, strengthened forestry institutions, community participation in forest management and ecological health. They summarize by recounting eight lessons that have been learned in the process; and conclude with enthusiasm for the ACM/PFM approach, in recognition that more could still be done to improve it.

A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of climate variability on forest type and forest living biomass. Three scenarios were used in the assessment. Namely: Near century (2011–2040), mid-century (2041–2070), and end-century (2071–2100). Holdridge Life Zone model and GAP Formind modified were used for the assessment. The results show that three forest vegetation zones will be observed from near century to end century. Namely: dry forest, very dry forest and thorn woodland forest. Under near century climate conditions, there are two forest vegetation zones occurring: dry forest and very dry forest. Under mid-century climate conditions, thorn woodland forest will emerge, and dry forest will disappear in the end-century. There will be a significant decrease in forest living biomass (1000 kg ha−1 yr−1) from near century to end-century. The study has demonstrated that future climate change will be conducive to growth and expansion of very dry forest vegetation zone, which causes positive effects on reforestation planning and adaptive strategies. Therefore, the study suggests the following as some possible strategies to adapt climate change: promotion of natural regeneration of tree species, promotion of tree site matching, production and promotion of new tree seed varieties; and seed banking for drought resistant tree species.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess community perceptions towards environmental issues and Participatory Forest Management (PFM) in Chiradzulu, Malawi. The study revealed that majority (94%) of the households are aware that the forest cover has declined in the past two decade and recognised this as a major environmental problem. Firewood the main source of energy, poverty, as well as population growth were identified as the major cause of the forest decline. However, the study revealed that PFM is one of the helpful tools in overcoming this challenge. Most (66%) of the households acknowledged that PFM is partially meeting community’s basic needs and interests. The basic needs that were observed included firewood, food, water, shelter, knowledge, skills, and income. This indicate that if PFM is implemented effectively, it would lead to sustainable management of forest resources. Therefore, the present study recommends that for sustainability of forest management to be achieved in the study area, communities should be fully empowered to make sound decisions for continued benefits for the entire community.

Knowledge of insects’ damage to Agroforestry species is prerequisite prior to promotion of domestication of the species. The study was conducted to assess foliage insect pests in 21 Sclerocarya birrea provenances. Assessment parameters included tolerance levels, tree canopy position of attack, mode of leaf defoliation and type of insect pests responsible for the damage. The results revealed that highly tolerant provenances to leaf defoliation included Kalanga, Magunde, Moamba, and Marracuene. Highly susceptible provenances comprised of Chikwawa, Rumphi, Ntcheu, Missira and Mangochi. Highly significant (P

Analysing past trends of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remains indispensable to the understanding of current GHG emissions, thereby enabling prediction of future emissions as well as development of their mitigative pathways. This study quantified GHG emissions within the Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) subsector in Malawi for the period 2011 to 2020. Results indicate that Malawi’s GHG emissions in the FOLU subsector fluctuated but decreased by 0.84 MtCO2e (13%) from 2011 to 2020, averaging to −1.3% annually. The GHG emissions of different categories within the subsector were highly significant ( p < 0.001 ) and contributed the highest (99.72%) of the total variation. Forestland contributed the highest (74%) of the subsector category emissions, followed by biomass burning (19%). The uncertainties for the estimated GHG emissions were low (

Variations in intrinsic wood properties [growth ring width (GRW), specific gravity (SG), fiber length (FL), and microfibril angle (MFA)] of 17–19-year-old Melia azedarach trees grown in two sites in northern Vietnam were investigated for effective utilization of the wood. Five discs were collected at 0.3-, 1.3-, 3.3-, 5.3-, and 7.3-m heights above the ground. The estimated mean GRW, SG, FL, and MFA were 7.44 mm, 0.548, 1.07 mm, and 14.65°, respectively. There were significant (P

