Dr. J. C. Onyekwelu
Dr. J. C. Onyekwelu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Contact Information:
Department of Forestry & Wood Technology,
Federal University of Technology,
P. M. B. 704, Akure, Nigeria.
Postal Code 340001.
Phone: +234-803-472-1633
Email: onyekwelujc@yahoo.co.uk
Departmental Home Page Faculty & Staff FUTA Home Page

Dr. J. C. Onyekwelu
Forest Management and Silviculture

Education

  • Ph. D. Forest Management, Technische Universität München, Germany. 2001
  • M. Agric. Tech. Forest Management, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. 1995.
  • B. Agric. Tech. Forestry and Wood Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. 1991.

Research Interests

  • Forest Management Systems.
  • Sustainability of production and multiple-use management of tropical forest plantations.
  • Carbon sequestration in tropical forest plantations.
  • Environmental Forestry.

Current Research

  • Soil microbial biomass, macrofauna biomass and population in Gmelina arborea plantations, degraded natural forest and agricultural land in tropical rainforest region of Nigeria.
  • Domestication, nutritional and economic value of some important indigenous forest food tree species
  • Biodiversity Conservation as Influenced by Plantation Development in the West African Sub-Region
  • Effects of different drying time and storage methods on the germination and early growth of Treculia africana and Chrysophyllum albidum.
  • Distillation of ethanol from Gmelina arborea fruit pulp in different stages of fermentation from a age series plantations of the species in oluwa forest reserve, Nigeria.
  • Influence of Plantation Development on Biodiversity in the Humid Lowland Forest Ecosystem of West Africa.
  • Comparative investigation of the soil status under forest plantations, degraded and inviolate tropical natural forests in south-western Nigeria.

Graduate Students’ Supervision

Master’s degree

  • Fayose, J. O. Effects of different drying time and storage methods on the germination and Treculia africana and Chrysophyllum albidum seeds (Completed).

  • Alo, A.B.  Tree taper and volume equations of Gmelina arborea in Omo forest reserve, southwestern Nigeria.  (Completed)

  • Ada, R. Biodiversity, productivity and economic potentials of rattan in two ecological zones of Edo State Nigeria. (On-going).

  • Olusola, J. A. Comparative investigation of biodiversity conservation in sacred groves and natural forest ecosystems in southwestern Nigeria. (On-going).

Honours and Awards

  • Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research at the Technische Universität, München, Germany, 2008
  • The African Forest Research Network (AFORNET) research grant for the project: Biodiversity Conservation as Influenced by Plantation Development in the West African Sub-Region, 2007 - 2008
  • Full grant to participate in the “Research Proposal Development training workshop” in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 2007, sponsored by Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) Programme of the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of the government of Canada.
  • Research Grant from Stihl-Stiftung (Foundation) for the project: Productivity, site evaluation and state of nutrition of Gmelina arborea plantations in two major industrial Plantation sites in South-western Nigeria. 2005.
  • Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research at the Technische Universität, München, Germany. 2004-2005.
  • Field Research Grant from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, for the project: Growth Characteristics and Management Scenarios for plantation-grown Gmelina arborea and Nauclea diderrichii in south-western Nigeria. 2000.
  • Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Scholarship award for Doctorate degree at the Technische Universität, München, Germany. 1998-2001.
  • Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Scholarship award for German language programme at the Goethe Institut, Freiburg, Germany. 1997.
  • Staff Development Award from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. 1993.
  • Best Corpers’ Award for the National Youth Service Corps Scheme in Kwara State. 1992.
  • Best Graduating Student Award in the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. 1991.

Courses Taught

  • Forest Silviculture
  • Biometrics
  • Forest plantation establishment and development
  • Forest Economics and Management
  • Statistics and Research Techniques
  • Advanced Silvics

Professional Affiliations

  • Forestry Association of Nigeria
  • International Society of Tropical Foresters
  • Environmental and Behavioral Association of Nigeria

Recent Professional Meetings attended

  • CTA International Seminar on the implications of climate change for sustainable agricultural production systems in the ACP countries, 26 – 31st October 2008, Ougadougou, Burkina Faso.
  • IUFRO –8.01.02 International Landscape Ecology on Landscape Ecology and Forest Management-Challenges and Solutions Challenges and Solutions, Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China, September 16-18, 2008.
  • 1st National Conference of the Forest and Forest Products Society of Nigeria on Research in Development in Forestry, Forest Products and Natural Resources Management, 16 – 18th April 2008, Akure, Nigeria.Tropentag 2007: “Utilisation of diversity in land use systems: Sustainable and organic approaches to meet human needs” Witzenhausen, Germany October 9 - 11, 2007.
  • Research Proposal Development training workshop, organized by the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA), 24-28 September 2007, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • 2005 edition of the annual meeting of Alexander von Humboldt research scholars, held at Mainz, Germany, October 2005
  • 2005 edition of annual conference of German silviculturists – Contribution of Silviculture to mixed stand research held at Freising, Germany, September 2005.
  • 29th edition of the annual conference of Forestry Association of Nigeria held at Calabar, Nigeria, October 2003.

