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Chapter 2 - Zambia’s Changing Environment
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Bush fires cause severe destruction to vegetation
Ponyo, 2011
Closed forests
are dominated by trees whose crowns touch or overlap
completely preventing the sun from reaching the forest floor. This
vegetation type is sub-divided into five categories: dry evergreen, dry
deciduous, montane, swamp and riparian forests. Closed forests cover area
of about 31 million hectares in Zambia.
Inwoodlands (open forests)
, the canopy is not continuous and sufficient
light reaches the ground to support vigorous grass growth. Miombo,
Kalahari, Mopane and Munga tree species are all types of open forest
vegetation.
The Miombo woodland is the most extensive and economically important
vegetation type in Zambia. It is used in urban areas for the supply of timber,
poles, firewood and charcoal. It is also the source of many non-wood forest
products such as honey,medicines,mushrooms, caterpillars and other edible
insects.Miombo woodlands cover an area of about 352 million hectares, about
47 per cent of the country’s total land area.
Termitaria
are scattered throughout Zambia wherever the soil is not sandy.
They occur more frequently on dambos, which are shallow wetlands
comprising of grasses, brushes and sedges, and in Munga and Mopane
woodlands. They are scarce in dry evergreen forests.
Grasslands
cannot support trees due to the fact that they are found in
places that have a permanently high water table. Types of grasslands include
dambos, flood plains, swamps and lakes.
Zambia Forestry Department, 2009, McCartney
et al.
, 2010
Box 2.3: Vegetation types in Zambia
Wood plants
Other erbs
and crop species
Grasses
Ferns
Algae
Mosses
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percentage
Figure 2.9 Inventories of plant species
Environmental Council of Zambia, 2008