Mating system of a species is critically important both genetically and ecologically in developing plans for breeding and gene conservation. This study was conducted to assess twenty provenances of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. planted in Malawi. The trial was assessed for mating system and sex ratio at eighteen years of age. The results revealed that the mating system in S. birrea occurred from selfing, insect, and wind-mediated pollination. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences on seed germination percentage among the three mating systems. The germination percentages were 47%, 44%, and 43% for insect, wind, and self-pollinations, respectively. This implies that the seeds were viable in all the three mating systems. Production of viable seed from selfed flowers ruled out the possibility of apomixes in S. birrea. Most frequent flower visitors were the orders Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera with peak visitation period being from 7:00 to 11:30 hours in the morning and then 15:30 to 18:00 hours in the afternoon (+2 GMT) when temperatures were cooler. There were significant (P

Biodiversity conservation within forests depends, in part, on management practices that restore or maintain plant community diversity and function. Because many plant communities are adapted to natural disturbances, selective harvesting has potential to meet this need. This study was conducted to determine the impact of selective harvesting on tree species regeneration abundance, richness and diversity in Chidenga forest co-management block in Liwonde forest reserve, Malawi after four years of harvesting. The study constituted two treatments: harvested area (selective harvesting) and non-harvested area (control). The data obtained was analysed using Rẻnyi diversity profile in Biodiversity R. The results show that there were substantial variations between the treatments on the studied variables. Harvested area had higher tree species regenerants abundance (6088±452 ha -1 ) than non-harvested area (5324±364 ha -1 ). Harvested area had a higher Hα (2.64) at 0-alpha than Hα (2.48) for non-harvested area, indicating that harvested area had the higher tree species richness than non-harvested area in the understory. Furthermore, in the understory, harvested area had higher profile, 2.64 to 0.33 from 0-Alpha to infinity, than non- harvested area, 2.48 to 0.21 from 0-Alpha to infinity. This indicates that harvested area was more diverse than non-harvested area. In the overstory, harvested area had individual tree species evenly distributed than in non-harvested area. This signifies a healthy or good ecosystem. Therefore, it can be suggested that selective harvesting has a significant role in conservation of the forest resource base, and may be promoted for sustainable management of forest co-management blocks.

The effect of first thinning and pruning on height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and volume growth was studied in individual trees of Pinus patula Schiede and Deppe in Chongoni Plantation, using four plots for thinning trials. Each of the plots was 0.5 ha and subjected to one of the following silvicultural treatments: first thinning and pruning, first thinning and no pruning, pruning and no thinning, and control (no pruning and no thinning). The silvicultural treatments were randomized in four replicates. Fourteen years after planting, the following parameters were measured including total height, DBH, and volume. The highest DBH and volume growth was observed in thinning and pruning, while the highest growth in height was observed where there was pruning and no thinning. Clearly, both thinning and pruning are an important management option in pine species plantations in Malawi to maximize the increase in volume productivity.

Aims: T o investigate the influence of seed size variation on seedling growth height, root collar diameter, root length, seedling length, root shoot ratio, number of leafs, leaf area, dry weight and survival of Albizia lebbeck in the nursery. Place and Duration of Study : The experiment was conducted in the nursery at Malawi College of Forestry and Wildlife between March and September 2014. Methodology : Seeds were categorized into three groups in regard to their length and weight: large (0.98±0.05 cm) and (0.22±0.02 g); medium ( 0.64±0.04 cm) and ( 0.13±0.02 g) ; and small (0.32 ±0.05 cm) and (0.09 ±0.01 g). The treatments were completely randomized into four replications. A total of 600 seeds were used with each treatment having 50 seeds. T o improve germination, seeds were mechanically nicked with secateurs. Results: Seedling height, root collar diameter, root length, seedling length, root shoot ratio, number of leafs, leaf area, dry weight and percentage survival were significantly ( P

