Eucalyptus is the species most widely introduced overseas and is a long and ever green tree from myrtaceae family rassaeifar1 et al. Most common types of agroforestry practices are home garden, farmland, woodlot and coffee farm. This is far smaller than potato, soya bean, sorghum and maize fig. The first global assessment of the conservation status of trees worldwide indicated that around 8000 tree species are threatened with. Review on agroforestry system and its contribution in. A study on eucalyptus production in central ethiopia has also showed that the fast growth nature of the tree, the increased demand of fuelwood, the high rate in biomass production, easy management requirements of the tree, the unpalatable nature of the tree for animals, adaptability to a wide range of climates and edaphic factors, increasing demand poles and timber products in the construction. That is why it has been planted as the main tree species at different places of ethiopia veli and timo. Timberwatch today ethiopia is classified as having over 70% severe desertification, according to the united nations environment program unep. Declining natural forests and growing demands for wood products are encouraging the rapid expansion of eucalypt farm forestry in ethiopia, and arsi negelle district represents areas with recent plantation expansion in the rift valley area of ethiopia. Foresters and wood industries support its expansion. Australias most successful export is not a person, or a food, or an idea. Expanded widely, today this tree dominates rural and urban. Despite such alarming expansion, it has received little institutional support. Eucalyptus in ethiopia posted on october 20, 20 by pcwoolner drive to entoto mountain at the north of addis or through the countryside, or look at the scaffolding on construction sites, or the building materials for simple homes, and the prevalence and importance of eucalyptus in ethiopia becomes quickly evident.
In ethiopia the gelada baboon, theropithecus gelada, an iucn red list species least concern, is under threat from habitat loss, mainly from expansion of agriculture but also from deforestation and replanting with quickgrowing e. Plants in the genus eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to. The impacts of eucalyptus plants are aggravated to different country like iberian peninsula, central portugal 12. Menu eucalyptus in ethiopia 01 march 2015 on forestry, sustainability, eucalyptus, ethiopia. In ethiopia, forest plantations consist of mainly the exotic species, eucalyptus, which is currently expanding its distribution and captured interest of the local people. The next best time is now african proverb in 1895, emperor menelik ii introduced eucalyptus plantations in ethiopia in response to a critical wood shortage within the rapidly expanding capital, addis ababa. Ethiopias natural forest, consisting of broadleaved trees often mixed with conifer species. Although communities and households have exhibited a strong preference for eucalyptus, regional governments in ethiopia have sought to discourage eucalyptus planting through a ban on the planting of eucalyptus trees on farmlands hagos et al. The eucalyptus tree, or gum tree, which is native to australia, was known to grow quickly and easily, so emperor menelik imported eucalyptus from australia to ethiopia, where it has thrived in its invasive and selfish way. Community opinion, marketing and current debates on. Pdf eucalyptus species management, history, status and trends in. Expansion of eucalyptus woodlots in the fertile soils of. Commercial plantations are mainly exotic tree species with only a few indigenous in some species. The introduction of this species was a great success.
Despite the apparent benefits, there have been some. The following is an alphabetical list of eucalyptus species accepted by the australian plant census as at february 2019. Nowadays it is the most successful tree species, adopted by farmers for its fast growth, coppicing ability, the unpalatability of leaves, and wide range adaptability fao, 1981. However, the eucalypts grew better and produced higher biomass under prolonged water deficit compared to the indigenous species. Ohigashi 17 stated that the history of afforestation or mod ern tree planting in ethiopia using an exotic species of eucalyptus was started during. It has been grown extensively in kenya, uganda, and tanzania for decades, particularly by smallholder farmers, and is proven to be one of the best tropical tree species for bioenergy production. Given its adaptation, fast growth and good yield, it has provided feulwood, construction material, scaffold, transmission pole, timber etc.
In northern ethiopia, eucalyptus is the most commonly grown tree species in a community and private woodlots. Review article expansion of exotic tree species and. Currently, about 55 species of eucalypt have been grown in ethiopia, of which between five and ten are widely planted. Pdf eucalyptus globulus in ethiopian forestry researchgate. Eucalyptus species management, history, status and trends in ethiopia. This study assessed trends in eucalypt planting over the last five decades, identified the determinants, and examined perceptions of local. At present, there is ove half million hectare of eucalyptus in the country. Emperor of ethiopia introduced the tree from australia to address the prevailing fuel wood and construction material demand 14. Eucalyptus in ethiopia mystery and wonder the journey.
