Effects of region, soil, land use, and terrain type on fuelwood properties of five tree/shrub species in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of Mali

Abstract

& Context There is little information about inter-and intraspecific variation in fuelwood properties of trees/shrubs in West Africa. & Aims We studied variation in fuelwood properties of Balanites aegyptiaca, Combretum glutinosum, Guiera senegalensis, Piliostigma reticulatum, and Zizyphus mauritiana in the Sahelian and Sudanian ecozones of Mali. & Methods Trees were sampled on different soil (sandy, sandy/loam, or rocky), land use (parkland agroforest or woodland), and terrain (flat, temporarily flooded, or hill slope) types in five regions extending from the drier eastern to the more humid western parts of Mali. Basic density, volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash content, moisture content, gross calorific value, and fuel value index were measured for each tree and adjusted for tree age. & Results All fuelwood properties differed significantly among species, but there were significant species by region interactions. Most fuelwood properties of four species differed significantly among regions. Soil and/or land use type had significant effects on a few fuelwood properties of four species.

Variation in fuelwood properties and correlations of fuelwood properties with wood density and growth in five tree and shrub species in Niger

“…Coefficients of variation for fuelwood properties of the species in this study were similar to those reported for five species in Mali (Sotelo Montes et al 2012). The large coefficient of variation for ash content suggests that it is more affected by local environmental conditions than the other fuelwood properties.…”

“…The fuel value index was highest for G. senegalensis and lowest for P. reticulatum in this study, as also observed in Mali (Sotelo Montes et al 2012). Farmers manage natural regeneration of both species for fuelwood and for soil/water conservation and soil fertility improvement in parkland agroforests (Faye et al 2011).…”

“…Based on previous research in Mali (Sotelo Montes et al 2012), we expected that the effects of site variables on fuelwood properties would differ among species. For this reason, we also did the ANOVA separately for each species.…”

“…Research on C. glutinosum, G. senegalensis, P. reticulatum and two other species (Balanites aegyptiaca, Ziziphus mauritiana) in Mali showed that growth and fuelwood properties differed among species; intra-specific variation in growth and fuelwood properties was related to land use type, terrain type, soil type, latitude, longitude, elevation and/or mean annual rainfall; and correlations between growth and fuelwood properties differed in strength among species (Sotelo Montes et. al.…”

ImprovedZiziphus mauritianagermplasm for Sahelian smallholder farmers: First steps toward a domestication programme

“…The fruits are generally rich in sugars (5.2-23%), vitamin C (96-500 mg 100g 1 ), vitamin A and carotene (21-81 mg 100g 1 ), Ca (712.5 mg 100g 1 )m and Mg (227 mg 100g 1 ). In addition, leaves are used for fodder; leaves, roots, and bark are used for medicinal purposes; and the stem is used for firewood because it has relatively high calorific value and relatively low ash and moisture contents (Sotelo Montes et al 2012).…”