Phenology study was conducted to assess 22 genotypes of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst, collected from West, Eastern and Southern Africa. Assessments were done on time for bud onset, flower opening, leaf flush, fruit set, fruit maturity period and fruit production. Highly significant (P< 0.001) variations between provenances were obtained in all the phenological traits assessed including variations between sexes in time from flower bud set to anthesis. There was flowering overlaps and synchrony between provenances and sexes with males flowering earlier than females. So far two subpopulations have emerged within the trial referred to as early and late flowering genotypes. The early flowering included provenances from Mozambique, and Swaziland while the late flowering encompassed provenances from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia. Fruit maturity period ranged from 76±2 to 192±15days. The early flowering genotypes flowered, fruited and matured between August and January while the late genotypes flowered and fruited from September to May. There were highly significant (P≤0.001) variations in fruit yield of S. birrea provenances between 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons with the former being more productive than the later confirming that S. birrea fruit yield is not constant across seasons due to seed mating effects. There were very strong positive relationship ranging r=0.81 to r=0.78 between leaf flush, bud set, flower opening and fruit set significant at (P

An on-station feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of Vachellia erioloba (VE) and Dichrostachys cinerea (DC) pod supplementation on intake, doe weight changes and growth of kids. Forty-two indigenous lactating does with average weight of 35 ± 0.5 kg from Parities 2 to 4 and grouped by ecotype (Caprivi and Ovambo) were allocated to a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments in a randomized complete block design with six does per treatment. The main factors were two pod types (VE, DC) at three feeding levels (20%, 40%, 60%), benchmarked against positive control (commercial feed (COM)) resulting in seven treatment diets. Phosphate salt lick and water were available ad libitum. Data were analysed as repeated measures using Proc Mixed (SAS, 2008). Voluntary feed intake (VFI) increased steadily for all treatments, peaking at about Week 5, followed by a drop, and then gradual stabilization in Weeks 7 to 12. Intake of does dropped drastically with VE60 and DC60 diets. Does in Parity 3 had significantly higher VFI than those in Parity 2, but there were no differences with Parity 4 does. Does in Parities 3 and 4 were significantly heavier than those in Parity 2. Doe weights declined from Week 1 to Week 8 and then increased gradually. Male kids were heavier than female kids (13.3 ± 0.2 vs. 10.5 ± 0.1 kg). The regression of kid weights on age (days) was 0.030 ± 0.012. Kids from does in Parities 3 and 4 had significantly higher weights than those from does in Parity 2. Single kids were heavier than twins (13.3 ± 0.2 vs.10.5 ± 0.1 kg). Kid weights from does supplemented with DC20 were similar to those receiving COM, VE20 and VE40, but kid weights of does supplemented with VE60, DC40 and DC60 were inferior to other treatments. Supplementing lactating goats with pod-based diets, particularly V. erioloba at 40%, may lead to increased VFI, reduced bodyweight loss in does and increased kid pre-weaning weights. Keywords: Lactating does, pod-based diets, voluntary feed intake, doe weights, pre-weaning weights of kids

Genetic and phenotypic parameters for production traits and somatic cell count (SCC) for Jersey dairy cattle in Zimbabwe were estimated. A total of 10986 lactation records were obtained from Zimbabwe Livestock Identification Trust, with cows calving in the period from 1996 to 2008. An ASReml program fitting an animal model was used for the analyses. Heritability estimates for milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, fat percentage, protein percentage, and Log10SCC were 0.30, 0.32, 0.33, 0.42, 0.44, and 0.08, respectively. The corresponding repeatability estimates were 0.39, 0.38, 0.39, 0.49, 0.51, and 0.16, respectively. The genetic and phenotypic correlations between different production traits ranged from −0.86 to 0.95 and from −0.88 to 0.98, respectively. The genetic and phenotypic correlations between production traits and Log10SCC were weak almost nonsignificantly differentl from zero. The results imply that milk traits for Jersey dairy cattle in Zimbabwe are more heritable. Therefore, these traits may be preferred by breeders as selection criteria for development of effective genetic improvement programme.

