Model-based estimation of above-ground biomass in the miombo ecoregion of Zambia

Forest Ecosystems

Table 1 Characteristics of the four dominant vegetation types found in Nyimba District, Eastern Province, Zambia

Vegetation type	Dominant species	Structure	Phenology	Fire susceptibility of dominant species	Soils and topography	Source
Dry miombo woodland	Brachystegia spiciformis, B. boehmii and Julbernardia globiflora	Open to closed two layer canopy, with mean height ≤ 15 m; dense grass layer	deciduous or semi-deciduous	fire-tolerant	Nutrient-poor, plateaus and hills	Timberlake and Chidumayo (2011); GRZ (2014)
Mopane woodland	Colophospermum mopane (generally monospecific)	Open one layer canopy, with height ranging from 6 to 18 m; sparse grass layer	deciduous	fire-intolerant	Clay dominated, on wide valley bottoms	Timberlake (1995); Makhado et al. (2014); GRZ (2014)
Munga woodland	Vechellia sp., Senegalia sp., Combretum sp., and trees associated with the Papilionoideae subfamily	Open one or two layer canopy, emergents up to 18 m; dense grass layer	deciduous	fire-tolerant	Nutrient-rich and well-drained, plateaus	Timberlake and Chidumayo (2011); GRZ (2014)
Riparian forest	Mixed	Closed three layer canopy, up to 25 m; vines commonly occurring	evergreen	fire-intolerant	Restricted to buffer zones around significant rivers	GRZ (2014)