This report a presents the history and status of eucalyptus in east africa including ethiopia, sudan, somalia, djibouti, kenya, uganda, rwanda and burundi b a description of the products and services obtained from this tree species c an outline of the types of management d a presentation of the. Eucalyptus species management, history, status, and trends. Effects of eucalyptus camaldulensis tree plantation on. Currently the most common tree species for community woodlots and private tree investments in northern ethiopia is eucalyptus. In the end of the 19th century eucalyptus species were introduced to satisfy the high demand of firewood b ishaw, 2001. Eucalyptus, the most planted tree in the world, has been grown in ethiopia for over a century. The effect of eucalyptus on crop productivity, and soil properties in the koga watershed, western amhara region, ethiopia a thesis presented to the faculty of the graduate school of cornell university. This species tree species are also the first nonnative tree species formally introduced to ethiopia by emperor minilik ii from australia in the 1890s pukkala and ponjonen 1989 and 1993. The palace is owned by ethiopian orthodox tewahido tewahedost. Is the expansion of eucalyptus tree a curse or an opportunity. However, it is only within the last 50 years that afforestation and. Environmentalists fear this for the perceived negative ecohydrological impact.
Agroforestry is an ancient practice and also the farmers are too much familiarized with it in ethiopia. Silviculture and harvesting 282 the effect and phytoaccumulation of chromium at seedling stage of eucalyptus camaldulensis species in ethiopia. The blue gum is the preferred timber tree and lemon eucalyptus is. Pdf facts and experiences on eucalypts in ethiopia and.
Eucalyptus production is rapidly expanding in every regions of ethiopia. Meeting the demand for wood through clonal forestry. Since its introduction, eucalyptus in ethiopia has been marred by controversies, surrounding its alleged negative environmental impacts and inability to provide the necessary productive and ecological services. We found a total of 1,571 individuals of native woody plants belonging to 55 species. History and divergence of eucalyptus in ethiopia intrigued by wood products scarcity and treeless landscape surrounding the then newly established capital, addis ababa, minilik ii was forced to introduce a rather fast growing species of eucalyptus in 1895. In contrast to this view, many plantations of eucalyptus species have been found to. The success of the 100 000 ha planted so far is based on the adaptability of. The tree of choice for the huge energy demand prevailing in ethiopia by the time was eucalyptus due to its fast growth and large biomass production. Seedlings of the studied indigenous tree species of ethiopia showed photosynthetic rates and biomass production comparable to those of the eucalyptus spp. In recent decades eucalyptus has also increasingly been planted on lands around and within church forests, sacred groves of oldaged afromontane trees surrounding ethiopian orthodox tewahido churches. Pdf eucalyptus expansion as relieving and provocative. Eucalyptus is by far the most common tree species in northern ethiopia.
Presently, there are 55 species of eucalyptus tree growing in ethiopia, of which the most widespread species include eucalyptus camaldu, eucalyptus clensis i. Comparative growth performance of fastgrowing tree. Pdf analysis of eucalyptus role in the livelihoods of. Integrated utilization of eucalyptus globulus grown on the. At the moment, ethiopia has the largest area of eucalyptus plantations more than 0. Eucalyptus expansion as relieving and provocative tree in.
Eucalyptus has become one of the most important livelihood sources for rural households. Introduction and main uses the genus eucalyptus has provided foresters and farmers with a valuable resource of fast growing species able to grow under a wide range of conditions depending on the particular species being used. Of the over 650 eucalyptus plants, only a handful have commercial purpose. Several species only occurring outside australia, inluding e. Eucalyptus in east africa food and agriculture organization of the. Effects of forest plantations on soil carbon sequestration. The use of these fastgrowing species rather than indigenous tree species will bring a balance between supply demands negash, 1994, gindaba, 2005. On the contrary, eucalyptus is water efficient tree species than other crops though eucalyptus is perceived as high water consumer by some environmentalist 41,51. The eucalyptus tree, it turns out, demands huge amounts of water and tends to obscure other plants nearby. The rainbow tree grows in decorative plant gardens. Pdf eucalyptus species management, history, status and. Sooner or later the planting of eucalyptus for fuel, particularly, e.
