Management guide for sustainable production of frankincense A manual for extension workers and companies managing dry forests for resin production and marketing Mulugeta Lemenih Habtemariam Kassa Management guide for sustainable production of frankincense A manual for extension workers and companies managing dry forests for resin production and marketing Mulugeta Lemenih Habtemariam Kassa © 2011 Center for International Forestry Research. All rights reserved ISBN 978-602-8693-58-5 Lemenih, M. and Kassa, H. 2011 Management guide for sustainable production of frankincense. CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia Photos by Mulugeta Lemenih CIFOR Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede Bogor Barat 16115 Indonesia T +62 (251) 8622-622 F +62 (251) 8622-100 E [email protected] www.cifor.cgiar.org Any views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of CIFOR, the authors’ institutions or the financial sponsors of this publication. Table of contents Acknowledgements v Preface vi 1 Introduction 1 2 Description of the genus and species 2 3. Distribution of Boswellia species 3 4 Flowering, seed production and propagation 5 4.1 Flowering 5 4.2 Seed production 5 4.3 Propagating B. papyrifera 6 5 Tapping and post-harvest handling 9 5.1 Tapping 9 5.2. Post-harvest handling 10 6 Measures for ensuring sustainable frankincense production 13 6.1 Reducing conversion of woodlands 13 6.2 Managing forest fire 13 6.3 Improving tapping methods and timing 14 6.4 Maintaining a viable Boswellia population 14 6.5 Other management-related recommendations 15 7 Property rights and institutionalisation of responsible management systems 17 8 Issues for research 18 9 References 19 List of tables and figures Table 1 Grades of frankincense from B. papyrifera 11 Figures 1 A B. papyrifera tree, its flowers, leaves, bark with a frankincense tear and flaking bark 2 2 The distribution of B. papyrifera (Del.) Hochst in Africa 3 3 B. papyrifera stands on a steep, rocky slope 3 4 Abundant pinkish flowers of B. papyrifera 5 5 Two-month-old B. papyrifera seedlings in a nursery 6 6 Wildings of B. papyrifera in their natural environment 6 7 B. papyrifera established from cuttings at a research station in Tigray and under field conditions in the Blue 7 Nile gorge 8 Root-sprouted B. papyrifera in its natural stand in Metema 8 9 Schematic presentation of recommended distances between tapping sites and picture showing the 9 tapping practice 10 B. papyrifera trees tapped for 1 year, 2 years and more than 2 years 10 11 Frankincense tears oozing through a wound, local tapping tool and collection vessels, and product 11 seasoning under shade in the production site 12 Cropland expansion by clearing B. papyrifera woodlands in Metema district 13 13 Effects of fire in B. papyrifera forests on trees, seedlings and saplings 14 14 Improper tapping exposes the inner bole of the tree to decay and predisposes the tree to parasite attack 15 15 Clearance of B. papyrifera-dominated woodlands for crop farming in north-western Ethiopia 17 Acknowledgements Current production levels of gums and gum resins in Ethiopia fall far short of the country’s potential. Insufficient volumes and inferior quality drive prices down. This situation is particularly true for gum olibanum, commonly known as frankincense. Producing forest products at greater volumes, and of a consistent high quality, would lead to better prices, in turn creating an economic incentive for farmers and the country to sustainably manage the resource base. This management guide was produced to assist efforts to promote responsible dry-forest management and market-oriented production of frankincense for the export and domestic markets. Following comments on an earlier version of the guide from experts at the Amhara Regional Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, we have reduced the technical details in order to focus primarily on practical aspects. We are also grateful to Drs Bo Tengnäs and Tony Cunninghum and to Ato Girmay Fitwi for their technical comments on the draft. We thank the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for financing CIFOR’s dry forest project in Ethiopia, which led to the creation of an earlier version of this guide. The Austrian Development Agency, by financing CIFOR’s community forestry project in Ethiopia, enabled us to field test, revise and update, and print and distribute this guide to users. Preface Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst is a widespread Boswellia forests in Ethiopia and to ensure the multipurpose tree species of cultural, religious, sustainable production and supply of frankincense. economic and ecological significance in Ethiopia. The specific objective of the guide is to provide It is one of the Boswellia species in the family of technical information on (1) how to better manage Burseraceae that yields the aromatic resin called the species in natural stands and in plantations, frankincense or gum olibanum. Frankincense has (2) how to properly tap the tree for increased and been valued for its sacred and ceremonial uses since sustainable