THE Acacia mangium tree, known also as ‘The Umbrella Tree’, is one of over 1300 species of flowering trees in the pea family, Fabaceae. Native to Australia, Indonesia, and Papua, New Guinea, the mangium has become naturalized in Puerto Rico, Brazil, Guyana, and in many other areas of the world.
The trunk can be unbranched for more than half of the total tree height, and is sometimes fluted at the base. The bark’s surface is rough, furrowed longitudinally, and varies in colour, from pale grey-brown to brown.
The lower bole is sometimes fluted. The dark-green leaves are large, up to 25 cm (9.8 in.) long, and are from 3 to 10 cm (1.2–3.94 in.) broad. The flowers are white or creamy, grow in rather loose spikes of up to 10 cm (3.94 in.) long, and have a mild, sweet fragrance.
They grow singly or in pairs in the upper leaf corners. The seed pods are broad, linear, and irregularly coiled, and the seeds are shiny dark brown to black.
This tree records an astounding average growth rate of 3.5 m (11 feet) in height, and 5.4 cm (2 inches) in diameter per year. It grows up to 30 m (98.4 feet) in height, but its diameter rarely exceeds 50 cm (20 in). In Guyana, mangium trees have been known to grow to a height of 30 m (98 ft) within 10 years.

Utility
The Acacia mangium is a species of hardwood that is renowned for its density. Aside from being an excellent landscape plant, or a shade tree for yards or roadsides, the mangium tree provides timber that is ideal for manufacturing furniture, cabinets and floorings, particleboard, plywood, veneer, pulp, fence posts, firewood, and charcoal. More importantly, the tree is now being used to reforest and rehabilitate mined-out areas in Guyana.
Local soil scientist, Mr. Morty Livan says that the Acacia, with its deep rooting system, not only grows rapidly, but assists in fixing nitrogen levels. As such, the tree is a popular species for mixed agro-forestry projects.
In mixed cultures, plants can profit from the shadow of a mangium, and the nitrogen fixation in the soil around it. Additionally, the rapid growth of the Acacia creates accelerated carbon absorption rates.
Approximately 50% of a tree mass is carbon, and that, combined with a fast growing species, allows for more carbon absorption than most other trees. This is a feature that is considered highly favourable in terms of Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Folklore
There is a great deal of lore surrounding the Acacia mangium tree. According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, the Acacia tree may be the “burning bush” (Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desert.
Also, when God gave Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle, He told him to “make an ark” and “a table of acacia wood” (Exodus 25:10 & 23, Revised Standard Version).
In the Christian tradition, it is thought that Christ’s crown of thorns was woven from a species of Acacia.
At Mahdia, here in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), Acacia trees are a major part of a reforestation project that is being managed by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), with the aim of demonstrating to gold and diamond miners how to meet their obligations for the rehabilitation of mined-out areas.
The site at the Mahdia project comprises a former tailings pond and a tailings dump for a mined-out piece of land at St. Elizabeth, in Mahdia. Acacia trees supplied by a GGMC-operated nursery at Mahdia had been planted in 2010.
During his tenure there, said Livan, a former Project Manager, the plan was to establish up to approximately 10,000 Acacia trees in mined-out areas at Mahdia and other mined-out areas in  Region One (Barima/Waini), with similar objectives.