Publications

Thesis/Dissertation

  • Growth Characteristics and Management Scenarios for plantation-grown Gmelina arborea and Nauclea diderrichii in south-western Nigeria. Published Ph.D. dissertation; Hieronymus Publishers, Munich Germany; ISBN 3-89791-235-X: 2001.
  • Growth and Yield studies for Gmelina arborea plantations in Oluwa Forest Reserve, Nigeria. (Master’s degree thesis). 1995.
  • Effect of some pre-germination treatments on the germination of seeds of some tree species. (Bachelor’s degree project report). 1991.

Contribution to Books, Editorship and Monographs

  • Onyekwelu, J.C, Adekunle, V.A.J and Oke, D.O (editors)(2008): Research in Development in Forestry, Forest Products and Natural Resources Management. Proceedings of the 1st National Conference of the Forest and Forest Products Society of Nigeria, 16 – 18th April 2008, Akure, Nigeria.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Akindele, S.O. 2006. Biomass and bioenergy research in tropical Africa: state of the art, challenges and future directions. In: Advances in Biomass and Bioenergy research, Nova academic publishers, U.S.A., pp 1 - 34.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Stimm, B. 2006: Terminalia superba Engl. et Diels In: Schütt, P.; Weisgerber, H.; Lang, U.; Roloff, A.; Stimm, B. (eds.). Enzyklopädie der Holzgewächse, ecomed-Verlag, Munich, 43.Erg.Lfg. 03/06, 12 pp.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Stimm, B. 2006: Irvingia gabonensi, (Aubrey-Lecomte ex O. Rorke) Baill. In: Schütt, P.; Weisgerber, H.; Lang, U.; Roloff, A.; Stimm, B. (eds.). Enzyklopädie der Holzgewächse, ecomed-Verlag, Munich, 43.Erg.Lfg. 03/06, 14 pp.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Stimm, B. 2004: Nauclea diderrichii (De Wild.) Merr., 1915. In: Schütt, P.; Weisgerber, H.; Lang, U.; Roloff, A.and Stimm, B. (Eds.):  Enzyklopädie der Holzgewächse, 37.Erg.Lfg. 09/04, Ecomed-Publishers, Munich, Germany, 12pp.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., El Kateb, H., Stimm, B. and Mosandl, R. 2003: Growth characteristics of Nauclea diderrichii (De Wild.) Merr. in unthinned plantations in south-western Nigeria. In: Waldbau – weltweit. Beiträge zur internationalen Waldbauforschung (Mosandl,R.; El Kateb,H.; Stimm,B. (eds)). Forstliche Forschungsberichte Munich, Nr. 192/2003, pp. 147-163.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C and Stimm, B., 2002. Gmelina arborea in Enzyklopädie  der Holzgewächse -28. Erg. Lfg. Ecomed -publishers, Munich, Germany 8pp.

Refereed Journal Articles

  • Onyekwelu, J.C., Mosandl, R. and Stimm, B (2008). Tree species diversity and soil status of primary and degraded tropical rainforest ecosystems in south-western Nigeria. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 20(3): 193–204.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C (2007). Growth, biomass yield and biomass functions for plantation-grown Nauclea diderrichii in humid tropical rainforest zone of Nigeria. Bioresource Technology 98: 2679 – 2687.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C , Mosandl, R. and Stimm, B (2006). Productivity, site evaluation and state of nutrition of Gmelina arborea plantations in tropical rainforest zone in South-western Nigeria. Forest Ecology & Management, 229: 214–227.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. (2005). Silviculture, productivity and prospects of afforestation with Gmelina arborea (ROXB) in Nigeria. Accepted by the Nigerian Journal of Forestry, 35(1): 62 - 75.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. (2004). Appropriate pre-treatment technology for breaking dormancy and regularizing germination of Irvingia gabonensis seeds. Accepted by Nigerian Journal of Forestry, 34(1&2):88 - 97.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., 2005. Site index curves for site quality assessment of Nauclea diderrichii monoculture plantations in Omo forest reserve, Nigeria. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 17(4): 462-473.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., 2004. Above-ground biomass production and biomass equations for even-aged Gmelina arborea (ROXB) plantations in south-western Nigeria. Biomass & Bioenergy, Vol. 26(1): 39 – 46.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., Biber, P. and Stimm, B., 2003. Density management diagram as a tool for thinning recommendations in even-aged Nauclea diderrichii plantations in Omo forest reserve, Nigeria. Accepted by the Nigerian Journal of Forestry, 33 (2) 59 - 69.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., Mosandl, R. El Kateb, H and Stimm, B., 2003. Growth characteristics of unthinned plantations of Gmelina arborea (Roxb) in south-western Nigeria: silvicultural implications.  Journal of Tropical Forest Resources, Vol. 20: 50 - 64.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., 2003. Choosing appropriate index age for estimating site index of Gmelina arborea timber plantations in Oluwa forest reserve, Nigeria. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment vol. 1(3&4): 286 – 290.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., Biber, P. and Stimm, B., 2003. Thinning Scenarios for Gmelina arborea plantations in south-western Nigeria using density management diagrams. Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment.  Vol. 1 (2): 320 - 325.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. (2002). Economic potentials of dominant exotic plantation tree species in south-western Nigeria. Journal of Sustainable Tropical Agricultural Research 4: 20 – 25.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Akindele, S.O. (2002). Effect of pre-treatments on the germination of the seeds of Chrysophyllum albidum. Applied Tropical Agriculture, Vol. 7: 23 – 28.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. (2002). Prospects of plantation grown indigenous species in wood processing industries in Nigeria. Applied Tropical Agriculture, Vol. 7: 62 – 69.
  • Fuwape, J.A., Onyekwelu, J.C. and Adekunle, V.A.T. (2001). Biomass equations and estimation for Gmelina arborea and Nauclea diderrichii stands in Akure forest reserve. Biomass & Bioenergy vol. 21: 401 – 405.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Fuwape, J.A. (1998). Site index equation for Gmelina arborea pulpwood in Oluwa Forest Reserve, Nigeria. Journal of Tropical Forest Science; Vol. 10(3): 337-345.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Akindele, S.O. (1995). Stand volume equation for Gmelina arborea plantations in Oluwa forest reserve, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Forestry, Vol. 25 (1 & 2): 92-95.

