The long-lived pioneer species Pericopsis elata is one of the rare tropical timbers on the list of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, supporting the need for accurate and reliable growth data. In one planted and one natural forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively four and 37 Pericopsis stem disks were collected. The tree-ring series of planted trees were used to confirm annual tree-ring formation. For the natural forest, a tree-ring chronology with 24 stem disks ranged from 1852 up to 2008. This chronology was compared with time-series of local precipitation, resulting in a significant correlation with the second half of the rainy season (September–November). This seasonal precipitation was related with sea surface temperatures of the West Indian Ocean. Higher precipitation during El Niño years corresponded with higher tree-ring indices but differences were not significant. In addition, pointer years were rare and did not have a consistent link with extreme climatic conditions. The existence of annual tree rings encourages further tree-ring analyses of P. elata and other flagship timber species in order to further document climate-growth responses and to provide the long-term framework that is needed for sustainable management planning.

The important ecosystem services of the high altitude tropical afro-alpine Erica arborea L. forests are under increasing environmental and human pressure. The Erica treeline ecotone in the Ethiopian highlands forms a temperature-responsive vegetation boundary that is potentially affected by climate change. The cambium of 10 Erica arborea trees in Lib Amba Mountain and Ferrah Amba Mountain in the North Ethiopian highlands was marked in 2012, and corresponding tree disks were sampled after 498 days. Microphotographs of these cambial marks confirmed the formation of annual growth rings (0.76 ± 0.24 mm) with higher vessel density in earlywood and radially flattened fibers in the last layers of the latewood. In-continuum measurements of vessel size and density on microphotographs indicated the formation of inter-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) related to early rainfall in March-May. The same stem disks and 40 increment cores were used for detailed tree-ring analyses—a tree-ring chronology with 18 trees spanning from 1966 to 2014 could be derived. A significant (p < 0.1) positive correlation with minimum temperature in the growing season (August) and a negative correlation with minimum temperature in the spring season (March) were indicated as the most important climate factors regulating tree growth of Erica trees in the afro-alpine forest. The existence of annual tree rings and the proven potential for chronology building encourages further tree-ring analyses of Erica arborea in the afro-alpine tropical highlands in order to link it with climate variability and climate change.