Successful development of an appropriate tree breeding strategy and wood utilization requires information on wood properties. This study was therefore conducted to assess wood density and mechanical properties of Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon grown in Malawi. Wood samples from six families of P. kesiya at the age of 30 years were used for the study. The estimated mean wood density, Modulus of Elasticity (MoE), Modulus of Rupture (MoR) and moisture content were 0.593 ± 0.001 g/cm3, 13.46 ± 0.07 GPa, 113.67 ± 0.57 MPa and 12.08% ± 0.03%, respectively. There were statistically significant (p < 0.001) differences in wood density and mechanical properties along the radial direction and stem height. Wood density and mechanical properties increased from pith to bark and decreased from the butt upwards. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in wood density and mechanical properties among the families. This is an indication that any tree among the families can be selected for tree improvement programs if density is considered as a variable. Wood density had a strong positive significant linear relationship with both MoE (r = 0.790; p < 0.001) and MoR (r = 0.793; p < 0.001). This suggests that it has the potential to simultaneously improve the wood density and mechanical properties of this species. Therefore, controlling wood density for the tree improvement program of P. kesiya in Malawi would have a positive impact on mechanical properties.

A multitrait selection index (I T ) for Zimbabwean Jersey cattle was constructed. The breeding objective was defined in terms of production and functionality traits. The production component of the index included milk yield (M), butterfat yield (F), protein yield (P), butterfat percent (F%), and protein percent (P%), while the functional component included the somatic cell count (SCC). The index was termed as I T = 0.0004M + 0.0109F + 0.0313P + 1.0004F% + 2.4491P% - 0.1905SCC. The accuracy of the index was 91.1%, and the correlation between this index and the aggregate breeding objective was 0.954. A selection index is more important in the selection of sires and cows. This leads to the greatest genetic progress and hence productivity in the dairy sector. Therefore, the application of the selection index developed is necessary if the dairy cattle industry is to maximise the exploitation of genetics and to improve its relative competitive position.

A study was conducted to determine the impacts of soil disturbance and compaction on soil physical properties and tree growth and the effectiveness of tillage in maintaining or enhancing site productivity for intensively managed Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon sites in Dedza, Malawi. The results indicate that about fifty-two percent of the area of compacted plots was affected by the vehicular traffic. Seventy percent of the trees were planted on microsites with some degree of soil disturbance. Soil bulk density at 0–20 cm depth increased from 0.45 to 0.66 Mg m−3 in the most compacted portions of traffic lanes. Soil strength in traffic lanes increased at all 60 cm depth but never exceeded 1200 kPa. Volumetric soil water content in compacted traffic lanes was greater than that in noncompacted soil. Total soil porosity decreased 13.8% to 16.1% with compaction, while available water holding capacity increased. The study revealed no detrimental effects on tree height and diameter from soil disturbance or compaction throughout the three growing season. At the ages of two and three, a tree volume index was actually greater for trees planted on traffic lanes than those on nondisturbed soil.

Afzelia quanzensisWelw is a valuable timber producing tree species in Africa. A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of seed size on seed germination and seedlings quality ofAfzelia quanzensis. Seed was categorized into three groups in regard to their length, small (2.5 cm). The treatments were completely randomized into four replications. Germination percentage was not significantly(P>0.05)different between the treatments, although large seeds had the highest germination percentage of 94.9%. There were significant(P<0.05)differences in seedling height and root collar diameter among the different seed sizes, with large seeds having the highest seedlings height and largest root collar diameter. This was attributed to differences in the food reserves. Survival of transplants from shoot dieback was significantly(P<0.05)different such that seedlings from large seed attained the highest survival of 92%. It is therefore recommended that, for production of high quality transplants in the nursery, large seeds should be used.

Essential Oil Yield of Corymbia citriodora as Influenced by Harvesting Age, Seasonal Variation and Provenance at Citrifine Plantations in Northern Malawi Corymbia citriodora grown in Citrifine Plantations in Chikangawa, Northern Malawi was evaluated for essential oil yield as influenced by harvesting age, season variation and provenance at the plant age of the three and four years. All the parameters harvesting age, season variation and provenance significantly affected essential oil yield of Corymbia citriodora leaves. Citronellal was the major compound (˃80%) in the oil followed by citronellol (5.3 to 7.7%), linalool (2.1 to 2.2%), isopulegol (1.2 to 2.1%) and citronellyl acetate (0.6 to 0.8%). Essential oil yield decreased with increasing plant age. Cold-wet season (May to August) particularly in the month of August produced significantly (P

