Dendrochronological Applications in Zambia's Miombo Woodlands: Insights from the African Fieldschool

Abstract

Dendrochronology offers valuable insights into global environmental change, yet the field remains geographically biased toward northern latitudes, leaving tropical Africa relatively underrepresented. The African Dendrochronological Fieldschool (ADF) addresses this gap through training and research to expand knowledge of ring formation and environmental variation, and to build research capacity. We present case studies from the first three ADFs (2021–2023), spanning wood anatomy, dendroecology, dendroclimatology, and dendrochemistry studies from Miombo woodlands near Kitwe, Zambia. Wood anatomical characterization for 13 species, many of which have not been assessed before, indicated two are semi-ring-porous, but most (11 of 13) are diffuse-porous, and five show indicators of annual ring formation. Dendroecological studies characterized stand diversity and establishment history and produced a mixed-species chronology (series intercorrelation = 0.42). Dendroclimatological research yielded chronologies of Brachystegia longifolia and B. boehmii (series intercorrelations of 0.38 and 0.44, respectively) and found significant relationships (p < 0.05) between wet-season precipitation and growth for B. boehmii (r = 0.19–0.37) and the mixed-species chronology (r = 0.23–0.26). Dendrochemical analysis of B. longifolia revealed bioaccumulation of pollutants linked to local soil contamination, including As, Pb, and Sc. These findings demonstrate the applicability of several African tree species for dendrochronological research and underscore the importance of continued capacity building.