Many parameters may be used to express productive potential of biomes. Produc­tivity may be expressed in terms of stocking, mass per unit area and basal area. However, not many studies have been conducted for estimating total biomass and therefore productivity of Southern African vegetation. Partly, this could be attributed to the fact that the ecoregion has too many species with different rooting habits that need to be studied. Most of the species in the ecoregion are generally deep rooted with long lateral roots; the average tap root depth of canopy and understorey trees is 2.4 and 1.5 m, respectively, and lateral roots which are diffused at different depths may extend for up to 15 m from tree canopy (Savory 1963). However, Mistry (2000) observed that most tap roots in most miombo dominants extend up to a depth of about 5 m. Excavating and recovering roots for biomass estimation in the Southern African vegetation is rather a very difficult and laborious task, and also costly. Additionally, any study that attempts to employ excavative methods for estimating biomass would prove destructive and costly in such ecosystems. As such, there is some kind of limitation in the use of allometric equations to convert external measurements, such as trunk diameter, and sometimes height to estimate total biomass and therefore woodland productivity. Notwithstanding, studies conducted in Southern African vegetation show variability in productivity potential. The differences in productivity across Southern African woodlands/vegetation are as a result of inherent climatic and edaphic variation across the region; and to an extent the resultant land use. Most of the woodlands across Southern Africa are capable of recovering following disturbance cessation (Geldenhuys 2005; Chirwa et al. 2008a; Syampungani 2008). The re-growth may be from either coppices of stumps or root origin or stunted seedlings present in the herbal layer at the time of clearing (Chidumayo and Frost 1996). Savanna woodland species generally have both vertically and horizontally extensive root systems which facilitate recuperation after cutting (Mistry 2000). These extensive root systems tend to produce root suckers and coppices once the above-ground parts are removed. Syampungani (2008) observed that a number of species tend to coppice namely; Brachystegia spp., Isoberlinia angolensis, Julbernadia paniculata, Pseudolachnostylismaprouneifolia, etc. in stands that were previously under charcoal production and slash and burn agriculture.