Tropical dendrochronology is always challenging, and challenges are fun. So, cambium have started to explore tree rings in miombo woodlands in Zambia. This research is consequences of the collaboration with Xavier Takam from Copperbelt University, who did a stay in Soria within Erasmus + interchange program.
Little known, miombo forests occupy a huge area in southern Equatorial Africa from Angola to Tanzania. Miombo is an open formation dominated by legume trees, mainly dominated by the genera Brachystegia, Julbernardia and Isoberlinia, but with a larger diversity including Pterocarpus, Burkea, Baikiaea. Pluviometry can range from very wet to very dry, but all miombo woodlands share the existence of a dry period, where trees shed leaves.
This deciduous behavior is reflected in the annual ring, with net interannual boundaries. Dendrochonological works have already been explored this fact (Trouet et al. 2001, 2006, 2012; Fichtler et al. 2004, Ngoma et al. 2017), but there is still a large potential to improve our knowledge on miombo, particularly considering the huge relevance of this ecosystem for the southern half of the African continent. This first field work with Xavier is our first approach to this fascinating ecosystem.
Wood of Brachystegia sp.
Wood of Julbernardia sp.
