Weak Root Systems Causing Old Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) Trees to Fall

Abstract

Many of the baobabs (Adansonia digitata L.) found across the landscapes in Africa are over one thousand years old. There were reports in 2018 of some of the oldest baobab trees dying, especially in Southern Africa without knowing the causes. Other articles also reported that most of the perceived dead baobab trees were still alive, indicating the resilience of the species. We took advantage of three fallen old baobab trees at Adaklu, Ghana to investigate the probable causes of their falling. One of the trees fell in 2023 and another in 2024. The third tree fell about ten years earlier. Visual examination revealed that the trees fell due to weak root systems as a result of decay. Out of the three fallen baobab trees, only the one that fell in 2023 was dead at the time of the investigation supporting the resilience of the tree. We conclude that the fallen baobabs were the result of decayed roots and in cases where some roots remain in the soil after the fall, the possibility of the baobab tree continuing living is high.