Influence of Wood Cutting and Fire on the Regeneration of the Vegetation Cover in the Sudano-Guinean Savannahs of Adamaoua, Cameroon

The various plant formations of the Guinean high savannah are subject to wood cutting and bush fires. This study aimed to assess the influence of logging and bush fires on the regeneration of the vegetation cover of the Sudano-Guinean savannahs. It was carried out on two types of plant formations (shrub and tree savannahs) with 18 plots, each 10 meters square, according to a randomized block experimental set-up and with different anthropogenic actions as treatments: wood cutting without fire, wood cutting with fire and control for a period of two years. Wood cutting by humans influences changes in the physiognomy of plant formations, and fire has an impact on the transformation of the savannah. In the shrub savannah, the number of trees varies from 76 to 160 (CSF), 60 to 109 (CAF) and 78 to 102 (T) in the first and second years respectively. On the other hand, in the tree savannah, 204 to 367 (CSF), 149 to 342 (CAF) and 189 to 257 (T). The regeneration rate of individuals increased from 6% to 24% in the shrub savannah and from 6% to 28%. The mortality rate was 9.46% CSF, 10.85% CAF and 15.89% T in the shrub savannah, while in the tree savannah it was 27.97% CSF, 15.51% CAF and 20.86% in the control site in the second year. The correlation between reiteration and mortality shows that, according to the analysis of variance, there is no statistically significant difference (0.8589>0.05) between plant formations and treatments. The phytogeographical distribution shows that Pantropical species (26.01%) are more important in both formations.