Lugalo Forest Reserve

Looking north

This past weekend we decided to get out of our dry habitat and search for some highland forests. We hard heard that the Eastern Arc forests stretch into Iringa, though on the opposite side of the region that we live. Because the roads are often in poor condition, one can never know how long it will take to reach an isolated forest reserve. Compounding things further is that most of the forest reserves were gazetted because the area is hilly and thus the forest is difficult to exploit. However, one must take some chances and explore the areas so we gathered as much info as we could and tried to identify a route to Lugalo Forest Reserve (officially gazetted as Kisinga-Rugaro Forest Reserve but known locally as Lugalo).

Lugalo is a huge reserve at about 14,000 hectares (35,000 acres) so we decided to try to enter from the north as it's closest to the Iringa-Dar es Salaam highway. We drove about an hour out of Iringa and then turned south to climb up towards the reserve. We found a decent track of road that was at times quite steep and rocky but certainly passable and lightly maintained. Although I was focused on staying on the track and not getting a puncture from the jagged stones, I was able to appreciate the view as we climbed up.

We eventually reached an open grassy area with stunning views to the villages below. We stopped and greeted a woman at a makeshift shack that was used to house some workers in charge of maintaining a water intake site in the forest reserve. On our way up we were surprised to pass an older guy in a decent looking pick up truck but now it made sense. We thanked the woman and made our way to the edge of the reserve and parked our car.

There was a very clear and well maintained road that went through the reserve but we opted to walk since the forest looked quite inviting. We spent the next three hours walking through a variety of habitats from secondary montane forest to open grasslands. The forest didn't show the heavy signs of exploitation that I had expected though it was obvious the area was likely logged heavily decades ago. The forest reminded us of other Eastern Arc forests that we had become so familiar with in the north (Kindoroko, Minja, Shuguya) and having spent the last few months in a dry area, it felt good to be in a moist and green environment.

The scouting trip couldn't have been more successful and we look forward to returning to do some camping. Most of our hiking was at or above 2000m (6,500 ft), so we have to make sure to bring some warm clothes and a heavy sleeping bag!

Checking the bird book

A clearing in between the forest

Nice forest behind us

A cool little grove

Flora and Fauna & Food: Tamarind Tree

Fruit of the tree

One of my favorite fruits to forage while in the field is the fruit from the Tamarind tree. Not only is the fruit delicious but the tree is typically large and provides great shade. It also has a long fruiting period which means that you can depend on gathering the fruit for an extended period of time, not just the usual glut of fruits from most trees.

The fruit is a curved lumpy brown pod that has a very brittle shell. If you aren't careful while removing, it has a tendency to crack and become difficult to remove from the sticky innards. When removed the black seed is revealed, covered in a sticky and sour pulp. You can pop the seeds into your mouth and suck on the seeds until all the pulp is removed, then spit out the shiny hard seed. You can also make juice from tamarind, as well as paste to use in cooking.

I've only seen locals eat it straight from the fruit and for whatever reason it is mostly young children that consume it. We've made juice a few times though it's good to balance it with some sugar or honey. I do love to eat the fruit straight from the seed but it tends to burn my mouth if I have too much!

Nice specimen

Pods on the tree

Flora and Fauna: Toothbrush Tree (Grey-leaved Cordia)

Fine toothbrush you got there

Most of the people I work with in the field still live a very traditional lifestyle. Although they are adopting more and more of the tools and luxuries of the modern world (clothes, cell phones, washing detergent, etc) they still maintain many of their resourceful and local ways of doing things. One of these things is tooth care. Instead of having a plastic brush and imported toothpaste, the locals use the branches of a small shrub, the Grey-leaved Cordia. Abundant and easy to identify, people will break off some branches and gently peel the end with their teeth. This will create a brush like end which allows the user to dutifully clean their teeth. When I asked a co-worker how often they use the brush, he stated proudly that he brushes up to five times a day and that the bush is quite useful for him. And really, when I think about it, most of the guys I work with have very nice teeth, so perhaps I should exchange my crusty old plastic toothbrush for a natural local one?

The tree is usually a small shrub though it can grow large like a small tree