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Papers in National and International Conference Proceedings

  • Onyekwelu, J.C., Adeniji, A.O. and Sanni, D.M. (2008). Transforming waste to wealth: Gmelina arborea fruit-pulp potentials for ethanol production as biofuel resource. Paper presented at the CTA Seminar on the implications of climate change for sustainable agricultural production systems in the ACP countries, 26 – 31st October 2008, Ougadougou, Burkina Faso.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Fuwape, J.A. (2008). Conservation and Restoration of Degraded Forest Landscapes in Rainforest zones of Nigeria Through Reforestation Projects. Paper accepted for presentation at IUFRO  Landscape Ecology Conference,  Sept. 16-18, 2008 - Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China.
  • Fuwape, J.A., Onyekwelu, J.C. and Okai, R. (2008). Urban Forest Development in West Africa:  Benefits and Challenges. Paper accepted for symposium presentation at IUFRO  Landscape Ecology Conference,  Sept. 16-18, 2008 - Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C., Adeniji, A.O. and Sanni, D.M. (2008). Potentials of Gmelina arborea fruit pulp for ethanol production. In: Research in Development in Forestry, Forest Products and Natural Resources Management (Onyekwelu, J.C, Adekunle, V.A.J and Oke, D.O (eds), Proceedings of the 1st National Conference of the Forest and Forest Products Society of Nigeria, 16 – 18th April 2008, Akure, Nigeria, Pp 177 – 181.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Fayose, O.J., (2007). Effect of storage methods on the germination and proximate composition of Treculia africana seeds. In: Proceedings of Tropentag 2007, Witzenhausen, Germany October 9 - 11, 2007, 4pp. http://www.tropentag.de/2007/abstracts/full/189.pdf
  • Onyekwelu, J.C, Adekunle, V.A.J. and Adeduntan, S.A. (2005). Does natural tropical rainforest ecosystem posses the ability to recover from severe degradation? In: Sustainable forest management in Nigeria (Popoola et al.,, eds). Proceedings of the 30th annual conference of Forestry Association of Nigeria, pp 145 - 163.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and Afolabi, J.  (2003). The contribution of Ondo and Ogun State Afforestation Projects to rural community development. In: Community Forestry and Stakeholders’ participation in Sustainable development (Akindele & Popoola Eds) Proceedings of the 29th annual conference of Forestry Association of Nigeria, pp 84-93.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. and O.V. Ayodele (1997). Financing small scale Non-Wood Forest Product enterprise in Ondo and Ekiti States through the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund. Proceedings of annual conference of For. Assoc. of Nigeria, pp 118- 129.
  • Fuwape J.A. and Onyekwelu, J.C. (1997). The Economic values of Non-Wood Forest Products in Nigeria. 10th World Forestry congress, Antalya, Turkey, 13th-22nd October 1997.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. (1995) The need to involve Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Forest policy planning and Implementation. Proceedings of 1995 annual conference of Forestry Association of Nigeria, Kaduna pp 326-331.
  • Fuwape, J.A. and Onyekwelu, J.C. (1995). The effect of uncontrolled fuelwood collection on the environment. Proceedings of UNESCO-MAB regional training workshop held at Fed. Univ.  of Tech., Akure, Nigeria; 23rd - 26th June 1995, pp 240-245.
  • Onyekwelu, J.C. (1995). The contribution of the forestry sub-sector to Nigeria national economy. A paper presented at the 1995 conference of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria, November, 1995.

Links

International Society of Tropical Foresters
International Forestry Students Association (IFSA)
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH)
German Academic Exchange programme (DAAD)