Growth and Survival of Pinus Seedlings as Influenced by Different Mycorrhizae and Ordinary Soil Ratios in a Nursery A study was conducted to determine the effect of different mycorrhizae and ordinary soil ratios on height growth, root collar diameter growth, survival and root colonisation of pinus seedlings in a nursery for sixteen weeks. Seedlings were subjected to six different mycorrhizae to ordinary soil ratios treatments which were completely randomised in four replicates, namely: 1:0, 1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20 and 0:1(100% ordinary soil) as a control. The results indicate that there was a significant difference on the mean height growth, root collar diameter, survival rate and root colonisation of the seedlings. The treatment of soil ratio of 1:0 (mycorrhizae to ordinary soils) had the highest mean height, root collar diameter, survival rate and root colonisation than the other treatments. These means that height, root collar diameter, survival rate and root colonisation of seedlings decreased with an increase of ordinary soils. Therefore, mycorrhizae soils are essential in the raising of pinus seedlings in the nursery and where pinus plantations are well established, the treatment ratio of 1:0 (100% mycorrhizae soils) is recommended for inoculating pinus seedlings at the nursery.

Acacia polyacanthaWilld. is a multipurpose tree species prioritised as one of the agroforestry tree species in Malawi. However, its use in agroforestry practices is limited by the low seedling growth and survival at the nursery stage. A study was conducted to evaluate the seedling growth and survival ofAcacia polyacanthaas affected by different pretreatments on the seeds at Malawi College of Forestry and Wildlife nursery, Malawi. Seeds were subjected to five presowing seed treatments methods, namely, immersion in cold water at room temperature for 24 hours, immersion in hot water (100°C) for 5 minutes, immersion in concentrated sulfuric acid (0.3 M H2SO4) for 20 minutes, scarification by mechanically nicking using secateurs, and a control where seeds were sown without any treatment. The results indicate that presowing seed treatments have positive influence on the seedling growth and survival percentage. Nicked seeds exhibited the highest significant (P<0.001) performance for vegetative characteristics of height, root collar diameter, number of leaves, and survival percentage compared to other pretreatments. Therefore, it is suggested to use nicking as a pretreatment method onAcacia polyacanthaseeds in order to enhance the speed and the amount of early seedling growth at the nursery stage.

Evaluation of Natural Regeneration and Tree Species Diversity in Miombo Woodlands in Malawi A study was conducted to determine the best silvicultural practice to maximise natural regeneration and tree species diversity in miombo woodland in Chongoni Forest Reserve in Malawi. Four trial plots of 50m x 25m with about 10m buffer zone were each subjected to one of the following silvicultural practices: Complete coppice (CC); coppice with standard (CWS); selective thinning (ST); and control was leave it alone (CT). The treatments were completely randomized in three replicates. Twenty years after establishment of the plots an inventory on natural regeneration and tree species diversity was carried out. The results indicate that selective thinning had higher natural regeneration, mainly because of one species, although the differences among silvicultural practices were not significant. Coppice with standard was observed to have the highest tree species diversity. Therefore, coppice with standard has been recommended as one of the future management options in management of miombo woodlands in Malawi in order to maximise tree species diversity whilst maintaining good site cover.

Genetic and phenotypic parameters for height, diameter at breast height (dbh), and volume were estimated for Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon clonal seed orchard in Malawi using an ASReml program, fitting an individual tree model. The data were from 88 clones assessed at 18, 23, 30, 35, and 40 years of age. Heritability estimates for height, dbh, and volume were moderate to high ranging from 0.19 to 0.54, from 0.14 to 0.53, and from 0.20 to 0.59, respectively, suggesting a strong genetic control of the traits at the individual level, among families, and within families. The genetic and phenotypic correlations between the growth traits were significantly high and ranged from 0.69 to 0.97 and from 0.60 to 0.95, respectively. This suggests the possibility of indirect selection in trait with direct selection in another trait. The predicted genetic gains showed that the optimal rotational age of the Pinus kesiya clonal seed orchard is 30 years; therefore, it is recommended to establish a new Pinus kesiya clonal seed orchard. However, selective harvest of clones with high breeding values in the old seed orchard should be considered so that the best parents in the old orchard can continue to contribute until the new orchard is well established.

