Restoring dry Afromontane forest using bird and nurse plant effects: Direct sowing of Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata seeds

To identify the perspectives of seed sowing for reforestation of degraded dry Afromontane savanna in exclosures in northern Ethiopia, seeds of a fleshy-fruited, secondary climax tree, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata, were placed under two pioneer shrub species (Euclea racemosa and Acacia etbaica) and in open microhabitats. Seed removal and germination rates were examined. The effects of bird ingestion, manual pulp removal and mechanical endocarp treatments on germination rates were also studied.Pulp removal promoted seed germination, in particular in seeds without endocarp manipulation. Seed removal, presumably by rodents, was concentrated in narrow strips along linear soil conservation structures, and not different between shrubs and open microhabitats. In the absence of water stress, humus types did not have a significant effect on germination rates. Under field conditions however, germination was higher under Euclea canopies. The observed facilitative effect of Euclea shrubs on germination may be attributed to moisture retention effects, related to the deep humus layer and canopy architecture, preventing desiccation and promoting imbibition of seeds. When readily available Olea seeds are not used for seedling production, direct sowing of seeds in the humus under dense Euclea shrubs could offer a cheap complement to planting of nursery-raised seedlings for forest restoration projects in recovering Afromontane savanna.