Forest degradation and recovery in a miombo woodland landscape in Zambia: 22 years of observations on permanent sample plots

► Forest degradation is an important cause of wood biomass loss in miombo woodland. ► Application of indices of forest degradation requires repeated inventories on permanent plots. ► Decrease in biomass accumulation and standing biomass are good indices of forest degradation. ► Avoided forest degradation increased aboveground wood biomass by up to 4.0 t ha−1 year−1.