Biomass measurement and monitoring of trees and shrubs in a semi-arid region of central Kenya

Tree and shrub biomass productivities were measured over a 5-year period at the Rehabilitation of Arid Environments project in Baringo, Kenya. Tree st em basal areas were measured along with destructive tree data. Inside two f ields individual species productivities between 0.60 and 11.57 (oven-dry) t ha(-1) year(-1) were estimated, compared to 0.48 t ha(-1) year(-1) outside one field. In 1993/4 drought reduced productivities. The average annual in crement was 10.4% and 35.6% inside the two fields compared to only 0.8% out side the one field. The methods used in this study are suitable for extensi ve monitoring of trees in savannas, especially if combined with remote sens ing such as aerial digital photography. (C) 1999 Academic Press.