Responses of Ocotea usambarensis to logging on the Southern Slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The East African Camphorwood (Ocotea usambarensis) population in the montane forests of East Africa has experienced heavy logging. This logging can be attributed to both historical, legal and commercial harvesting of the species under colonial governments and subsequent illegal selective logging. This study assessed the population structure of Ocotea usambarensis, as influenced by the historical logging intensity and elevation gradient (1800 – 2500m) on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The mean stem density and basal area of seedlings, saplings, and adults were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The age structure of Ocotea usambarensis varied along the elevation gradient and across different logging intensity blocks. The comparison between blocks with different historical logging intensities revealed no significant difference. However, significant variation in stem density and basal area of adults was observed along the elevation gradient. The results further indicated the population distribution of Ocotea usambarensis exhibited a reverse J-shaped pattern, with the highest number of seedlings and the lowest number of adults, indicating a positive recovery suggesting a sustainable population. These findings suggest that logging affects mature trees near the park boundary, highlighting the need for increased enforcement and participatory approaches for sustainable conservation of the species in its range areas. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)