Subscribe

RSS Feed (xml)

Powered By

Skin Design:
Free Blogger Skins

Powered by Blogger

Friday, April 25, 2008

Clanwilliam cedar


Common Name: * Clanwilliam cedar
Scientific Name: * Widdringtonia cedarbergensis
Categories: * Endangered
Conservation Status: * Endangered

Introduction

The Clanwilliam cedar is a majestic tree of 6-18 m in height, endemic to the Cederberg Mountains in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Why is this species important?

The Clanwilliam cedar is one of the few trees found in the shrub-dominated fynbos vegetation of the Cape region of South Africa. Historically it played a critical role in the development of thearea, being an important source of timber for the early European settlers in this largely treeless region. From the beginning of the eighteenth century, its fragrant, rot-resistant and aesthetically beautiful timber was extensively exploited for building, furniture and later for telegraph poles. Although harvesting of live trees has been banned for the past 100 years, the Clanwilliam cedar is still a characteristic and much-valued component of the Cederberg Mountain vegetation.

Where is it found?


The Clanwilliam cedar is only found in the Cederberg Mountain range in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The mountains lie between latitudes 32° 00’S and 34°45’S and longitudes 18°50’E and 19°25’E. The cedars grow on cliffs, rocky outcrops and slopes, largely between 1050 m and 1650 m above sea level. In the northern part of its range, the tree appears to occur mainly on the eastern slopes, but no such limitation exists in the rest of its range. In the early nineteenth century travellers to the area wrote of a forest “24 miles long and two miles wide”. Today the cedar occurs as individual trees with many dead relicts over a much-reduced area: it is estimated that an area of 60-70,000 ha of dense woodland has been reduced to 25,000 ha of scattered trees. If they do not succumb to fire, the cedars can live for up to 400 years.

How do people use it?

The Clanwilliam cedar was extensively exploited for timber in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, initiated by the arrival of the early European settlers in the region. It produces a fragrant, durable timber with an attractive appearance, which was used for construction, furniture and telegraph poles. Harvesting of live trees has been banned for the past 100 years.

Why is it threatened?

A combination of factors seems to have led to the decline in the species. The extensive exploitation by man clearly played an important role in diminishing numbers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although evidence suggests that the ecological situation of the cedar was fragile even before that time due to climatic changes. Although harvesting of the trees has been banned for 100 years, the number of cedars has continued to decline and there is little sign of re-establishment of young trees. An increase in the frequency of large-scale, intense fires is believed to be responsible, although fire is also essential for the natural regeneration of the species. It takes up to 30 years for a tree to bear seeds, and it seems that the increased frequency of fires means that few saplings live to reproduce before fire kills them. It also appears that the seed bank in the natural stands of mature trees has fallen below a self-sustaining level. A large fire in 1989 destroyed hundreds of trees and is believed to have been particularly significant in the recent failure in cedar regeneration. Consumption of the seeds and young shoots by rodents has also been cited as a contributory factor.



What conservation action is needed?

Without large-scale planting of seedlings, the Clanwilliam cedar is unlikely to recover. An IUCN action plan for the species concludes “the only option open to increase cedar numbers is now found to lie in a large-scale planting scheme of nursery-grown seedlings in newly burnt areas and careful management of the burning regimes.” Fires need to be prevented or controlled until seedlings have reached reproductive maturity (15-30 years). Western Cape Nature Conservation (WCNC) established a cedar nursery and planting programme in the late 1980s, but due to lack of funds, it had to be abandoned in the late 1990s. As part of the Global Trees Campaign, FFI is now assisting the Botanical Society of South Africa, working with the WCNC, to re-establish the nursery and planting programme.

4 comments:

oakleyses said...

longchamp outlet, nike outlet, michael kors outlet online, chanel handbags, christian louboutin outlet, ray ban sunglasses, tiffany and co, replica watches, coach outlet, tiffany jewelry, michael kors outlet online, nike air max, polo ralph lauren outlet online, michael kors outlet store, oakley sunglasses, polo outlet, christian louboutin uk, christian louboutin, burberry handbags, longchamp outlet, kate spade outlet, prada handbags, michael kors outlet, gucci handbags, michael kors outlet, coach outlet, prada outlet, kate spade, michael kors outlet online, tory burch outlet, christian louboutin shoes, coach outlet store online, burberry outlet, true religion outlet, nike air max, coach purses, oakley sunglasses, jordan shoes, longchamp outlet, ray ban sunglasses, oakley sunglasses wholesale, nike free

oakleyses said...

north face, nike air max uk, sac hermes, hollister uk, nike air force, louboutin pas cher, michael kors, oakley pas cher, converse pas cher, abercrombie and fitch uk, hollister pas cher, nike free run, jordan pas cher, nike tn, burberry pas cher, longchamp pas cher, timberland pas cher, nike air max, polo ralph lauren, nike roshe, lululemon canada, ralph lauren uk, true religion outlet, guess pas cher, vans pas cher, sac longchamp pas cher, nike air max uk, true religion jeans, hogan outlet, north face uk, new balance, air max, ray ban pas cher, nike free uk, true religion outlet, nike blazer pas cher, sac vanessa bruno, michael kors pas cher, ray ban uk, polo lacoste, michael kors outlet, mulberry uk

oakleyses said...

hollister clothing, giuseppe zanotti outlet, lululemon, wedding dresses, abercrombie and fitch, hermes belt, asics running shoes, bottega veneta, celine handbags, soccer shoes, valentino shoes, ferragamo shoes, vans outlet, mcm handbags, timberland boots, nike roshe run uk, longchamp uk, nike air max, north face outlet, p90x workout, new balance shoes, insanity workout, iphone 6 cases, herve leger, instyler, oakley, hollister, nike huaraches, soccer jerseys, nike trainers uk, babyliss, chi flat iron, ghd hair, baseball bats, jimmy choo outlet, mont blanc pens, north face outlet, mac cosmetics, beats by dre, nfl jerseys, reebok outlet, nike roshe run

oakleyses said...

ralph lauren, vans, gucci, pandora jewelry, ray ban, hollister, ugg, swarovski crystal, links of london, lancel, toms shoes, juicy couture outlet, montre pas cher, pandora uk, replica watches, converse outlet, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia, coach outlet, ugg uk, hollister, ugg pas cher, uggs outlet, ugg boots, supra shoes, pandora charms, marc jacobs, louboutin, thomas sabo, juicy couture outlet, ugg boots, karen millen uk, uggs outlet, converse, swarovski, uggs on sale, nike air max, ugg,uggs,uggs canada, wedding dresses