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Managing Southern African Woodlands for Biomass Production: The Potential Challenges and Opportunities

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Bioenergy from Wood

Part of the book series: Managing Forest Ecosystems ((MAFE,volume 26))

Abstract

This chapter defines what extensively managed woodlands are and presents the general distribution of southern African woodlands highlighting the important forest types and species. Potential productivity is presented with available data from both long term permanent sample plots and space-for-time experiments; highlighting the paucity of data due to limited research in biomass estimates and therefore productivity; and problems associated with the estimation of biomass due to lack of standard methods for assessment in extensively managed woodlands. The chapter therefore points to the importance of using modeling to develop methods for whole woody biomass estimates in extensively managed woodlands. In addition, the increased demand for biomass energy may impact negatively on the environment due to over-harvesting; and so this chapter further highlights the link to the sustainable management of the biomass especially with respect to non-timber forest products in extensively managed woodlands.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Science Postgraduate Programme, University of Pretoria, 5-15 Plant Sciences Complex, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa

    Paxie W. Chirwa

  2. School of Natural Resources, Copperbelt University, 21692, Kitwe, Zambia

    Stephen Syampungani

  3. Department of Forest and Wood Science, University of Stellenbosch, P/Bag X1, 7602, Matieland, South Africa

    Coert J. Geldenhuys

Authors
  1. Paxie W. Chirwa
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  2. Stephen Syampungani
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  3. Coert J. Geldenhuys
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Correspondence to Paxie W. Chirwa .

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  1. Forest and Wood Science, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa

    Thomas Seifert

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Chirwa, P.W., Syampungani, S., Geldenhuys, C.J. (2014). Managing Southern African Woodlands for Biomass Production: The Potential Challenges and Opportunities. In: Seifert, T. (eds) Bioenergy from Wood. Managing Forest Ecosystems, vol 26. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7448-3_4

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