The structure of mountainous forest in the context of catchment forestry on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The forest belt on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro is an important catchment area and a major water source feeding the Pangani River. Previously this moist montane forest was harvested by logging of valuable tree species like Ocotea and Podocarpus, and the forest has for long time been important for local supply of forest products. To manage the challenges connected with moist forest on hills and mointain slopes the Catchment Forestry Project has been established by the Tanzanian authorities. In this study has the structure and composition of the trees along two altitudinal gradients in the forest belt at Mt. Kilimanjaro been analysed. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the documentation of the forest structure and biodiversity of tree species in the context of catchment forest properties.