frankincense production and (3) how to antiquity; during Roman times it was said to be as improve and maintain product quality through better valuable as gold. The ecological significance and the collection, handling and processing. socio-economic importance of Boswellia species were well recognised in Ethiopia’s just completed In preparing this guide, the authors drew on Five-Year Development Plan. However, to date, information in the literature, as well as their own efforts to promote responsible management of research and field observations conducted in the Boswellia woodlands to ensure sustainable production major producing areas of Ethiopia during the past of frankincense have been limited. Inadequate few years. It is hoped that the guide will be further knowledge regarding the management of these updated and enriched in the future. In the meantime, resources and the lack of a practical manual to the authors hope that the public extension service guide extension workers and companies engaged in providers (at federal and regional levels) and non- the production and marketing of frankincense are state development actors will translate the guide into believed to have undermined the effectiveness and local languages for use by extension agents. This will efficiency of such efforts. assist efforts to improve management of the species and the quality of its products, and thereby enhance This guide has therefore been prepared to contribute its contribution to local livelihoods and Ethiopia’s to the promotion of responsible management of national economy. 1. Introduction The drylands of Ethiopia contain numerous tree and to 3834 tons in 2007/08, and the number of producing shrub species that produce commercial gums and and marketing companies grew from 9 to 32 during gum resins. The most important of these species the same period (Lemenih and Kassa 2011). is Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst. Boswellia papyrifera is a deciduous multipurpose tree species Excessive tapping of individual trees, expansion of of value for its commercial product, known as crop and grazing land and forest fire threaten stands frankincense or gum olibanum. Frankincense has of B. papyrifera and the possibilities for sustainable several traditional uses and a range of industrial production of frankincense. Declining regeneration applications, including in pharmacology, flavouring, and spatial shrinkage of B. papyrifera woodlands beverages and liqueurs, cosmetics, detergents, lotions have been observed in much of the natural range of and perfumes. Ethiopia is one of the major suppliers this species. As a result, there is an urgent need to of frankincense to the world market and earns develop and implement guidelines for responsible considerable foreign currency from such exports. management of B. papyrifera. In the 2007/2008 Ethiopian fiscal year, the country exported 3834 tons of gums and resins, earning Recent research into the dry forests of Ethiopia has US$ 5.2 million (Leminih and Kassa 2011). furthered our understanding of the ecology, biology and silviculture of gum- and resin-producing species, Boswellia papyrifera thrives in marginal areas such as particularly of B. papyrifera. This knowledge base on steep and rocky mountains with shallow soils and must be used to improve management of the species. low moisture. Its capacity to successfully establish itself in dry climatic and poor soil conditions makes The subsequent chapters of this guide describe it one of the best candidate plant species to restore the genus and species of this important plant, its degraded drylands, and to enhance the resilience distribution and reproductive ecology, and best and adaptation capacity of dryland communities to practices for tapping the tree and post-harvest climate change. handling of its product, frankincense. The guide then sets out measures needed for sustainable production Trade liberalisation has helped increase of frankincense, examines the need for property rights commercialisation of frankincense in Ethiopia. For to institutionalise improved management systems, instance, the frankincense trade volume increased and proposes areas for further research. from 2183 tons in the 2000/2001 Ethiopian fiscal year 2. Description of the genus and species Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst belongs to the markets as Tigray (Eritrea) type frankincense family Burseraceae, which contains up to 600 species (Lemenih and Teketay 2003). Boswellia papyrifera in 17 genera (Fichtl and Admasu 1994). One of the trees can attain a height of up to 20 meters. The large genera, Boswellia Roxb., contains about 20 species compound leaves have 6–8 pairs of leaflets plus one of shrubs or small to medium-sized trees. The genus at the tip. Each leaf is oval, 4–8 cm long and densely Boswellia is distributed across the dry regions of the hairy underneath. The edges of the leaves are sharp- tropics, with its presence in the African mainland or round-toothed, and sometimes double-toothed. extending from Côte d’Ivoire to north-eastern The sweet-smelling flowers develop on loose heads Tanzania.