Boswellia papyrifera a tree of economic importance in dry land Sudan: Dendrometric parameters and tapping characteristics

Abstract. Dafa-Alla M, Abdelkari HA, Abuelbashar AI, Hassan MH. 2022. Boswellia papyrifera a tree of economic importance in dry land Sudan: Dendrometric parameters and tapping characteristics. Asian J For 7: 10-16. We conducted this research in Abugadaf Natural Forest Reserve (ANFR) located within Blue Nile state, Sudan. The objectives were to examine dendrometric parameters and to analyze tapping characteristics for frankincense production. We randomly distributed 97 sample plots; in each, we counted B. papyrifera trees, measured their diameter at breast height (dbh), total height, bole height, and crown diameter, and examined the correlation between crown diameter and dbh. We examined 116 tapping spots made on 13 randomly selected trees. In each tree, we measured upper and lower tapping heights, calculated potentially untapped bole height, counted the number of tapping spots, measured their dimensions, recorded their directions, and compared mean numbers of tapping spots at four directions using one-way ANOVA (?=0.05). Results revealed that the distributions of dbh and the total height of tapped B. papyrifera followed a bell shape, and that of bole height and crown diameter followed a bell-shaped skewed to the right. Results revealed a significant (P=0.000) correlation between crown diameter and dbh (N=499) that trees were tapped at the four directions without significant difference (P=0.427) between mean numbers of tapping spots at the four directions. The study concludes that current tapping practice doesn’t strictly adhere to recommended tapping guides, particularly with minimum lower tapping height and preference of concentration of tapping in east-west directions.