Biodiversity: a sustainability garantee
ArboRise’s choice of forest species is carefully considered and meets the following criteria:
- All these species already grow in the region (proven suitability to the environment) and it is easy to find seed trees to collect their seeds
- Several of these tree species are resistant to bush fires and/or little consumed by free-ranging livestock
- Most of them are large trees, capable of storing a large amount of carbon. Each of the tree species has specific qualities (other than carbon storage) that are potentially useful to the population
- Some are pioneers (they are the first to colonise a deforested area) and others are not: it is important to maintain a balance in terms of forest regeneration
The choice of species is based on the advice of the local Water & Forestry authorities, confirmed by documentation such as:
- Arbonnier, Maurice: Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones sèches d'Afrique de l'Ouest, troisième édition. Editions Quae, 2009
- Boulvert, Yves, Carte morphopédologique de la République de Guinée, Annexe 3, Documents phytographique. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris 2003
- Thies, Evy: Principaux ligneux (agro-)forestiers de la Guinée. Zone de transition. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Rossdorf, 1995
The specialized websites www.agroforestry.org , https://plants.jstor.org/ and http://tropical.theferns.info/ provide a valuable complement to these publications. arboRise is also in contact with the National Forest Seed Center of Burkina Faso, which has supplied more than 10,000 seeds of 18 forest species for a pilot project in Kérouané.
Our choice of species will evolve according to seed harvests and germination rates in the field. In a collaborative spirit (and unlike other NGOs active in reforestation), arboRise makes this information available in a transparent manner to facilitate similar initiatives.
- Toutes
- Deciduous
- Evergreen
- Half-deciduousous
- Insects
- Bats
- Wasps
- Ants
- Butterfliess
- Bees
- Wind
- Fast
- Slow
- Variable
Adansonia digitata
Common name: Baobab
Edibility index: 
Therapeutic index:
Index of other usages: 
Type of foliage: Deciduous
Pollinator: Bats
Growth: Slow
Properties: Resistant to fire, termites and drought. The ashes of the bark and seeds are rich in potassium and used as a fertilizer.
Afzelia africana
Common name: Lingué, doussie, African afzelia
Edibility index:
Therapeutic index:
Index of other usages:
Type of foliage: Deciduous
Pollinator: Wind
Growth:
Properties: Quality wood, the bark has medicinal virtues. The leaves are rich in nitrogen to enrich the soil. Frequently close to springs
Alstonia boonei
Common name: Emien, alstonia
Edibility index:
Therapeutic index:
Index of other usages:
Type of foliage: Deciduous
Pollinator: Bees Butterfliess, Wasps
Growth: Fast
Properties: Growth is Fast (1.8m in the first year is not unusual)
Anogeissus leiocarpus
Common name: Kalama, african birch
Edibility index:
Therapeutic index:
Index of other usages:
Type of foliage: Evergreen
Pollinator: Wind
Growth: Slow
Properties: Used for its wood
Azadirachta indica
Common name: Neem
Edibility index:
Therapeutic index:
Index of other usages:
Type of foliage: Evergreen
Pollinator: Bees, Insects
Growth: Fast
Properties: Fruits are eaten fresh or cooked, or prepared as a dessert or lemonade-type drink. Its oil is used as a cosmetic, it can also be used as a pesticide.
Borassus aethiopum
Common name: Palmyra palm
Edibility index:
Therapeutic index:
Index of other usages:
Type of foliage: Evergreen
Pollinator: Insects
Growth: Slow
Properties: The leaves are frequently used as a fire barrier. Palm wine is made from the fruit. It is appreciated for its wood.