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Development of Brachystegia-Julbernardia woodland after clear-felling in central Zambia: Evidence for high resilience

Abstract Question: Does the development of Brachystegia-Julbernardia (miombo) woodland after felling, and under a variable fire regime, occur via a seral stage of fire-tolerant species? Location: Four sites in central Zambia, Africa. Methods: Trees in replicate plots were clear-cut and stumps and resprouts enumerated. Species recruited into the tree layer (> 2.0 m tall) were monitored for 11 years (1991 – 2001) and fire occurrence and herbaceous biomass assessed annually to determine fuel loads. Results: Fire frequency was variable at the study sites and fuel loads were generally too low to suppress woodland regeneration after felling. However, at one site a change from low to high fire frequency arrested woodland development and triggered a regression towards a ‘fire-trap’ vegetation type in which a few fire-tolerant species survived. There was no evidence to support the hypothesis that miombo woodland regeneration is facilitated by a sere of fire-tolerant species. All regrowth after felling was from resprouting plants present before felling. Trees with a previous history of felling sprouted more vigorously than trees that had not been felled before. Species richness in the tree layer increased with time since felling because resprout species had different height growth rates. Conclusion: The resilience of miombo trees after clear-felling is largely due to their capacity to regenerate vegetatively from resprouts and stumps after release from frequent fires. Coppicing is therefore recommended as a suitable management technique for miombo woodland in central southern Africa. Nomenclature: White (1962) and Fanshawe (1971).