Accurate prediction of genetic potential and response to selection in breeding requires knowledge of genetic parameters for important selection traits. In this study, we estimated genetic parameters for wood properties in Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon) grown in Malawi. Data on wood properties and growth traits were collected from six families of Pinus kesiya at the age of 30. The results show that wood density had a higher genetic control (h2 = 0.595 ± 0.055) than wood stiffness (h2 = 0.559 ± 0.038) and wood strength (h2 = 0.542 ± 0.091). The genetic correlation among wood quality traits was significantly moderate (0.464 ± 0.061) to high (0.735 ± 0.025). The predicted genetic response indicated that selection for wood density at 10% selection intensity would increase stiffness and strength by 12.6% and 8.85%, respectively. The genetic correlations between growth and wood quality traits were moderately unfavourable. However, sufficient variation exists within the breeding population to select individuals with both good growth rate and high wood quality traits. It is therefore suggested that all trees with both diameter at breast height (DBH) greater than 32.0 cm and density greater than 0.593 g/cm3 must be selected in order to increase the efficiency of the breeding programme. However, in the long term, it is recommended that the best selection strategy would be to develop a multiple-trait selection index. The selection index should be developed using optimal index weights for the advanced Pinus kesiya breeding programme in Malawi.

Genetic trends for Jersey dairy cattle in Zimbabwe were estimated. A total of 10,986 lactation records were obtained from Zimbabwe Livestock Identification Trust, with cows calving in the period 1996 to 2008. An ASReml program fitting an animal model was used for the analyses. The animal model that was used included overall mean, herd-year-season, previous calving interval, and days dry as fixed effects while linear and quadratic regression coefficients of age at calving as covariates. Random effects were cow, permanent environmental effects, and residual error. The pedigree file included 1,228 animals born from 1994 to 2005. The traits studied were milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, fat percent, protein percent, and Log10SCC. Results indicated that milk yield, fat yield, and protein yield increased genetically (P < 0.0001) on average by 1.420, 0.160, and 0.164 kg per year, respectively. Fat percent, protein percent, and Log10SCC declined over the past 12 years (P < 0.0001) at the rate of −0.021, −0.015, and −0.0002 per year, respectively. This was due to the negative correlation between milk composition and milk yield. The results implies that the selection applied in the last decade has achieved genetic progress and that there is genetic variance for continued improvement and for setting up an effective dairy breeding program in Zimbabwean Jersey herds for milk, fat, and protein production.

A study was carried out to establish the factors affecting milk, butterfat and protein yields in Zimbabwean Jersey cattle. A total of 10,986 unedited 305-day lactation records were obtained from Zimbabwe Livestock Identification Trust containing 25 herds, with cows calving in the period 1996–2008. The general linear model procedure of the Statistical Analysis Systems version 9.1.3 was used to determine the environmental factors. Herd-year-season, calving interval, days dry and both the linear and quadratic effects of age at calving fitted as covariates significantly (P < 0.0001) affected the milk, fat and protein yields. Herd-year-season accounted for 36%, 36% and 35% to the total variation in milk, fat and protein yields, respectively. Milk, fat and protein yields increased with an increase in calving interval. The optimum dry period for milk, fat and protein yields obtained was 60–75 days dry. The relationship between the production traits and age at calving was both linear and quadratic, implying that milk, fat and protein yields increase with the age of the animal. It is thus necessary to preadjust data for these environmental factors when carrying out genetic evaluations of production traits in dairy cattle.

Understanding of the effects of altitude on tree growth is central to forest management, especially in the establishment of seed source stands. A study was conducted to investigate the effect of altitude on the growth height, diameter at breast height (dbh) and volume of Pinus oocarpa in Malawi. Stands of Pinus oocarpa at the altitude of 1500m, 1700m and 1900m above the sea level (asl) were measured for total height, dbh and volume at the age of 18 years. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance. The results shows that there were significant (P