Presently, there are 55 species of eucalyptus tree growing in ethiopia, of which the most widespread species include eucalyptus camaldu, eucalyptus clensis i triodora, eucalyptus globulus, eucalyptus regnans, eucalyptus salignaand eucalyptus tereticornis. It contributes incredible benefits via socioeconomic and environment. Estimates of mean annual increment mai 3in ethiopian eucalyptus woodlots are 1020 m hayear. The popular exotic tree crop in ethiopia acta scientific. Eucalyptus globulus in ethiopian forestry sciencedirect. Eucalyptus tree production in wolayita sodo, southern ethiopia. In about 1894 emporer menelik ordered the construction of a new capital for ethiopia in. In ethiopia, 506,000 hectares of land is believed to be covered by eucalyptus. It is the eucalyptus and it is the most planted genus of tree in the world. Species of the genus eucalyptus common name eucalyptus are widely planted all across ethiopiaincluding on large areas of land previously allocated to food production.
Review on impact of eucalyptus plantation on the soil. This situation is not yet studied in ethiopia, where eucalyptus tree is widely used. They left positive imprint through the conservation of indigenous tree species, introduction and domestication of animals and plants. Forest plantations and potential benefits the shortage of wood is a problem that was diagnosed early in ethiopia. Eucalyptus growing in ethiopia is largely confined to the highlands 15003200 m. The planting of eucal yptus has a long history in ethiopia dating back to extensive plantations surrounding urban centers in the late 1800s. Expansion of exotic tree species and impacts on management of. The potential of small eucalyptus plantations in farmscapes to foster. This is mainly because of limited stock of knowledge and understanding on the importance and contribution of eucalyptus to livelihood of rural households.
Seed origin, seedling raising, plantation techniques and tree improvement practices on eucalyptus species in ethiopia dechassa jiru and mebrate mihretu 266 chapter iv plantation management. First eucalyptus tree brought to ethiopia by emperor. Drive to entoto mountain at the north of addis or through the countryside, or look at the scaffolding on construction sites, or the building materials for simple homes, and the prevalence and importance of eucalyptus in ethiopia becomes quickly evident. Most eucalyptus species averagely use 785 liter of water to produce 1 kg of biomass 46. Eucalypts along with acacia and pines have been the. Evaluation of the impacts of eucalyptus plantation on. The success of the 100 000 ha planted so far is based on the adaptability of e. The two eucalyptus species are normally altitudebased with red eucalyptuse.
Aboveground biomass, growth and yield for some selected. Facts and experiences on eucalypts in ethiopia and elsewhere. Expansion of exotic tree species and impacts on management of the indigenous trees. One promising option is to grow eucalyptus hybrids using clonal forestry technology. In most cases it grows at altitude that ranges from sea level to 1,850 m asl but extends beynd that in ethiopia 22. It is over a century since eucalyptus was introduced in ethiopia. Eucalyptus species alone cover more than 90% of the total planted forest area bekele 2011.
Expansion, research and development of the eucalyptus in. The first eucalyptus tree in ethiopia still exists in the entoto palace of emperor menelik in addis ababa. Ethiopia as modern tree plantation from australia in 1895. Thus, this study to evaluate the impacts of eucalyptus plant on. The role of trees for sustainable management of less. Eucalyptus was introduced to ethiopia in 18941895 by the french railway engineer mondonvidaillet and a british army. Ecological impacts of eucalyptus plantation in eza wereda. Along with other genera in the tribe eucalypteae, they are commonly known as eucalypts.
Eucalyptus grows well and fast even on poor soils compared to most indigenous tree species hailu 2002. Eucalyptus tree plantations grow gum trees for eucalyptus wood and essential oil. Over the last century, eucalyptus has rapidly expanded across the globe. Red list of endemic trees and shrubs of ethiopia and eritrea t rees are important to the wellbeing of people in every country of the world, providing essential ecological, economic and cultural services.