Tree growth in West African cocoa agroforestry systems: high timber yields and superior performance of natural regeneration

Key message

Cocoa agroforestry systems (AFS) in West Africa represent an underexplored yet promising source of timber. Within these systems, species can reach a 50-cm diameter as early as 14 years of age. Naturally regenerated trees grow 10% faster than planted ones and develop a 43% greater bole volume. These findings underscore the high timber potential of cocoa AFS and confirm natural regeneration as a superior strategy for tree renewal and wood production.

Keywords 
Timber wood; Growth trajectories; Silvicultural management; Natural regeneration; Cocoa agroforestry; West Africa

Publication
K. Kouassi, A., C. Zo-Bi, I., Hérault, B. et al. Tree growth in West African cocoa agroforestry systems: high timber yields and superior performance of natural regeneration. Annals of Forest Science 82, 17 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-025-01286-7

Data availability 
Data, code, and supplementary information are available online (Kouassi et al. 2024, https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.12581453).

Handling editor 
Erwin Dreyer