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Photo credit: Photo WVC 1998-12 Fraternisation 10 copy
The Tree of Brothers – Arbolle – Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s reforestation efforts show results
Author: Willem Van Cotthem (Ghent University, Belgium)
In 1988, at the invitation of the Maastricht-Niou Commission in the Netherlands, I carried out a reforestation project in the village of Niou (Courvego Province, Burkina Faso) together with a team from the University of Ghent in Belgium. I will describe the success of this project later. Today, attention is focused on a similar reforestation project implemented in 1988 in Agbolé (Pasore Province, Burkina Faso) in cooperation with a Canadian organization.
They decided to plant seedlings of various tree species and use different doses of TerraCottem soil conditioner (TC) on the clay soil, which had become completely barren in 1988 due to extensive deforestation by local villagers in previous years.
The hard clay fields have been completely eroded due to firewood collection.
First, planting pits were dug and the excavated soil was mixed with different doses of TC to study the best dose under local conditions. Some planting pits served as control plots (no TC was added to the local soil).
1988-07 Local people participated in the preparation of planting pits
When the project started in July 1988, the saplings were an average of 40-50 cm tall. Due to the abundant rainfall during the rainy season (June to October), the hydrogel of TC soil conditioner can store a large amount of water and gradually transfer this water to the growing saplings during the 8-month dry season. As a result, the saplings can continue to grow without irrigation.
In December 1988, six months after planting, the growth of individual trees was measured to compare the growth differences due to differences in TC doses.
1988-12 Measuring the growth of individual trees
It soon became apparent that TC had an interesting positive effect on tree growth. Under these conditions, a dose of 100 g of TC per plant pit was close to the optimal dose. As a result of our activities in the field, the soil was trampled, and seeds of grasses and other weeds germinated and developed into a sparse vegetation cover.
1988-12 Young trees have shown growth differences
Acacia Nile The growth of young trees was very good, especially when 100 g TC was applied to each pit.
Acacia Nile The saplings can continue to grow without irrigation during the dry season
In April 1989, we returned to the project to make new measurements. The view was spectacular! Except for the control trees (no TC in the soil), almost all trees were still green and young leaves were growing, which is a very rare situation in the dry season. Some seedlings disappeared, not because of drought, but because they were destroyed by locusts and termites.
1989-04 Green saplings in the dry season
In July 1990, two years after the project started, the barren land had turned into a green area. The young trees continued to grow according to the dosage of TC in the planting pits. Another interesting phenomenon was that different kinds of weeds grew around each tree. In fact, the seeds of these weeds were blown in by the wind, and the seeds that fell on the surface of the planting pits germinated and grew in a relatively humid environment (see the green disks around the trees).
1990-07 Two years after planting, the young trees are growing well without the need for supplemental irrigation or fertilization
Some Acacia Nile The trees have grown to be very tall. It is almost unbelievable that these trees have grown to more than 2 meters in height without any additional treatment. The only thing we did was to plant the seedlings with a dose of TC in July 1988 and let the rains make the TC a reservoir of water and nutrients. Under these conditions, this growth has never been seen before.
1990-07 I am delighted to see these wonderful two-year-old trees
The overall appearance of the plantation gradually changes. Not only do the young trees continue to grow throughout the year, but the originally poor soil is slowly covered with grass and other weeds. This “natural recovery” is an important secondary effect of soil conditioning using TC.
1990-07 The overall appearance of the plantation changed rapidly
In July 1994, six years after the project began, a magnificent young forest was formed. The canopy was closing, and the ground cover was also closing in. And of course, the flowering plants began to attract numerous animal species: insects, birds, mice, squirrels, etc. The biodiversity increased significantly.
1994-07 6 years, young wood flourishes
In 1998, 10 years after the afforestation, the original barren land no longer existed. The afforestation project achieved remarkable results. The trees had grown to several meters high and the surface vegetation had become very dense.
1998-12 Afforestation project achieved remarkable results
It is gratifying to learn that, since 1998, TC reforestation projects in many other countries have been equally successful.
Originally published:
https://desertification.wordpress.com/2006/11/19/remarkable-reforestation-in-burkina-faso/
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